Sound Attenuation Panel with Radial Channels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sound-absorbing materials fail to effectively absorb noise in low frequency ranges and are often too thick and heavy for applications like aircraft, where component size and weight are strictly regulated.
Innovation Solution
A sound attenuation panel with a structural architecture of frame units between two walls, featuring a central hub opening and radially extending spoke members that form channels for sound wave dissipation via viscous damping and structural vibrations, allowing for tunable acoustic properties and a thin, lightweight design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional sound-absorbing materials are used to achieve effective noise absorption, then sound absorption capability is improved, but the structure becomes too thick and heavy for aircraft applications
Solution Approach 1:
The panel is segmented into multiple functional layers including a porous substrate layer and a membrane layer with specific aperture configurations. This segmentation allows each layer to contribute differently to sound absorption, enabling effective low-frequency noise reduction while maintaining a thin overall structure that is lightweight enough for aircraft applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel employs a composite structure combining a porous substrate material with a membrane layer featuring strategically positioned apertures. This composite design leverages the sound-absorbing properties of porous materials while the membrane with controlled apertures enhances low-frequency absorption, achieving superior performance without increasing weight or thickness.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional sound-absorbing materials are used to achieve effective noise absorption, then sound absorption capability is improved, but the structure becomes too thick for aircraft applications
Solution Approach 1:
The panel is segmented into multiple functional layers including a porous substrate layer and a membrane layer with specific aperture configurations. This segmentation allows each layer to contribute differently to sound absorption, enabling effective low-frequency noise reduction while maintaining a thin overall structure that is lightweight enough for aircraft applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from conventional thick monolithic structures to a thin multi-layer configuration. By distributing sound absorption functionality across multiple thin layers with specific geometric arrangements of apertures and pores, the panel achieves effective low-frequency noise absorption in a dramatically reduced thickness suitable for aircraft interior constraints.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If perforated panels and porous materials are used for acoustic absorption, then sound absorption is achieved, but low frequency absorption capability remains poor
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane layer features apertures with specific local configurations including varied sizes, shapes, and strategic positioning. This local quality variation in the aperture distribution enables the panel to effectively absorb low-frequency sounds by creating resonance effects and optimizing acoustic impedance matching at different locations across the panel surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel employs a composite structure combining a porous substrate material with a membrane layer featuring strategically positioned apertures. This composite design leverages the sound-absorbing properties of porous materials while the membrane with controlled apertures enhances low-frequency absorption, achieving superior performance without increasing weight or thickness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The panel achieves high sound absorption coefficients at low frequencies, providing effective noise reduction in aircraft cabins while maintaining a thin and lightweight structure, outperforming conventional materials in similar thickness configurations.
Implementation Method 1
sound waves are radially distributed into the channels between the spoke members and dissipate through the channels
Implementation Method 2
sound waves are radially distributed into the channels between the spoke members and dissipate through the channels
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A sound attenuation panel that includes an incident wall and a frame unit connected to the incident wall. The incident wall defines an aperture therethrough. The frame unit includes multiple spoke members spaced apart from one another and radially extending from one or more central hub openings of the frame unit. The one or more central hub openings align with the aperture of the incident wall. The frame unit defines channels between adjacent pairs of the spoke members. The channels fluidly connect to the one or more central hub openings. The frame unit is configured to receive sound waves into the central hub opening through the aperture of the incident wall to dissipate the sound waves through the channels between the spoke members.