Acoustic contributions of a sound absorbing blanket placed in a double panel structure: Absorption Versus Transmission

TL;DR

This paper introduces a simple analytical tool to estimate how multilayered blankets affect sound absorption and transmission in double panel structures, aiding in their optimization for automotive and aeronautic uses.

Contribution

It presents a novel method to quantify absorption and transmission contributions of multilayered blankets in double panel structures, facilitating targeted acoustic treatment design.

Findings

Absorption behavior influences low and medium frequency performance.

Poor absorption can reduce overall transmission loss.

The method was validated on four common blanket types.

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to propose a simple tool to estimate the absorption vs. transmission loss contributions of a multilayered blanket unbounded in a double panel structure and thus guide its optimization. The normal incidence airborne sound transmission loss of the double panel structure, without structure-borne connections, is written in terms of three main contributions; (i) sound transmission loss of the panels, (ii) sound transmission loss of the blanket and (iii) sound absorption due to multiple reflections inside the cavity. The method is applied to four different blankets frequently used in automotive and aeronautic applications: a non-symmetric multilayer made of a screen in sandwich between two porous layers and three symmetric porous layers having different pore geometries. It is shown that the absorption behavior of the blanket controls the acoustic behavior of the treatment at low and medium frequencies and its transmission loss at high frequencies. Acoustic treatment having poor sound absorption behavior can affect the performance of the double panel structure.