The influence of the parameters of a lattice-type noise shield on its acoustic efficiency

Introduction. In the context of the need to reduce noise from technological equipment, the operation of which requires constant air exchange, there is an increasing interest in ventilated soundproof structures. Special attention is paid to blown noise shields, despite the lack of standardized methods for calculating their acoustic efficiency. Studies of lamellar-type screens capable of combining the functions of noise reduction and ventilation of equipment seem relevant. In this paper, we consider a special case of such a design — a grid with parallel gaps, modeled as a system of thin rigid plates evenly spaced over the entire height of the screen.

Materials and methods. A periodic lattice formed by thin rigid plates evenly spaced with an adjustable pitch is investigated. Numerical simulation was performed in the COMSOL Multiphysics 6.2 software environment using an acoustic module and using the finite element method. Calculations were performed for geometric mean frequencies according to GOST 12090–80:
63, 125, 250, 500 and 1,000 Hz with various combinations of plate lengths and gap widths between them. The acoustic efficiency of the screen was determined as the difference between the average sound pressure levels in the field of screen observation obtained for cases with and without a screen.

Results. Maximum acoustic efficiency is achieved by lengthening the plates in the grated noise shield and reducing the gaps between them. In a number of configurations, the sound pressure level reduction reached 20 dB in the range of medium and high frequencies (250–1,000 Hz). At the same time, at frequencies of 125 Hz and below, the efficiency of the screen is significantly limited by diffraction effects, regardless of geometric parameters. The results confirm that the choice of element length and clearance ratio plays a crucial role in ensuring the required compromise between acoustic efficiency and ventilation of the equipment.

Conclusions. The study confirmed the potential of lattice noise-proof structures as an effective noise reduction tool while maintaining blowability. Currently, there is no single methodology for evaluating the acoustic efficiency of blown screens, which creates difficulties in their design and underlines the relevance of this study.

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