Brüel & Kjær Analyzes Condenser Microphone Designs with Simulation

Erling Olsen, Søren Andresen, Brüel & Kjær, Denmark

Brüel & Kjær, a manufacturer of transducers, microphones, and other instruments and software for sound and vibration analysis, uses numerical simulation to engineer their devices to be as accurate and precise as possible. Brüel & Kjær engineers develop condenser microphones with frequencies that range from infrasound to ultrasound, using simulation to investigate thermal stress and map resonance frequency. Simulation was used to inspect the deformation of the diaphragm of a 4134 condenser microphone, as well as to determine the influence of the air vent at low frequencies. R&D engineers at Brüel & Kjær also modeled a vibration transducer to ensure the device does not resonate at the same frequency of the vibrations that it measures.