Composite and Plastic Mufflers: an Innovative Solution for Lightweight Exhaust Systems

Several possibilities are available to decrease the mass of an exhaust system, thus contributing to a reduced fuel consumption of the vehicles. The use of cost competitive composites is possible thanks to a side-branch layout of a Helmholtz resonator, allowing for lower gas temperatures. Special attention is paid to the material itself, in order to avoid noise radiation and to reach durability targets, and to the manufacturing process. Tests in a car show a good behavior in all driving conditions: as a result, mass is reduced without deterioration of the other characteristics like noise radiation, or vibration behavior.