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A rapid publicity growth has led to an extensive application of micro-perforated (MP) acoustic elements for broadband sound absorption in the exhaust systems of the internal combustion engine. Most typically, the MPs are exposed to grazing flow conditions, studied thoroughly by various authors in the past decades and represented by adequate acoustic models by now. However, in certain exhaust system designs implemented in the fibreless silencers of modern ground vehicles, an alternative layout for the tubular flow duct MP elements - the flow plug condition has been proven to be useful. In this type of MP’s application, the propagating gas flow is entirely guided through the micro-perforated sections upstream and downstream of the rigid plug, typically increasing the flow resistivity and the viscous damping of the sound in duct. Acoustic studies on such type of MP’s operating condition are scarce.

In this paper the propagation of acoustic plane waves in turbulent, fully developed flow is studied by means of an experimental investigation carried out in a straight, smooth-walled duct. The presence of a coherent perturbation, such as an acoustic wave in a turbulent confined flow, generates the oscillation of the wall shear stress. In this circumstance a shear wave is excited and superimposed on the sound wave. The turbulent shear stress is modulated by the shear wave and the wall shear stress is strongly affected by the turbulence. From the experimental point of view, it results in a measured damping strictly connected to the ratio between the thickness of the acoustic sublayer, which is frequency dependent, and the thickness of the viscous sublayer of the turbulent mean flow, the last one being dependent on the Mach number. By reducing the turbulence, the viscous sublayer thickness increases and the wave propagation is mainly dominated by convective effects.

The goal of this paper is to provide a complete characterization of acoustic performance for a novel type of advanced acoustic material - micro grooved element (MGE). In a previous study, the MGEs have been proved to offer a respectable alternative for the existing and increasingly popular micro perforated elements (MPEs). The MGEs are multi-layer elements where the acoustic attenuation effect originates from viscous losses taking place in a number of sub-millimeter grooves forming acoustic micro-paths inside the material. This new configuration allows to replace the laser perforation process, used to manufacture the MPEs, with less time consuming and more cost effective technologies. Moreover, such elements preserve low weight and surface roughness. Experiments have demonstrated that the MGEs can be regarded as suitable solution for noise control in a wide range of applications.

The goal of this paper is to present a novel type of advanced acoustic material - micro grooved element (MGE) - which is designed for noise control in a wide range of applications. MGEs have been proved to offer a respectable alternative for the existing micro-perforated elements (MPEs), while being cost effective and causing low pressure loss. These elements have been found to be suitable for substitution of fibrous materials, typically present in silencer units. Currently, the cost of the MPEs is relatively high due to the technological complexity of manufacturing process. On the other hand, cheaper solutions of MPEs, based on irregularly shaped micro-apertures, potentially cause higher pressure loss due to surface roughness. The key concept of the MGEs is the use of micro-grooves forming acoustic channels, instead of the micro-holes of MPEs, which the sound wave has to pass.

To respond growingly strict environmental regulations the acousticians are challenging to develop novel types of silencing elements. There are different types of flow duct elements designed for silencing the pulsating gas flows into and out of fluid machines. The silencing effect is typically achieved by introducing acoustic reflection and absorption. In order to achieve a good absorption in a wide frequency band, various fibrous materials e.g. wools are typically implemented. However, the physical properties of such materials do not often remain constant during the lifetime of a silencer. As the fibers tend to relocate and can partly be blown out to surroundings, acoustical performance may deteriorate. Therefore, it is in great interest to avoid fibrous materials in the design of the flow duct silencing elements. The present work is focused on the modern type of absorptive acoustic element - a micro-perforated element.

Regulations stipulating the design of motorcycle silencers are strict, especially when the unit incorporates fibrous absorbing materials. Therefore, innovative designs substituting such materials while still preserving acceptable level of characteristic sound are currently of interest. Micro perforated elements are innovative acoustic solutions, which silencing effect is based on the dissipation of the acoustic wave energy in a pattern of sub-millimeter apertures. Similarly to fibrous materials the micro-perforated materials have been proved to provide effective sound absorption in a wide frequency range. Additionally, the silencer is designed as a two-stage system that provides an optimal solution for a variety of exploitation conditions. In this paper a novel design for a cruiser type motorcycle silencer, based on micro-perforated elements, is presented.

For the last couple of decades, catalytic converters (CC) have become a standard part of the internal combustion engine exhaust systems. Besides reducing toxic components in exhaust gases, catalytic converters can have a certain effect on the acoustic performance of the exhaust system. In this paper the sound transmission and attenuation in the catalytic converters has been investigated. A catalytic converter is known to have two distinct acoustic effects: the reactive effect originating from the acoustic wave reflections caused by cross-sectional area changes within the unit and the resistive effect which results in the acoustic wave dissipation caused by visco-thermal losses. The flow resistance in the narrow tubes in the catalytic converter element results in frequency dependent dissipative effects on the transmitted sound. An experimental investigation on engine catalytic converters treated as acoustic two-ports is carried out.

Today, catalytic converters are widely used in small engine exhaust systems to reduce pollutants. Besides reducing harmful pollutants, these devices have a significant effect on the acoustical performance and the pressure drop of the engine exhaust system. A catalytic converter is known to have two distinct acoustic effects: the reactive effect originating from the acoustic wave reflections caused by cross-sectional area changes within the unit and the resistive effect which results in the acoustic wave dissipation caused by viscous losses. The pressure drop in the narrow tubes in the catalytic converter element results in frequency dependent resistive effects on the transmitted sound. In this paper the passive acoustic effect which treats the sound attenuation in the catalytic converters has been investigated. An experimental investigation on small engine catalytic converters treated as acoustic two-ports is carried out.