An investigative study of a sound reducer cum locator of a perforated panel

Abstract

Sound is a form of molecular vibration that propagates in the form of waves. Although sound assists us in a multitude of ways, excessive sound in the wrong environment disrupts individuals from focusing on their work and may lead to different physical and mental health concerns. In order to counter this problem, sound barriers in the form of walls and partitions are manufactured such that the properties within these barriers are able to reduce the total transmitting sound waves. A new form of sound barrier which makes use of Micro-Perforated Panels (MPPs) instead of traditional solid panels are currently growing in demand as it has been shown that walls and partitions made with these panels are able to provide the same or better level of sound insulation with a smaller required thickness as compared to if a solid panel was used. The walls and partitions made with these perforated panels makes use of the Helmholtz resonator principle in order to better reduce sound transmission, where MPPs assists by modifying its opening ratio, perforation size and distance between each perforation. Although it can be seen that MPPs are being used extensively in sound reduction, there have been limited research done on the relation between macro perforations and sound transmission losses. Hence, the focus of this experiment is to determine the behaviour of the macro perforated panels with sound transmission losses by modifying different opening ratios and perforation sizes. Other than modifying the perforation sizes in order to acquire the required opening ratio, the location of the panel will also be experimented in order to determine what kind of effect perforated side panels will have on the sound transmission loss.