Metahouse: noise-insulating chamber based on periodic structures

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel broadband noise-insulating chamber called Metahouse, based on periodic structures and Helmholtz resonators, demonstrating significant noise reduction across a wide frequency spectrum through numerical and experimental validation.

Contribution

The work develops a broadband noise-insulating chamber using metamaterial principles, extending previous narrowband solutions with a practical, ventilated, and optically transparent design.

Findings

Achieved averaged transmission of -18 dB from 1500 to 16500 Hz

Demonstrated numerical and experimental validation of broadband noise insulation

Proposed a structurally sparse, optically transparent noise-insulating chamber

Abstract

Noise pollution remains a challenging problem requiring the development of novel systems for noise insulation. Extensive work in the field of acoustic metamaterials has led to occurrence of various ventilated structures which, however, are usually demonstrated for rather narrow regions of the audible spectrum. In this work, we further extend the idea of metamaterial-based systems developing a concept of a metahouse chamber representing a ventilated structure for broadband noise insulation. Broad stop bands originate from strong coupling between pairs of Helmholtz resonators constituting the structure. We demonstrate numerically and experimentally the averaged transmission -18 dB within the spectral range from 1500 to 16500 Hz. The sparseness of the structure together with the possibility to use optically transparent materials suggest that the chamber may be also characterized by partial optical transparency depending on the mutual position of structural elements. The obtained results are promising for development of novel noise-insulating structures advancing urban science.