A New Type of Muffler Based on Microperforated Tubes

Microperforated plate (MPP) absorbers are perforated plates with holes typically in the submillimeter range and perforation ratios around 1%. The values are typical for applications in air at standard temperature and pressure (STP). The underlying acoustic principle is simple: It is to create a surface with a built in damping, which effectively absorbs sound waves. To achieve this, the specific acoustic impedance of a MPP absorber is normally tuned to be of the order of the characteristic wave impedance in the medium (∼400 Pa s/m in air at STP). The traditional application for MPP absorbers has been building acoustics often combined with a so called panel absorber to create an absorption peak at a selected frequency. However, MPP absorbers made of metal could also be used for noise control close to or at the source for noise control in ducts. In this paper, the possibility to build dissipative silencers, e.g., for use in automotive exhaust or ventilation systems, is investigated.