Experimental and numerical investigation on sound absorption characteristics of 3D printed coupled-cavity integrated passive element systems

Abstract

In aerospace applications, most of the components are made of composite materials due to the high strength-to-weight ratio. However, those composite structures are poor in sound absorption; for instance, payload fairing used in the launch vehicle system experiences broadband noise. Tuned Helmholtz resonator (HR) is being used to control few dominant low frequencies, and other frequency is left untreated. In this study, the acoustic mode of the rectangular cavity has been suppressed by a novel design of integrated passive elements (IPEs), which comprises a Helmholtz resonator, micro-perforated panel, and polyurethane foam. The proposed design reduces the noise level in Low-Mid-High frequencies, which is more efficient than passive elements used to control a single target frequency. The integrated passive components fabricated using the 3D printing technique are tested experimentally in an impedance tube to quantify the sound absorption coefficient, and the results are compared with the theoretical result. Further, the study presents a simplified approach for numerical simulation of fabricated samples coupled to a rectangular cavity system, which is validated experimentally. The overall sound pressure level (OSPL) results of the proposed design achieve 4–6 dB noise level reduction in 1 / 3 r d octave frequency band.