Improvement on sound transmission loss through a double-plate structure by connected with a mass–spring–damper system

Abstract

It is well-known that the acoustic performance of double-plate structures deteriorates rapidly around the mass–air–mass resonance frequency. In this study, a mass–spring–damper system connected between incident and radiating plates is used to improve the sound transmission loss at low-frequency ranges. First, a full structural-acoustic modal coupling model is developed to analyze the vibration and acoustical behaviour of the double-plate structures with mass–spring–damper system. Because there are in-phase or out-of-phase vibrations between double plates, tuning the natural frequency of the mass–spring–damper system exactly to the mass–air–mass resonance frequency cannot guarantee the maximum improvement on transmission loss. Optimal natural frequency and mass of the mass–spring–damper system were found as a solution of optimization problem with a global cost function defined as frequency-averaged sound transmission loss in the desired frequency range (around mass–air–mass resonance frequency). Finally, some numerical calculation results are presented. The calculated results show that the sound transmission loss of a double-plate structure can be improved significantly using optimally tuned mass–spring–damper system. The results indicate that an overall improvement of 12 dB below 1000 Hz can be achieved when the mass of the mass–spring–damper system equals to 10% weight of the double-plate structure.