Noise reduction with 3D printed acoustic metamaterial

Abstract

Noise pollution rising from Traffic and Construction has been an increasing concern especially in densely populated countries due to the array of harmful physical and mental effects it has on a human body. In tropical countries, houses tend to have casement windows which can be opened to allow for ventilation and closed to reduce the amount of sound permeating into homes. In a densely populated city with a tropical climate, people in Singapore are faced with the decision to either leave the windows open for ventilation while tolerating the noise or to close their windows in order to reduce the amount of sound permeating into their homes but suffer from the lack of ventilation as there has not been an option to optimise both goals of allowing ventilation while minimising the amount of noise entering into a home, that is without the use of an air-conditioner. The Noise Reducing Ventilation Unit (NRVU) was thus conceived to try and optimise the goal of maximising air ventilation and light into a room while minimising noise pollution. By making use of 3D printing to reduce manufacturing cost and the Helmholtz Resonance Principle, the NRVU was thus produced for testing.