Predictions of airborne noise between unit cabins by developing a cavity transfer matrix

Abstract

The unit cabin has been used to construct internal ship space for improved efficiency and to reduce budgetary costs in shipbuilding. Because the cavity is placed between unit cabins, the noise of one room is transmitted through the sound insulating panel, the cavity, and the opposite sound-insulating panel. In this study, by developing a transfer matrix of the cavity between structures, airborne noise between unit cabins was predicted. A sandwich panel, which is usually used in ships, was employed to construct a double panel, and the sound insulation performance was confirmed by changing the thickness of the cavity. To improve the reliability of numerical results, they were compared with those from experiments conducted. The results showed that as the cavity size increases, the overall sound insulation performance improves. A parameter study was also conducted on the density, Young's modulus, thickness, and thickness ratio of the core of the sandwich panel. To improve the sound insulation performance, increasing the density of the core is preferable to increasing the core thickness. The panel thickness ratio should be increased to avoid performance degradation as a result of the resonance frequency.