The UFME aimed to provide the profession with scientific and technical information enabling the acoustic performance of windows manufactured in France to be assessed before manufacture. Three years later, the thesis led to the ongoing development of the first window acoustic simulation and modeling software.
Measuring acoustic performance on the drawing board: environmental and financial savings
More than a scientific breakthrough for the sector, it is the realization of research that will soon make the window the first element of the building envelope to have an intrinsic acoustic modelling. Inspired by the automotive and aeronautical fields, the software will allow manufacturers to benefit from an estimate of the sound reduction achieved by a window. from its design phase, whatever its composition (dimensions and glazing). This simulation will minimize as much as possible the possible difference in acoustic attenuation estimated with respect to the laboratory test.
This digital tool will save time and money for wood window manufacturers who:
- avoid the manufacture of a prototype which, after costly tests, would not correspond to the desired sound reduction requirements,
- will reduce their environmental impact in terms of materials for the manufacture of the prototype and transport by reducing the round trips to the test centers.
It will also enable specifiers and design offices to integrate acoustic comfort into their construction or building renovation projects by estimating the acoustic attenuation of windows.
A first version available at the end of 2023
The tool, funded by CODIFAB, at the request of UFME, UMB-FFB and CAPEB, is produced by Arnaud Combes, manager of the company I.NOV, mandated in 2021 to work on this digitization project. the sound reduction calculation for wooden windows. This software should be released in the last quarter of 2023 with the online application dedicated to the wooden window, the most complex to calculate due to its structural variations, as well as on XXL models. It will then be deployed on PVC, aluminum and mixed wood-PVC/Aluminium windows, as well as on complex assemblies. If the development of this digital tool remains difficult, it is essential that the interface is simple and clear for the industrial user.
“The tool is in the adjustment and testing phase in order to offer manufacturers the most ergonomic tool. We perform acoustic experiments to model the window in 3D and allow us to parameterize as precisely as possible. The user will then have to enter the type of model, the dimensions, the thickness of the frame, the width, the type of glazing, etc. to find out what level of sound reduction will be achieved. This simulation can complement that on the thermal part in order to pave the way for the development of a new product with complete peace of mind. » - Arnaud Combes, manager of I.NOV.
Arnaud Combes, I.NOV
An expert chosen by the UFME for his solid knowledge in the world of carpentry and in the development of calculation software. A graduate of the ESME Sudria engineering school and the Panthéon-Assas University (Master in Management and New Technologies), he has for example:
- managed a team of developers on various applications in the field of windows and glazing (Saint-Gobain Group in 2013),
- created his company I.NOV SARL, within which he developed the “Window to Measure” application. Marketed since 2018, it is intended for window installers to help them take measurements on site. For more than a year, he continues to improve and personalize it,
- worked within the family business Menuiseries Combes to support them in the evolution of the information system and the digital transformation.
* The UFME (Union of Menuiseries Manufacturers) represents the door and window sector. With 154 members spread throughout the national territory, its vocation is to support and defend the interests of designers, manufacturers and installers of joinery, as well as professions complementary to these trades. Composed of three commissions (technical, social & training and communication), the UFME strives to represent the interests of carpentry professionals by encouraging the promotion of quality French carpentry, by offering a wide range of training courses and by involving in the active monitoring of major technical themes. Through its dynamism and the expertise of its members, the UFME participates in topical debates around the housing construction and renovation sector. www.ufme.fr - www.choisirmafenetre.fr
** Thesis carried out within the LMSSC (Laboratory of Mechanics of Structures and Coupled Systems) of the CNAM, by the doctoral student Chaïma SOUSSI, with the financial support of CODIFAB. Results of the thesis accessible on the CODIFAB website: https://www.codifab.fr/actions-collectives/developpement-de-modeles-numeriques-pour-levaluation-des-performances-vibro-acoustiques-de-fenetres-2837.
*** The CODIFAB, Professional Committee for the Development of the French Furniture and Wood Industries, has the mission of conducting and financing, through the proceeds of the Affected Tax, actions of general interest in favor of French manufacturers of furniture. furnishings (furniture and fittings) and wood (joinery, framework, panels, laminated wood, CLT, wood frame, etc.). CODIFAB federates and brings together 4 SMEs/ETIs and more than 200 artisans, represented by their professional organisations: Ameublement Français, UFME, UICB, UIPC, UIPP, UMB-FFB, UNACMA-CAPEB, UNAMA. Collective actions aim to support creative, production and marketing companies through: better dissemination of innovation and new technologies, adaptation to market needs and environmental standards, promotion, development international, training, and by any study or initiative of interest to the entire profession. www.codifab.fr