Band gap of structure coupling Helmholtz resonator with elastic oscillator

Abstract

<sec> In order to improve the low-frequency acoustical insulation performance of Helmholtz phononic crystals, a structure coupling Helmholtz resonator with elastic oscillator is designed. This structure combines the characteristics of Helmholtz resonators with those of the local resonant solid-solid phononic crystals. In this structure, the elastic oscillator is bonded to the inner wall of the conventional Helmholtz resonator by rubber. The structure has two bandgaps in the low-frequency range, i.e. 24.5−47.7 Hz and 237.6−308.6 Hz for a lattice constant of 6 cm. However, for the same lattice constant, the lower limit of the bandgap of the traditional Helmholtz resonator without the elastic oscillator structure is only 42.1 Hz. Our structure reduces the minimum lower limit of the bandgap by 40% compared with the traditional Helmholtz structure and has better low-frequency acoustical insulation characteristics. </sec><sec> In this study, the generation mechanism of the bandgap is analyzed with the sound pressure field and vibration mode. It is found that the elastic oscillator and the air in the air passage of the resonator vibrate in the same direction at the frequency of upper and lower limit for the first bandgap while they vibrate in the reverse direction for the second bandgap. Outside the resonator, air sound pressure is zero at the lower limit of the bandgap. The spring-oscillator system is established as an equivalent model. In the model, the elastic oscillator and the air in the passage are regarded as oscillators, and the air separated by the elastic oscillator, the air outside the resonator, and the rubber connected with the elastic oscillator are all regarded as springs. Besides, it can be found that the air in the resonator shows different equivalent stiffness for different vibration mode. </sec><sec> In the discussion, the effects of structural parameters on the bandgap are studied by theoretical calculation and the finite element method. The results show that when the lattice constant decreases without changing the side length of the resonator, the bandgap width increases without affecting the lower limit of the bandgap. The increase of the length of the air passage can increase the width of the first bandgap while the second bandgap decreases. However, the increase of the mass effect of the elastic oscillator results in the first bandgap width decreasing and the second bandgap width increasing. The increase of the length of the air passage and the mass of the elastic oscillator both can reduce the bandgap frequency. It can be found that the volume of the right cavity only affects the frequency of the second bandgap, while the volume of the left cavity can influence the frequency of each bandgap. Therefore, the shorter distance between the elastic oscillator and the passage, the better low-frequency acoustical insulation performance of the structure can be reached. Finally, the increase of the length of the rubber produces new vibration modes, which leads to the generation of new small bandgaps and the change of the frequency of the original bandgaps. However, it is found that the influence of the mode of vibration on the bandgap is smaller than that of the mass of the elastic oscillator, and the regularity of its impact is not apparent.</sec>