Sound transmission across lightweight all-metallic sandwich panels with corrugated cores

The transmission of sound through all-metallic sandwich panels with corrugated cores is investigated using the space-harmonic method. The sandwich panel is modeled as two parallel panels connected by uniformly distributed translational springs and rotational springs, with the mass of the core sheets taken as lumped mass. Based on the periodicity of the panel structure, a unit cell model is developed to provide the effective translational and rotational stiffness of the core. To check the validity of the model, it is used first to study the sound insulation properties of double-panel structures with air cavity, and the analytical predictions agree well with existing experimental data. The model is then employed to quantify the influence of sound incidence angle and the inclination angle between facesheet and core sheet on sound transmission loss （STL） across sandwich panels with corrugated cores. The results show that the inclination angle has a significant effect on STL and it is possible to avoid STL dips by altering the inclination angle. Moreover, it is found that sandwich panels with corrugated cores are more suitable for the insulation of sound waves having small incidence angles.     

薄膜型声学超材料的结构设计与隔声特性*

为探讨薄膜型声学超材料用于汽车前围声学包、提高其中低频隔声能力的可行性,设计一种米字摆臂多质量块薄膜型声学超材料,构建其隔声分析有限元模型 ,分析其隔声特性及影响因素,开展结构优化及其在汽车前围声学包上的应用探索。研究表明,所设计的薄膜型声学超材料单胞在中低频区域具有较宽的隔声频带;增加薄膜上质量块半径或厚度会使传声损失曲线整体向低频区域移动,且质量块半径的增加还会拓宽高频区域的隔声频带;增加薄膜厚度或预应力会使传声损失曲线整体向高频区域移动;优化后的薄膜型声学超材料与钢板组合应用于汽车前围板,可明显提高其中低频隔声能力。     

Low frequency sound insulation using stiffness control with honeycomb panels

A new honeycomb core design has been used to increase the stiffness of the panel and applied to improve the noise transmission loss at frequencies between 100 and 200 Hz. A model is presented to predict the transmission loss of the honeycomb panels based on the structural modal parameters. A new test specimen with fiber reinforced plastic cores and face sheets had been used to investigate the effect of stiffness and damping on noise transmission loss. The measurements of noise transmission loss have been compared with data for common structural panels. The results show that the new core fabrication techniques using moulding to improve the noise transmission are effective. In comparison to a cement panel of the same mass, the honeycomb panels have higher TL at low frequencies between 100 and 200 Hz due to higher stiffness and damping. The honeycomb panels have more significant vibration responses above 500 Hz but these are limited by damping.     

Prediction of sound transmission loss through multilayered panels by using Gaussian distribution of directional incident energy

In this study, a new prediction method is suggested for sound transmission loss (STL) of multilayered panels of infinite extent. Conventional methods such as random or field incidence approach often given significant discrepancies in predicting STL of multilayered panels when compared with the experiments. In this paper, appropriate directional distributions of incident energy to predict the STL of multilayered panels are proposed. In order to find a weighting function to represent the directional distribution of incident energy on the wall in a reverberation chamber, numerical simulations by using a ray-tracing technique are carried out. Simulation results reveal that the directional distribution can be approximately expressed by the Gaussian distribution function in terms of the angle of incidence. The Gaussian function is applied to predict the STL of various multilayered panel configurations as well as single panels. The compared results between the measurement and the prediction show good agreements, which validate the proposed Gaussian function approach.     

The measurement of acoustic properties of limited size panels by use of a parametric source

A method of measuring the acoustic properties of limited size panels immersed in water, with a truncated parametric array used as the acoustic source, is described. The insertion loss and reflection loss of thin metallic panels, typically 0·45 m square, were measured at normal incidence by using this technique. Results were obtained for a wide range of frequencies (10 to 100 kHz) and were found to be in good agreement with the theoretical predictions for plane waves. Measurements were also made of the insertion loss of aluminium, Perspex and G.R.P. panels for angles of incidence up to 50°. The broad bandwidth available from the parametric source permitted detailed measurements to be made over a wide frequency range using a single transmitting transducer. The small spot sizes obtainable with the parametric source also helped to reduce the significance of diffraction from edges of the panel under test.     

Sound transmission loss of foam-filled honeycomb sandwich panels using statistical energy analysis and theoretical and measured dynamic properties

Comparisons between the experimental and predicted sound transmission loss values obtained from statistical energy analysis are presented for two foam-filled honeycomb sandwich panels. Statistical energy analysis (SEA) is a modeling procedure which uses energy flow relationships for the theoretical estimation of the sound transmission through structures in resonant motion. The accuracy of the prediction of the sound transmission loss using SEA greatly depends on accurate estimates of: (1) the modal density, (2) the internal loss factor, and (3) the coupling loss factor parameters of the structures. A theoretical expression for the modal density of sandwich panels is developed from a sixth-order governing equation. Measured modal density estimates of the two foam-filled honeycomb sandwich panels are obtained by using a three-channel spectral method with a spectral mass correction to allow for the mass loading of the impedance head. The effect of mass loading of the accelerometer is corrected in the estimations of both the total loss factor and radiation loss factor of the sandwich panels.     

An indirect hybrid sound transmission loss controller

The control of sound transmission through panels is an important noise control problem in the aerospace, aeronautical, and automotive industries. The trend towards using lightweight composite materials that have lower sound insulation performance is a negative factor regarding low frequency transmission loss. Double-panel partitions with the gap filled with sound absorption materials are often employed to improve the sound insulation performance with reduced added weight penalty. However, in the low frequency range, the strong coupling between the panels through the air cavity and mechanical paths may greatly reduce the sound transmission performance, making it even lower than the performance of a single panel in some frequency ranges. In this work, an experimental investigation of a new kind of hybrid (active/passive) acoustic actuator is presented. The idea consists of replacing the acoustic absorption material by a hybrid actuator aiming at improving the transmission loss at low frequencies without altering the passive attenuation. A prototype of the system is tested in a plane wave acoustic tube setup. Different kinds of SISO feedforward control implementations were used to attenuate the sound power transmitted through the hybrid active–passive panel using an error microphone or a particle velocity sensor placed downstream with respect to the sample panel. Measurement results of the transmission loss with active and hybrid attenuation are presented and discussed.     

利用混合FE-SEA方法的前围隔声性能优化设计*

为了提升某重型商用车前围的隔声性能,建立了用于分析前围传递损失的有限元-统计能量分析(FE-SEA)模型。针对前围结构复杂的特点,依据FE-SEA模型建模原则,提出了通过在表面创建声腔来确保能量在模型中的正确传递路径。将仿真结果与测试值对比,二者误差小于1.6 dB(A),验证了FE-SEA方法的准确性。用吸声材料与隔声材料复合设计前围声学包,采用正交试验法对前围声学包进行优化设计并对各个试验方案进行仿真计算。对仿真结果进行极差分析与方差分析,选出了在传递损失、重量和厚度三方面达到最佳平衡的声学包:毛毡(10 mm)+EPDM隔声垫(2 mm)。结果表明,优化后的前围传递损失在测试频率315 Hz～2000 Hz范围内最小提升了3.8 dB(A),最大提升了7 dB(A),前围的隔声性能得到较大的提升。     

Measurement of sound insulation of acoustic louvres by an impulse method

This paper presents results of a study of the sound attenuation of acoustic louvres. At the core of the study is an alternative method of measuring sound insulation, impulse response analysis, which circumvents the limitations imposed by standard and proposed standard methods. Using the impulse method, the sound transmission coefficient is measured at different angles of incidence and the angular dependency of transmission loss obtained. In the low frequency range, the transmission is governed by a mass layer effect. The value of transmission loss is independent of angle of incidence. For the mid and high frequencies, diffraction, interference and absorption determine louvre performance and an angular dependency is observed. The transmission at the angle of incidence, corresponding to a line-of-sight through the louvre blades, is the dominant contribution to the angle average value and a single measurement at the pitch of the louvre approximates the overall transmission loss. For the case considered, the geometry of the blades has little influence on the transmission at low frequencies and the mass of the blades has little influence at higher frequencies. In a companion paper, the impulse data are used to predict the insertion loss provided by the louvre when installed in a plant room.     

Transmission loss of honeycomb sandwich structures with attached gas layers

Layering gasses of differing acoustic impedances on a panel substantially reduced the amount of sound energy transmitted through the panel with respect to the panel alone or an equivalent-thickness single species gas layer. The additional transmission loss derives from successive impedance mismatches at the interfaces between gas layers and the resulting inefficient energy transfer. Attachment of additional gas layers increased the transmission loss by as much as 17 dB at certain frequencies. The location and ordering of the gasses with respect to the panel were important factors in determining the magnitude of the total transmission loss. Theoretical analysis using a transfer matrix method was used to calculate the frequency dependence of sound transmission for the different configurations tested. The method accurately predicted the relative increases in transmission loss observed with the addition of different gas layer configurations.     

Acoustic metamaterials for sound mitigation

We provide theoretical and numerical analyses of the behavior of a plate-type acoustic metamaterial considered in an air-borne sound environment in view of sound mitigation application. Two configurations of plate are studied, a spring-mass one and a pillar system-based one. The acoustic performances of the considered systems are investigated with different approaches and show that a high sound transmission loss (STL) up to 82 dB is reached with a metamaterial plate with a thickness of 0.5 mm. The physical understanding of the acoustic behavior of the metamaterial partition is discussed based on both air-borne and structure-borne approaches. Confrontation between the STL, the band structure, the displacement fields and the effective mass density of the plate metamaterial is made to have a complete physical understanding of the different mechanisms involved.     

The effect of external mean flow on sound transmission through double-walled cylindrical shells lined with poroelastic material

Sound transmission through a system of double shells, lined with poroelastic material in the presence of external mean flow, is studied. The porous material is modeled as an equivalent fluid because shear wave contributions are known to be insignificant. This is achieved by accounting for the energetically most dominant wave types in the calculations. The transmission characteristics of the sandwich construction are presented for different incidence angles and Mach numbers over a wide frequency range. It is noted that the transmission loss exhibits three dips on the frequency axis as opposed to flat panels where there are only two such frequencies—results are discussed in the light of these observations. Flow is shown to decrease the transmission loss below the ring frequency, but increase this above the ring frequency due to the negative stiffness and the damping effect added by the flow. In the absence of external mean flow, porous material provides superior insulation for most part of the frequency band of interest. However, in the presence of external flow, this is true only below the ring frequency—above this frequency, the presence of air gap in sandwich constructions is the dominant factor that determines the acoustic performance. In the absence of external flow, an air gap always improves sound insulation.     

Vibro-acoustic response and sound transmission loss analysis of functionally graded plates

This paper presents analytical studies on the vibro-acoustic and sound transmission loss characteristics of functionally graded material (FGM) plates using a simple first-order shear deformation theory. The material properties of the plate are assumed to vary according to power law distribution of the constituent materials in terms of volume fraction. The sound radiation due to sinusoidally varying point load, uniformly distributed load and obliquely incident sound wave is computed by solving the Rayleigh integral with a primitive numerical scheme. Displacement, velocity, acceleration, radiated sound power level, radiated sound pressure level and radiation efficiency of FGM plate for varying power law index are examined. The sound transmission loss of the FGM plate for several incidence angles and varying power law index is studied in detail. It has been found that, for the plate being considered, the sound power level increases monotonically with increase in power law index at lower frequency range (0–500 Hz) and a non-monotonic trend is appeared towards higher frequencies for both point and distributed force excitations. Increased vibration and acoustic response is observed for ceramic-rich FGM plate at higher frequency band; whereas a similar trend is seen for metal-rich FGM plate at lower frequency band. The dBA values are found to be decreasing with increase in power law index. The radiation efficiency of ceramic-rich FGM plate is noticed to be higher than that of metal and metal-rich FGM plates. The transmission loss below the first resonance frequency is high for ceramic-rich FGM plate and low for metal-rich FGM plate and further depends on the specific material property. The study has found that increased transmission loss can be achieved at higher frequencies with metal-rich FGM plates.     

Solid-perforated panel layout optimization by topology optimization based on unified transfer matrix

This paper presents a numerical method for the optimization of the sequencing of solid panels, perforated panels and air gaps and their respective thickness for maximizing sound transmission loss and/or absorption. For the optimization, a method based on the topology optimization formulation is proposed. It is difficult to employ only the commonly-used material interpolation technique because the involved layers exhibit fundamentally different acoustic behavior. Thus, an optimization method formulation using a so-called unified transfer matrix is newly proposed. The key idea is to form elements of the transfer matrix such that interpolated elements by the layer design variables can be those of air, perforated and solid panel layers. The problem related to the interpolation is addressed and bench mark-type problems such as sound transmission or absorption maximization problems are solved to check the efficiency of the developed method.     

Transmission and radiation of acoustic oblique incident through tube arrays based on phononic crystals theory

In a utility boiler, the heat exchanger’s structure is similar to a two-dimensional phononic crystal. Based on the phononic crystal theory, this paper studies sound propagation through tube arrays as a function of the incident sound direction and the surroundings temperature. We carried out both the computational and experimental work for particular values of the pitch and diameters in the tube arrays and studied the band-gap diagram and insertion loss spectra for different angles of incidence. The first band gap is found to correspond to Bragg’s Law while the second band gap moves to lower frequencies as the angle increases. Simulations indicate also that the uneven temperature field influences the insertion loss spectrum. Results of experiments and calculations confirm that, for a particular tube array, the most important factors influencing sound propagation are incidence angle and the surrounding temperature. For the acoustic source in tube arrays, the acoustic radiation have relation with the frequency whether in the acoustic bang gap or not. The results should provide a basis for further work: both on sound source localization and low frequency sonic cleaning in large tube arrays.     

Assessment of sandwich models for the prediction of sound transmission loss in unidirectional sandwich panels

The consistent higher-order approach and the two-parameter foundation formulation are used for the derivation of sound transmission loss in symmetric unidirectional (infinitely wide) sandwich panels with isotropic face sheets. In both models, transmission loss is calculated using decoupled equations representing symmetric and anti-symmetric motions of a sandwich panel. The closed-form expressions for impedances and transmission coefficient of a symmetric sandwich panel with an isotropic core are derived for the two-parameter foundation model. A comparison between the numerical predictions based on the two sandwich models and available experimental data shows that the consistent higher-order formulation can be used to predict the transmission loss in symmetric sandwich panels with both honeycomb and isotropic cores. For prediction of transmission loss of symmetric sandwich panels with an isotropic core, the two-parameter foundation model is more convenient, while the consistent higher-order approach is more accurate.     

Insertion loss of sound waves through composite acoustic window materials

This study evaluated the insertion loss of sound waves through composite acoustic window materials for sonar dome applications, and examined the influence of dome shape on the sonar performance. The insertion loss of sound waves through acoustic window materials was experimentally measured as a function of frequency at normal incidence. The insertion loss was also theoretically estimated with three- and four-medium layer models. The theoretical estimation of insertion loss showed good agreement with the experimental measurements. The insertion loss was also measured as a function of angle of incidence. The characteristics of longitudinal and converted shear waves were observed at various angles of incidence. This study will be useful to select acoustic window materials with the appropriate acoustic characteristics for practical sonar dome applications.     

Sound transmission through finite lightweight multilayered structures with thin air layers

The sound transmission loss (STL) of finite lightweight multilayered structures with thin air layers is studied in this paper. Two types of models are used to describe the vibro-acoustic behavior of these structures. Standard transfer matrix method assumes infinite layers and represents the plane wave propagation in the layers. A wave based model describes the direct sound transmission through a rectangular structure placed between two reverberant rooms. Full vibro-acoustic coupling between rooms, plates, and air cavities is taken into account. Comparison with double glazing measurements shows that this effect of vibro-acoustic coupling is important in lightweight double walls. For infinite structures, structural damping has no significant influence on STL below the coincidence frequency. In this frequency region, the non-resonant transmission or so-called mass-law behavior dominates sound transmission. Modal simulations suggest a large influence of structural damping on STL. This is confirmed by experiments with double fiberboard partitions and sandwich structures. The results show that for thin air layers, the damping induced by friction and viscous effects at the air gap surfaces can largely influence and improve the sound transmission characteristics.     

钢结构装配式住宅墙板连接方式对隔声性能的影响*

为提升其隔声性能,通过有限元法数值分析,比较了不同位置墙板的连接方式对房间隔声性能的影响。结果表明：(1)侧墙墙板柔性连接处理对侧向传声的抑制作用显著,当侧墙墙板采用柔性连接后,房间的隔声量在低频段平均可以提升3 dB左右;(2)公共隔墙墙板的柔性连接对房间低频段隔声量提升不明显,甚至在160 Hz、400 Hz、500 Hz等频率下隔声量有所降低。最后,基于模拟分析结果对装配式墙体连接方式提出了改进策略。     

Sound Transmission Loss of Panels with Resonant Elements

Various types of resonant elements that can be used for increasing the transmission loss of panels in narrow frequency bands are analyzed. The main physical phenomena determining the transmission loss of sound waves in panels with resonant elements are studied. Three main principles of increasing the transmission loss realized in panels with resonant elements are described: the principle of soft reflection, the principle of hard reflection, and the principle of compensation. The relations for estimating the transmission loss of panels with resonant elements, which model the main physical phenomena governing the propagation of sound waves, are presented.