Electroacoustic absorbers: bridging the gap between shunt loudspeakers and active sound absorption

The acoustic impedance at the diaphragm of an electroacoustic transducer can be varied using a range of basic electrical control strategies, amongst which are electrical shunt circuits. These passive shunt techniques are compared to active acoustic feedback techniques for controlling the acoustic impedance of an electroacoustic transducer. The formulation of feedback-based acoustic impedance control reveals formal analogies with shunt strategies, and highlights an original method for synthesizing electric networks ("shunts") with positive or negative components, bridging the gap between passive and active acoustic impedance control. This paper describes the theory unifying all these passive and active acoustic impedance control strategies, introducing the concept of electroacoustic absorbers. The equivalence between shunts and active control is first formalized through the introduction of a one-degree-of-freedom acoustic resonator accounting for both electric shunts and acoustic feedbacks. Conversely, electric networks mimicking the performances of active feedback techniques are introduced, identifying shunts with active impedance control. Simulated acoustic performances are presented, with an emphasis on formal analogies between the different control techniques. Examples of electric shunts are proposed for active sound absorption. Experimental assessments are then presented, and the paper concludes with a general discussion on the concept and potential improvements.     

A preliminary study of an isodynamic transducer for use in active acoustic materials

Active control of the acoustic impedance of walls in rooms allows fine control of the reverberation in auditoria. Such active materials may use locally reacting cells comprising a transducer connected to an electronic control circuit. In this paper, a simple feedback circuit based on a linear combination of the pressure at the transducer diaphragm and the velocity of the diaphragm is presented. We then discuss the desired characteristics of a transducer dedicated to our application, and show that the isodynamic technology is an interesting candidate, especially if using rubber magnet bars. We present results from simulations involving a finite element model of such transducer, which predict a good control over two frequency decades. Preliminary experimental results obtained with a basic prototype of isodynamic transducer are encouraging, yielding an absorption coefficient approaching 1 (>0.7) from 30 up to 500 Hz. We think that far better results can be obtained (specially in the “super-reflecting” case) with closer control over the various mechanical parameters. Future work will also address the optimisation of the magnet geometry.     

铁镓单晶Janus-Helmholtz换能器

针对深水、低频、宽带换能器的技术需求,结合Janus-Helmholtz换能器的结构特点和铁镓单晶材料低场应变大及机械强度高的特性,提出了铁镓单晶Janus-Helmholtz换能器设计方案。采用永磁偏磁场和环形闭合磁路,建立了一系列铁镓单晶磁致伸缩换能器理论分析模型,包括对磁致伸缩材料参数进行线性化处理,设计了换能器最佳工作点,结合静态磁场和动态磁场分布情况分段细化换能器驱动等效参数,以及利用全阻抗模型通过电感损耗等效计算换能器静态阻抗,然后通过二维有限元分析等效模型,优化分析了换能器的结构参数与电声性能。最后制作了换能器样机,并进行了测试与分析。对比仿真和测试结果表明:全阻抗模型得到的阻抗曲线与样机测试结果相一致,有限元等效模型计算的发送电流响应与样机测试结果良好吻合。换能器样机水中谐振基频为1000 Hz,谐振频率下发送电流响应176.4 dB;在875～2300 Hz频率范围内,发送电流响应起伏不大于6 dB;增加驱动电流有效值到16.2 A,最大声源级可以达到196.2 dB。     

A wideband combined transducer for measuring system in sound tube

A wideband transducer for sound tube system is presented,which combines longitudinal transducer and ClassⅣflextensional transducer to improve the performance at low frequency and broaden the working band.The equivalent circuit is obtained and used to analyze the coupling mechanism between longitudinal transducer and flextensional transducer.A prototype of the transducer is developed after optimizing the electro-acoustic performances by Finite Element Method.The standing wave in the sound tube stimulated by this transducer has been studied and the sound absorbing coefficients of two acoustic materials samples are measured using this sound tube,which shows that the transducer can meet the requirements of acoustic material measurement with the working band ranging from 1.4 kHz to 23 kHz.     

A multiple degree of freedom electromechanical Helmholtz resonator

The development of a tunable, multiple degree of freedom (MDOF) electromechanical Helmholtz resonator (EMHR) is presented. An EMHR consists of an orifice, backing cavity, and a compliant piezoelectric composite diaphragm. Electromechanical tuning of the acoustic impedance is achieved via passive electrical networks shunted across the piezoceramic. For resistive and capacitive loads, the EMHR is a 2DOF system possessing one acoustic and one mechanical DOF. When inductive ladder networks are employed, multiple electrical DOF are added. The dynamics of the multi-energy domain system are modeled using lumped elements and are represented in an equivalent electrical circuit, which is used to analyze the tunable acoustic input impedance of the EMHR. The two-microphone method is used to measure the acoustic impedance of two EMHR designs with a variety of resistive, capacitive, and inductive shunts. For the first design, the data demonstrate that the tuning range of the second resonant frequency for an EMHR with non-inductive shunts is limited by short- and open-circuit conditions, while an inductive shunt results in a 3DOF system possessing an enhanced tuning range. The second design achieves stronger coupling between the Helmholtz resonator and the piezoelectric backplate, and both resonant frequencies can be tuned with different non-inductive loads.     

空心聚合物微珠/环氧树脂复合材料匹配层空耦式压电换能器

研制了一种厚度模空耦式压电换能器,使用综合考虑材料衰减系数和声阻抗的空耦式压电换能器电力声等效电路理论模型以指导匹配层结构设计和材料选择,选用新型的空心聚合物微珠/环氧树脂复合材料作为声匹配材料,优化设计电阻抗匹配及结构参数。该换能器中心频率为510 kHz,-6 dB频域相对带宽为25.4%,插入损耗为-27 dB。结果表明,使用新型低衰减系数的闭孔复合材料单匹配层设计的该换能器不仅保证了高灵敏度,同时简化了换能器结构,为空耦式压电换能器研制提供了新思路。      

0-3型压电复合材料覆盖层水下 吸声性能的理论研究

目前压电分流阻尼技术在振动和噪声领域的应用得到了广泛的关注. 本文尝试将压电分流阻尼技术应用于水下吸声领域, 以提高覆盖层的吸声性能. 将压电覆盖层厚度模态的机电方程和声波传播的传递矩阵相结合, 建立一维电声模型. 该模型可以用于分析多层压电和非压电水下吸声覆盖层的吸声性能. 采用该模型分析了0-3型压电复合材料覆盖层的水下吸声性能. 压电复合材料的参数是采用Furukawa的模型计算的. 研究结果表明, 采用合适的分流电阻, 负电容分流电路可以在较宽的频率范围显著提高覆盖层的吸声性能. 其原理可以从阻抗匹配的角度解释, 负电容分流电路可以调整压电覆盖层的表面声阻抗, 使之与水的特性声阻抗相匹配.     

Improved equivalent circuits for acoustic plate wave devices

This paper presents improved equivalent circuits for the analysis and design of acoustic plate wave devices. The method uses a mixed equivalent circuit for the interdigital transducer consisting of both active and passive sections placed on the surface of a piezoelectric plate. The values of the various circuit elements are obtained by carrying out a best fit between theoretical and experimental frequency dependence of the real and imaginary parts of transducer input impedance. Knowledge of the equivalent circuit parameters allows one to optimize design of the devices. The method has been successfully employed for the design of one-port shear-horizontal wave resonators on Y-X lithium niobate plates. The proposed method can also be utilized for determining acoustic wave velocity with high accuracy.     

Design and calibration of a single-transducer variable-frequency sonication system

The design of a novel single-transducer variable-frequency sonication system capable of operating at constant acoustic power over the range 20-500 kHz is described. The system employs a mass-loaded sandwich transducer arrangement and a series of transformers to provide an accurate impedance matching circuit. Approximately 0-5 W of acoustic power are produced by the system at typical operating frequencies of 20, 40, 150, 200, 300, and 450 kHz. As a first test of the single-transducer variable-sonication system we have re-examined the frequency dependence of the sonochemical oxidation of potassium iodide. Previous investigators have monitored the frequency dependence using a multi-transducer system to obtain the different frequencies required. In accordance with the earlier findings, we have observed an eightfold increase in the rate of potassium iodide oxidation at 300 kHz compared to 20 kHz, as well as an inversion in the rate of oxidation for argon and air-saturated solutions at 300 kHz. Possible reasons for the rate variations are discussed.     

Toward broadband electroacoustic resonators through optimized feedback control strategies

This paper presents a methodology for the design of broadband electroacoustic resonators for low-frequency room equalization. An electroacoustic resonator denotes a loudspeaker used as a membrane resonator, the acoustic impedance of which can be modified through proportional feedback control, to match a target impedance. However, such impedance matching only occurs over a limited bandwidth around resonance, which can limit its use for the low-frequency equalization of rooms, requiring an effective control at least up to the Schroeder frequency. Previous experiments have shown that impedance matching can be achieved over a range of a few octaves using a simple proportional control law. But there is still a limit to the feedback gain, beyond which the feedback-controlled loudspeaker becomes non-dissipative. This paper evaluates the benefits of using PID control and phase compensation techniques to improve the overall performance of the electroacoustic resonator. More specifically, it is shown that some adverse effects due to high-order dynamics in the moving-coil transducer can be mitigated. The corresponding control settings are also identified with equivalent electroacoustic resonator parameters, allowing a straightforward design of the controller. Experimental results using PID control and phase compensation are finally compared in terms of sound absorption performances. As a conclusion the overall performances of electroacoustic resonators for damping the modal resonances inside a duct are presented, along with general discussions on practical implementation and the extension to actual room modes damping.     

An electro-acoustics impedance error criterion and its application to active noise control

Characteristics of radiation impedance and its inducing variation of electrical impedance for a controllable source have been investigated. An impedance-based error criterion has been proposed and its application to active noise control is demonstrated through a coil driven loudspeaker. A general formula of radiation impedance is derived for two control strategies, according to the criterion of total acoustic power output. The radiation impedances of some commonly used sound sources are calculated. We discuss in detail the relation between variation of the input electrical impedance and radiation impedance for the two control strategies. An AC-bridge circuit is designed to measure the weak variation of electrical impedance resulted from radiation impedance. The input electrical impedance of a loudspeaker was measured and the experimental result is consistent with that of theoretical analysis. An impedance-based error criterion is proposed since the AC-bridge relative output is unique for a certain control strategy. The implementation of this criterion applied to an active control system is analyzed by simulations. An analogue control system is set up and experiments are carried out in a semi-anechoic chamber to verify the new control approach.     

基于球形压电陶瓷的耐压水听器

利用球形压电陶瓷自身所具有的耐压能力,采用径向极化空气背衬压电球壳换能器作为声学接收敏感元件,设计并制作了一种球形耐压水听器。首先对其低频开路接收灵敏度和谐振频率等声学特性进行了分析和有限元仿真,然后对其强度和稳定性等耐压性能进行了分析和有限元仿真,最后对其声学性能和耐压能力进行了测试。测试表明,该球形耐压水听器的直径为36 mm,工作频段为50 Hz～10 kHz,低频接收灵敏度为-198.4 dB (0 dB=1 V/μPa),等效自噪声谱级为46.5 dB@1 kHz,其耐压深度可达3000 m。该耐压水听器为大深度水听器设计提供了参考,在深水声学领域具有重要的应用价值。     

水下圆柱形Helmholtz共振器的声学特性分析

理论分析了水下圆柱形Helmholtz共振器的声学特性. 综合考虑壁面弹性和辐射阻抗的影响,基于电-声类比的基本原理,建立了较为完善的水下圆柱形Helmholtz共振器的低频集中参量模型. 利用电路分析的基本方法,得到了系统的输入阻抗和声压传递函数表达式. 仿真分析了主要结构参数对共振器声学特性的影响,得出了一些有意义的结论. 在充水驻波罐中对自制的Helmholtz共振器进行了测量,并对实验结果进行了详细地误差分析. 去除压电水听器对测量结果的影响后,实验与仿真结果基本一致,从而验证了理论分析的正确性. 关键词： Helmholtz共振器 共振频率 传递函数 辐射阻抗     

Acoustic skin meta-muffler

The effective elimination of sound energy traveling in open ducts is critical in acoustics, with considerable potential in diverse applications ranging from duct noise control to exhaust system design. However, previous absorber mechanisms are bulky or have limited ventilation or unsatisfactory absorption capability. We propose and experimentally demonstrate the concept of meta-mufflers capable of quasi-perfectly absorbing airborne sound propagating in an open duct while minimizing the influence on airflow because of its vanishing thickness. The mechanism uses coupling among asymmetric metasurfaces to achieve impedance match and subsequent high absorption in a subwavelength scale, which is explained analytically and validated experimentally. The proposed meta-muffler features an uncomplicated design, high attenuation efficiency, and a thickness of nearly two orders of magnitude of wavelength, ensuring the free pass of other entities. Furthermore, our design offers the flexibility of tuning and extending working bandwidth by hybridization of weak resonances. The performance of the proposed muffler is verified via experiments, which correlate excellently with theoretical predictions. The realization of meta-mufflers opens a route to novel acoustic absorbers and could have far-reaching implications in a plethora of important scenarios calling for both perfect sound absorption and open acoustic paths.     

背衬参数对厚度模压电换能器特性的影响

系统研究了厚度模压电换能器的背衬厚度、声阻抗率及机械损耗因子对换能器振动性能影响,重点分析了在所关心频率附近的有效机电耦合系数和机械品质因数。计算结果表明,随着背衬厚度增大,换能器的有效机电耦合系数和机械品质因数均震荡减小;背衬声阻抗率与压电片声阻抗率差值增大,换能器有效机电耦合系数减小,机械品质因数增大;保持压电片厚度不变,增大背衬的机械损耗因子,换能器有效机电耦合系数单调减小,机械品质因数有极小值,在给定频率范围内电特性曲线趋于光滑。用有限元方法验证了等效电路计算方法的正确性,并对比了换能器的测试结果和计算结果。计算所得规律为厚度模压电换能器的设计和实验制作提供了理论依据。      

声腔对电动式换能器工作特性的影响

传统的电动式换能器设计理论中,未考虑压力补偿系统等声腔结构对声学性能的影响,声源级理论设计结果与实测结果存在较大差别.研究中将电动式换能器内部的三段气腔视为突变截面声腔结构,给出了声腔的四端网络等效电路,将其作为辐射面的负载添加到电动式换能器的传统等效电路中,获得了电动式换能器改进的等效电路.基于改进的等效电路求解了带...     

Ventilation duct with concurrent acoustic feed-forward and decentralised structural feedback active control

This paper presents theoretical and experimental work on concurrent active noise and vibration control for a ventilation duct. The active noise control system is used to reduce the air-borne noise radiated via the duct outlet whereas the active vibration control system is used to both reduce the structure-borne noise radiated by the duct wall and to minimise the structural feed-through effect that reduces the effectiveness of the active noise control system. An elemental model based on structural mobility functions and acoustic impedance functions has been developed to investigate the principal effects and limitations of feed-forward active noise control and decentralised velocity feedback vibration control. The principal simulation results have been contrasted and validated with measurements taken on a laboratory duct set-up, equipped with an active noise control system and a decentralised vibration control system. Both simulations and experimental results show that the air-borne noise radiated from the duct outlet can be significantly attenuated using the feed-forward active noise control. In the presence of structure-borne noise the performance of the active noise control system is impaired by a structure-borne feed-through effect. Also the sound radiation from the duct wall is increased. In this case, if the active noise control is combined with a concurrent active vibration control system, the sound radiation by the duct outlet is further reduced and the sound radiation from the duct wall at low frequencies reduces noticeably.     

Characteristics of backing impacts on the performance of the thickness mode piezoelectric transducer

The impacts of the thickness, the specific acoustic impedance and the mechanical loss factor of the backing on the performance of the thickness mode piezoelectric transducer are systemically studied, which are focused on the effective electromechanical coupling coefficient and the mechanical quality factor near the center frequency. The results show that with contin?uous increasing of the backing thickness, the effective electromechanical coupling coefficient and the mechanical quality factor are found rapidly declined by oscillation way. With the increase of the difference value of the acoustic impedance between the backing material and the piezoelec?tric material, the effective electromechanical coupling coefficient deceases and the mechanical quality factor increases. Under condition that the thickness of the piezoelectric material is fixed, the effective electromechanical coupling coefficient is found declined with the increase of the mechanical loss factor by monotonous way. The mechanical quality factor has minimum value and the electric characteristic curve tends to be smooth in a given frequency range. The equivalent circuit theory result is in good agreement with the ones by finite element method and the experimental results. The work mentioned above provides a theoretical guidance for the design and experimental fabrication of the thickness mode piezoelectric transducer.     

封闭腔体噪声控制中亥姆霍兹共振器的优化设计方法

提出用亥姆霍兹共振器控制声腔内噪声时计算共振器最优阻尼比和最优工作带宽的理论公式,并进行实验验证。首先,建立共振器与待控腔体的声学耦合方程,以最小化腔体内目标声压幅值为参考,对共振器的阻尼比和工作带宽进行理论分析,求出最优阻尼比和最优工作带宽的计算公式。接着,提出在声腔噪声控制中使用最优亥姆霍兹共振器的实施步骤。最后,以一维声学腔体内的噪声为控制对象,通过对比控制前后的理论结果与实测数据,验证最优阻尼比和最优工作带宽的理论公式。结果表明,本文开发的亥姆霍兹共振器优化设计方法能准确地预报共振器的最优阻尼比与最优工作带宽,在声腔中低频噪声控制中有广泛的应用前景。      

Acoustic impedance microscopy for biological tissue characterization

A new method for two-dimensional acoustic impedance imaging for biological tissue characterization with micro-scale resolution was proposed. A biological tissue was placed on a plastic substrate with a thickness of 0.5 mm. A focused acoustic pulse with a wide frequency band was irradiated from the “rear side” of the substrate. In order to generate the acoustic wave, an electric pulse with two nanoseconds in width was applied to a PVDF-TrFE type transducer. The component of echo intensity at an appropriate frequency was extracted from the signal received at the same transducer, by performing a time–frequency domain analysis. The spectrum intensity was interpreted into local acoustic impedance of the target tissue. The acoustic impedance of the substrate was carefully assessed prior to the measurement, since it strongly affects the echo intensity. In addition, a calibration was performed using a reference material of which acoustic impedance was known. The reference material was attached on the same substrate at different position in the field of view. An acoustic impedance microscopy with 200 × 200 pixels, its typical field of view being 2 × 2 mm, was obtained by scanning the transducer. The development of parallel fiber in cerebella cultures was clearly observed as the contrast in acoustic impedance, without staining the specimen. The technique is believed to be a powerful tool for biological tissue characterization, as no staining nor slicing is required.