The origins of SIDLAB are rooted in Sweden back in the 80s, Ragnar Glav at KTH created a code called SID (Sound In Ducts) for 1D linear acoustic modelling of cascade linked duct networks. The FORTRAN code was based on two-port (four-pole) models, and the project was funded by the Swedish industry, particularly Atlas Copco and Saab.
The code was improved in the 1990s to allow for the analysis of more broad networks while still employing the transfer matrix formulation. In addition, SID2 was created using Visual Basic to create a graphical user interface. Matsbom and Ragnar Glav published a generic framework for the analysis of acoustic two-port networks with arbitrary element connections in 1996. Stefan Nygrd implemented this, as well as an improvement to the Visual Basic user interface.
SID 2 was further developed in 1999 by Nygrd in partnership with bom and Glav to allow for one- or two-port sources everywhere in a network. This enabled the creation of multiple inlet and output systems as well as multi-source networks. The code SID 3 was developed as a result of this effort, which was partially funded by the EC-project FLODAC.
In 2005, a further crucial step was taken when SIDLAB 1 was developed in collaboration with Swenox, a manufacturer of exhaust systems. SIDLAB 1 or SIDLAB Acoustics is SID3 adapted to MATLAB by Tamer Elnady with the help of bom. The usage of MATLAB allows sophisticated users to have access to the source code, allowing them to make their own adjustments and do pre- and post-processing more easily. It’s also necessary to have the ability to interface to MATLAB modules, such as acoustic FEM, to produce new element models. Another significant enhancement was the addition of a new drag-and-drop graphical interface for easier network design.
New element models developed as part of the EC-project ARTEMIS, such as models for diesel particulate filters (DPF:s), were included in SIDLAB 1. Elnady’s doctoral thesis was also used to implement the most recent models for perforated plate impedance.
SIDLAB 2 was introduced in early 2008, with two additional measurement-related products: SIDLAB Measurement and SIDLAB Acquisition. SIDLAB Measurement and Acquisition are based on the group’s vast experience with experimental two-port data determination. SIDLAB Flow is a plug-in for SIDLAB Simulation that allows you to analyse the flow distribution and pressure drop across the network. SIDLAB Flow is also based on two-port formalism and assumes an incompressible mean flow through analogy between the acoustic and flow variables. In reality, this means that study is limited to duct networks with a Mach-number below 0.3.
We promise to continue developing SIDLAB based on the research topics we’re engaging in, and to ensure that the code is always based on the best accessible published models. SIDLAB should be the strongest and most complete software for linear acoustic problems in flow duct networks, according to our vision.