The Institute of Sound and Vibration Research: contributions to the development of European acoustics in the 20th Century

The Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR) at the University of Southampton was founded in 1963 from the Aeronautics Department. It grew rapidly into a leading centre for noise and vibration, combining research, teaching and consultancy. Although the initial focus was on the noise from aircraft and on their vibration-induced structural fatigue, there was already a recognition of the wider issues of sound in society and its subjective and medical effects. Consequently, the research interests of the ISVR quickly expanded to include aeroacoustics, automotive noise, structural dynamics, vibroacoustics, human responses to sound and vibration, data analysis and signal processing, active control, underwater acoustics and railway noise and vibration. The ISVR was a pioneer of university-industry collaboration, having many faculty positions that were supported by industrial funding as well as a strong consultancy activity. Unusual for an engineering department, teaching and research in clinical audiology featured strongly, and led to the establishment of a Cochlear Implant Centre in 1990. The paper gives a review of achievements of the ISVR in the 20th Century, identifying some of the main researchers and engineers who have inspired and guided its activities.