Evaluating the impact of structure parameters on the acoustic performance of an exhaust muffler with shells

Abstract

Recently, environmental noise has arisen from various sources, such as those from exhaust mufflers of combustion engines found in cars, trucks, or power generators, which produce significant noise during their operation. Controlling the radiated noise from these mufflers is a major factor in improving acoustic comfort and minimizing the impact on the surrounding communities. Numerous research has been presented for this reason by modification of the internal structure of the exhaust muffler. The main objective of this work is to reduce the noise level emitted from exhaust mufflers. This can be achieved by adjusting structure parameters to attenuate the surrounding environment's radiated noise. Analysis of pressure-wave propagation has been done by building 3D models using COMSOL Multiphysics software. Different entities were conducted to investigate the influence of muffler shells and plate thicknesses on acoustic performance through the frequency domain to obtain better attenuation. SPL over a frequency band is presented, describing how the sound intensity varies at different frequencies within a given bandwidth. The results showed that increasing the muffler shell thickness improved the TL; this particularly causes a double value at a range above 1.2 kHz, where there are two distinct peaks at 1.3 kHz and 2.8 kHz. Additionally, it was found that increasing the muffler plate thickness reduces the TL whole range and moves the curve peak to higher frequencies. This is because the pressure pulses that stimulate the shell plates would exert a more distinct influence on plates characterized by a reduced thickness, and the muffler structure thickness is correlated with its increased stiffness, resulting in an elevation of the frequency for this eigenmode