Acoustic Attenuation Performance of a Multi-chamber Muffler with Selective Sound-absorbing Material Placement

Combining the acoustic attenuation behaviors of reactive and dissipative mufflers, a hybrid muffler design may be expected to provide broadband high noise attenuation and low pressure drop. In the present study, a multi-chamber muffler with selective sound-absorbing material placement proposed by Sterrett et al [1] is considered. The one-dimensional analytical approach based on the plane wave propagation theory and three-dimensional substructure boundary element method are developed to predict the acoustic attenuation characteristics of the multi-chamber muffler. The effects of flow-resistivity of sound absorbing material, porosity of perforation and geometrical parameters on the acoustic attenuation performance of the multi-chamber hybrid muffler are investigated in detail.