Study of broadband noise control by a ventilated metamaterial based on Fabry-Pérot scatterers
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The duality between sound insulation and air ventilation currently represents one of the most promising research areas in applied acoustical physics and noise control. In this context, this paper presents the design of a metamaterial that enables air ventilation and sound attenuation over a wide frequency band. The unit cell consists of a square aperture loaded with two combinations of periodic Fabry-Pérot-type scatterers. The transfer matrix method approach is adopted to evaluate the structure’s behavior under normal wave incidence, while the radiation impedance is used to assess its behavior under diffuse incidence. Theoretical and experimental results show that high sound transmission loss values ( > 29 dB) in different frequency bands are possible due to the bandgap property; furthermore, this magnitude can be easily defined through the periodicity of the scatterers. In addition, the characteristic of air ventilation of the structure was experimentally demonstrated, showing a maximum airflow reduction of 40 , 0 % and a flow resistivity of σ ≈ 6.04 Pa ⋅ s ⋅ m −2 . Using a full-scale panel, we demonstrated that the low transmissibility of energy that is incident diffusely on the structure is due to physical-geometric effects, that is, due to local resonances and interactions between scatterers. The structure was then evaluated as an enclosure for a refrigerator noise source; consequently, broadband noise attenuation was achieved, demonstrating the effectiveness of the design. Finally, this work contributes to advances in the field of noise control through ventilated metamaterials.
Source: Applied Acoustics
Institution: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina
Language: English
Subfield: Acoustics and Ultrasonics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,820
OpenAlex ID: W7127098180