An Initial Analysis on Sound Insulation Behavior of a Rubber Pipe between Turbocharger Compressor Outlet and Intercooler

Subject to excitations from pressure pulsations in boost air, the rubber pipe connecting the turbo compressor outlet and the intercooler of an engine vibrates structurally and radiates noise. If the pipe is improperly selected, the resulted vibration may be strong enough to radiate noise which is sufficient to damage the sound quality of the vehicle. This paper presents an initial analysis on this issue. First, formulae are derived for predicting vibration and sound radiation of the pipe for a given pressure pulsation, resulting in sound transmission index for the pipe to quantify its sound insulation behavior. Then effects on the sound transmission index are investigated for pipe parameters such as pipe wall thickness, Young's modulus and density of pipe material.