Performance Assessment of the Transfer Matrix Method in Predicting the Acoustic Performance of Reactive Expansion and Dissipative Silencers with Absorptive Material

Sadatsakkak, Seyedabbas; Rajabpour, Ali; Ghanavichakani, Omid

Performance Assessment of the Transfer Matrix Method in Predicting the Acoustic Performance of Reactive Expansion and Dissipative Silencers with Absorptive Material

Articles in Press

Document Type : research article

Authors

seyedabbas sadatsakkak ¹

ali rajabpour ²

omid ghanavichakani ¹

¹ Imam Khomeini International University

² Imam Khomeini Internation University

Abstract

Noise control in industrial systems, such as ventilation networks, diesel generator exhausts, and HVAC equipment, represents a critical challenge in acoustic engineering. Silencers equipped with perforated pipes and fibrous absorptive layers are widely employed due to their effective sound attenuation across a broad frequency range. In this research, the efficacy of the Transfer Matrix Method (TMM) in predicting the acoustic performance of three silencer types—namely, simple reactive, perforated reactive, and fibrous dissipative silencers—is investigated. During the modeling process, the impedance of the perforated pipes and the equivalent properties of the porous media were calculated using validated empirical formulations. The results were compared with experimental data, demonstrating that the TMM accurately predicts the transmission loss at frequencies below the cut-off frequency. At higher frequencies, discrepancies increase due to the violation of the plane-wave assumption and the inherent limitations of the empirical models. This study indicates that, despite its limitations above the cut-off frequency, the TMM remains a highly efficient tool for the preliminary design and optimization of industrial silencers, owing to its computational simplicity, speed, and satisfactory accuracy within the operational frequency range.

Keywords

Silencer

Transmission Loss

Transfer Matrix Method

Perforated Pipe

Fibrous Absorber,

Subjects