Optimization for sound transmission through a double-wall panel

Abstract

This paper presents a bi-objective optimization of double-walled panel for simultaneously minimizing weight while maximizing the acoustic transmission loss. A sandwich construction having poroelastic lining in its core is considered. A general formulation—to calculate transmission loss as a function of frequency of the incident wave in the presence of mean external flow on one side of the double-wall panel—is presented. Biot’s theory is used to model the poroelastic material. Three types of sandwich configurations are considered and the transmission behavior is studied over a specified frequency band. The objective is to simultaneously minimize the sound transmission and the structural weight. Pareto fronts are obtained. The trade off between the two objective functions is brought out via appropriate Pareto fronts.