INTER-NOISE 2017 Report

INTER-NOISE 2017, the 46th International Congress and Exposition on Noise Control Engineering, was held on August 27–30, 2017, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Seven hundred and two (702) oral technical presentations were given at the conference. There were seven hundred and eighty-nine (789) papers distributed to conference attendees in the proceedings thumb drive. This conference was organized by Mr. Tom Ho, Co-Chair, Hong Kong Institute of Acoustics (HKIOA), and Prof. Le Cheng, Co-Chair and Proceedings Editor, Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPolyU). Also assisting with the organization and administration of the conference were: Dr. Kin Cheng, Secretary, HKIOA; Dr. Randolph Leung, Secretary, HKPolyU; Dr. Honglian Li, Secretary, NVH-SAE, China; and Prof. Jun Yang, Secretary, Acoustical Society of China.

The contributions to this conference came from around the world. There were 40 regions represented with large contributions from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Germany, and the United States. There were a total of 1,187 registrants at this Congress. With 112 sessions housed in the convention center, the Congress was well organized and quite successful.

Opening the Conference

The opening events for the conference were held on Sunday afternoon, August 27. Tom Ho, as Co-Chair, began the ceremonies thanking those in attendance and apologizing for the typhoon that made travel to the conference difficult for some (see Figure 1). This brief introduction was followed by a presentation by Kam-sing Wong, the Hong Kong Secretary for the Environment, who underscored the importance of noise control to the people and government of Hong Kong (see Figure 2). Professor Li Cheng followed Mr. Wong, providing more information on the Congress and the partners involved in organization process (see Figure 3). Ms. Grace Kwok, the President of the Hong Kong Institute of Acoustics, was next to speak (see Figure 4). Ms. Kwok talked about the coordination among different organizations that made this Congress possible and so successful. The final opening speaker was Marion Burgess, the President of the International Institute of Noise Control Engineering (I-INCE) (see Figure 5). Mrs. Burgess welcome those in attendance and thanked the organizers for their hard work in putting together this Congress. She also highlighted the work of I-INCE to support Young Professionals in attending and participating in the Congress.

Figure 1. Conference Opening by Tom Ho

Figure 2. Kam-sing Wong, the Hong Kong Secretary for the Environment

Figure 3. Professor Li Cheng, Congress Technical Chair

Figure 4. Ms. Grace Kwok, the President of the Hong Kong Institute of Acoustics

Figure 5. Marion Burgess, I-INCE President

Mrs. Burgess’s presentation was followed by a Lion Dance Performance to provide a traditional opening and welcome for all those in attendance. This was a spectacular performance that was an experience for all in attendance (see Figures 6 & 7).

Figure 6. Lion Dance Performers at Opening Ceremony

Figure 7. Lion Dance Performers at Opening Ceremony

Following the entertainment, Bob Bernhard discussed the upcoming memorial session for Bill Lang at INTER-NOISE 2018 in Chicago (see Figure 8). He provided some stories about Bill and his key role in starting the INTER-NOISE Congress and I-INCE.

Figure 8. Bob Bernhard Describing Bill Lang Memorial Session at INTER-NOISE 2018

The first keynote presentation was by Prof. Xin Zhang, the Swire Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (see Figure 9). The topic of his talk was “Computational Aeroacoustic Study of Leading Edge Noise.” He provided an interesting talk that focused on the leading edge flow noise for propellers and fan blades. Using numerical simulation with flow disturbances considered, it was shown that a detailed understanding of such noise can be developed. His simulation methods allow the separation of the effects of smooth flow and the impact of vortices in the flow stream.

Figure 9. Prof. Xin Zhang Presenting Keynote Lecture

This plenary session was followed by the opening ceremony for the Congress. The organizer’s provided a very nice opening reception with a warm welcome to attendees from around the world.

Monday, August 28

The technical program began on Monday, August 28. There were 15 parallel sessions covering a wide array of topics. The second keynote lecture was at 11:00. Brigitte Schulte-Fortkamp’s presentation of “Soundscape and Noise Management—a Matter of Lifequality” was an interesting discussion of soundscapes (see Figure 10). She noted the impact of many factors and argued for the need to take a holistic approach. She recommended that soundscape analysis go beyond sound sources by considering other sensory systems, visual aesthetics, geography, and social, psychological, and cultural aspects.

Figure 10. Brigitte Schulte-Fortkamp Presenting Keynote Lecture

There was a full slate for technical sessions on Monday covering a wide range of topics. The exhibition also opened on Monday. While the plan had been to open the exhibit booths for the Sunday evening opening reception, this was not possible due to the delays caused by the typhoon. With 35 booths, this was an outstanding exhibition spanning interests from instrumentation to building materials. An evening reception was held in the exhibition area and was well attended.

In the afternoon of this first day, the Young Professionals program was conducted by Raj Singh. This session was well attended and included the award of YP grants to 16 young professionals (See Figure 11 and Table 1). There was a reception afterward providing a chance for one-on-one interactions between the young professionals and I-INCE officers and board members. The I-INCE’s highly successful Young Professionals Grant competition has been offered since 2010 in order for noise control engineering students and young professionals, all typically within the first ten years of their careers, to attend the INTER-NOISE Congress. The goals of the grant are to expose students and young acousticians to senior professionals, give them experience in public presentation and paper writing, and assist them in the development of networking skills.

Figure 11. Young Professionals Workshop

Table 1. 2017 Young Professionals Grant (I-INCE) Winners

Overall, 139 grants were awarded between 2010 and 2017 as shown in Table 2. For INTER-NOISE 2017, the I-INCE had allocated 20 grants. Funds for 20 grants (600 EUR per person) have been allocated for INTER-NOISE 2017 and 2018 each. This brings I-INCE’s total allocation of funds for the grant and workshop to 88,500 EUR for a period of nine years (2010–2018). As of this writing, 39 countries have been represented. More details about the demographic spread as well as the announcement for the INTER-NOISE 2018 grant competition (to be posted soon) can be found at http://i-ince.org/youngprofessionals.php.

Table 2. Demographics of Young Professional Grants (2010–2017)

How Does the Grant Program Work?

A call for applications goes out about 9 months before the INTER-NOISE Congress. Rules and other important information are posted on the Congress website as well as on the I-INCE website. These applications are rigorously reviewed by the I-INCE panel. A provisional winners list is compiled and given to the technical program chair and staff of the INTER-NOISE Congress, and the best of the remaining candidates are put on a waiting list in case a provisional winner is unable to attend the Congress.

The Young Professionals Workshop

Every year we invite all of the winners of the grant to attend the Young Professionals Workshop. During this workshop, grant recipients are presented with a certificate commemorating their achievement while also being given a chance to network and have informal discussions with senior noise control engineers and I-INCE leaders. The program of the workshop at INTER-NOISE 2017 included:

• Overview and I-INCE Mission, by R. Singh, VP, Technical Activities, I-INCE
• Presentation of the I-INCE Young Professionals Grant Certificates, by M. Burgess, R. Singh and O. T. Sen
• How to Network?, by S. Hambric, Pennsylvania State University (USA)
• Perspective of a Young Professional, by O. T. Sen, I-INCE YP Coordinator, Istanbul Technical University (Turkey)
• How to Publish a Paper on Noise?, by S. Bolton and P. Davies, Purdue University (USA)
• EAA Young Acousticians Network and junge DEGA, by C. Adams, Technische Universität Darmstadt (Germany)
• Future Young Professionals Programs, by R. Singh and O. T. Sen

More information is given here: http://i-ince.org/youngprofessionals.php.

Tuesday, August 29

Again on Tuesday there were 15 parallel technical sessions in operation covering a wide range of topics. The first keynote lecture of the day was at 11:00. This keynote was by Steffen Marburg (see Figure 12). The title of his presentation was “Conventional Boundary Element Techniques: Recent Developments and Opportunities.” This presentation thoroughly discussed BEM and its application to difficult problems. Dr. Marburg talked at length about artifacts and potential errors in the formulation and approximations used in BEM. He concluded with a brief discussion of potential future developments in BEM analysis.

Figure 12. Steffen Marburg Presenting Keynote Lecture

The second keynote lecture was in the afternoon by Jian Pang. The topic was “Trend of Automobile Development and Its Challenge for Noise and Vibration Control” (see Figure 13). This presentation provided a comprehensive overview of automotive trends and the potential impact on noise control design and materials. Topics of discussion included hybrid electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles and the implications for noise control.

Figure 13. Jian Pang Presenting Keynote Lecture

Both the technical sessions and the exhibition continued through this day. There was active participation in both with many excellent papers.

Wednesday, August 30

There was a full slate of technical sessions until 3:00 pm on Wednesday. The final plenary lecture was an I-INCE lecture presented by Paul Donavan and was titled “Trend of Automobile Development and Its Challenge for Noise and Vibration Control” (see Figure 14). This interesting talk covered the history of tire/pavement noise with a discussion of both the measurement and the impact of various road surfaces on noise emissions. In addition, factors effecting the longevity of acoustical performance of road surfaces were discussed.

Figure 14. Paul Donavan Presenting I-INCE Lecture

Following this I-INCE lecture, Joe Cuschieri and David Herrin provided information on INTER-NOISE 2018 and invited all to attend the Congress in Chicago on August 26–29, 2018 (see Figure 15). http://internoise2018.org/index.php.

Figure 15. Joe Cuschieri and David Herrin Presenting INTER-NOISE 2018

Following this presentation, Tom Ho, the conference co-chair, thanked all those who had participated in organizing and running the conference (see Figure 16). Marion Burgess thanked the entire team who developed and managed the Congress. She then officially closed the Congress (see Figure 17). After the closing, there was a reception sponsored by INTER-NOISE 2018.

Figure 16. Tom Ho Thanking Participants

Marion Burgess Thanking INTER-NOISE 2017 Volunteers and Staff