Study on a Hexagonal Acoustic Metamaterial Cell of Multiple Parallel-Connection Resonators with Tunable Perforating Rate

Materials (Basel). 2023 Jul 31;16(15):5378. doi: 10.3390/ma16155378.

Abstract

The limited occupied space and various noise spectrum requires an adjustable sound absorber with a smart structure and tunable sound absorption performance. The hexagonal acoustic metamaterial cell of the multiple parallel-connection resonators with tunable perforating rate was proposed in this research, which consisted of six triangular cavities and six trapezium cavities, and the perforation rate of each cavity was adjustable by moving the sliding block along the slideway. The optimal geometric parameters were obtained by the joint optimization of the acoustic finite element simulation and cuckoo search algorithm, and the average sound absorption coefficients in the target frequency ranges of 650-1150 Hz, 700-1200 Hz and 700-1000 Hz were up to 0.8565, 0.8615 and 0.8807, respectively. The experimental sample was fabricated by the fused filament fabrication method, and its sound absorption coefficients were further detected by impedance tube detector. The consistency between simulation data and experimental data proved the accuracy of the acoustic finite element simulation model and the effectiveness of the joint optimization method. The tunable sound absorption performance, outstanding low-frequency noise reduction property, extensible outline structure and efficient space utilization were favorable to promote its practical applications in noise reduction.

Keywords: acoustic finite element simulation; adjustable sound absorption performance; experimental validation; hexagonal acoustic metamaterial cell; joint optimization; tunable perforating rate.