Acoustical characteristics of segmented plates with contact interfaces

TL;DR

This study explores segmented plates with contact interfaces that can shift sound energy from lower to higher frequencies, potentially enhancing sound barrier efficiency through non-linear acoustical behavior.

Contribution

It introduces a novel concept of using non-linear segmented structures to achieve frequency shifting, complementing metamaterial-based sound barriers.

Findings

Multiple harmonic peaks observed under single frequency excitation

Higher harmonic response depends on non-linearity level

Low frequency sound transmission loss increases with broadband incident sound

Abstract

The possibility of shifting sound energy from lower to higher frequency bands is investigated. The system configuration considered is a segmented structure having non-linear stiffness characteristics. It is proposed here that such a frequency-shifting mechanism could complement metamaterial concepts for mass-efficient sound barriers. The acoustical behavior of the material system was studied through a representative two-dimensional model consisting of a segmented plate with a contact interface. Multiple harmonic peaks were observed in response to a purely single frequency excitation, and the strength of the response was found to depend on the degree of non-linearity introduced. The lower and closer an excitation frequency was to the characteristic resonance frequencies of the base system, the stronger was the predicted higher harmonic response. The broadband sound transmission loss of these systems has also been calculated and the low frequency sound transmission loss was found to increase as the level of the broadband incident sound field increased. The present findings support the feasibility of designing material systems that transfer energy from lower frequency bands, where a sound barrier is less efficient, to higher bands where energy is more readily dissipated.