The present invention pertains to acoustic metamaterial structures. More particularly, the present invention pertains to an acoustic metamaterial structure having a nozzle having axial and radially oriented passageways extending into various chambers. Stages of acoustic metamaterial structures are stacked upon one another to form cells such that sound waves are diminished in amplitude as they pass in and then out of the cells.
A common environment found in aerospace, military, industrial and commercial applications is that of high frequency, high amplitude acoustic noise. Such high noise environments can prove hazardous to equipment and personnel.
The present invention includes a cell that has stages. A first main stage has a nozzle that extends through the top of the first main stage and extends through the bottom of the first main stage. The top and bottom opening of the nozzle create an axial path for sound waves to travel. In addition, the wall or walls that form the nozzle of the first main stage are provided with passages that lead to first-main stage chambers located radially outward or laterally outward from the walls of the nozzle of the first main stage.
A second main stage (intermediate main stage) has a nozzle that extends through the top of the intermediate main stage and extends through the bottom of the intermediate main stage, with the nozzle of the intermediate main stage being acoustically connected to the nozzle of the first main stage. The top and bottom opening of the second-main stage nozzle create an axial path for sound waves to travel. In addition, the wall or walls that form the nozzle of the intermediate main stage are provided with passages that lead to intermediate main stage chambers located radially outward or laterally outward from the walls of the nozzle of the intermediate main stage. The top surface of the intermediate main stage has passages which connect to passages located in the bottom surface of the first main stage so as to connect the chambers of the first main stage with the chambers of the intermediate main stage. The bottom surface of the intermediate main stage has passages which connect to passages located in the top surface of the final main stage so as to connect the chambers of the intermediate main stage with the chambers of the final main stage.
A final main stage has a nozzle that extends through the top of the final main stage and extends through the bottom of the final main stage, with the nozzle of the final main stage being acoustically connected to the nozzle of the intermediate main stage. The top and bottom openings of the final main stage nozzle create an axial path for sound waves to travel. In addition, the wall or walls that form the nozzle of the final main stage are provided with passages that lead to final main stage chambers located radially outward or laterally outward from the walls of the nozzle of the final main stage. The top surface of the final main stage has passages which connect to passages located in the bottom surface of the intermediate main stage so as to connect the chambers of the intermediate main stage with the chambers of the final main stage.
An optional initial stage has a nozzle that extends from the top of the initial stage through the bottom of the initial stage. The initial stage has chambers that are located radially or laterally outward form the nozzle; however, the nozzle of the initial stage is not provided with lateral or radial passages for connecting the nozzle of the initial stage to the chambers located in the initial stage.
The chambers of the initial stage are connected to the chambers of the first main stage by passages located in the bottom surface of the initial stage which connect to passages located in the top surface of the first main stage which connect the chambers of the initial stage to the chambers of the first main stage.
The respective stages of a cell are of a given geometry so as to be able to be effectively stacked upon and securely connected to one another in a modular manner. Multiple cells of the present invention can be connected to adjacent cells. Holes in the sidewalls of the respective stages of a cell connect to holes in adjacent sidewalls of an adjacent cell such that the adjacent chambers of adjacent cells are connected to one another. The construction of adjacent cells can be formed into a structure that protects a desired object from damaging sound wave levels. The number of stages for the cell structures will be dependent upon the degree of sound-level filtering needed for a given situation.
A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.
With reference to
Still with reference to
Connecting passage or hole 140A in outer chamber wall 134A, and connecting passage or hole 140D in outer chamber 1324D respectively connect the outer chamber 126A and 126D to other outer chambers within the initial stage 100. A separating wall 135A separates inner chamber 120A from outer chamber 126A. Inner chamber 120A and outer chamber 126A are acoustically connected by hole or passage 138A which extends through separating wall 135A. Inner chamber 120D and outer chamber 126D are acoustically connected by hole or passage 138D which extends through separating wall 135D.
A separating wall 135D separates inner chamber 120D from outer chamber 126D. Inner chamber 120D and outer chamber 126D are acoustically connected by hole or passage 138D which extends through separating wall 135D. The respective separating walls (e.g. walls 135A, 135D) form an oblique angle (i.e., less than 90 degrees) with the floors (floors 122A, 122D) of the respective inner chambers.
An outer chamber passage or hole 142A (
An inner chamber passage or hole 124A at the floor 122A of the inner chamber 126A extends through the bottom 104 of initial stage 100 for purposes of connecting inner chamber 120A with a chamber in a subsequent stage to which initial stage 100 is stacked upon. Inner chamber passage or hole 124D at the floor 122D of inner chamber 120D extends through the bottom 104 of initial stage 100 for purposes of connecting inner chamber 120D with a chamber in a subsequent stage to which initial stage 100 is stacked upon.
Inner chamber 120A is acoustically connected to outer chamber 126A through hole 138A which is formed in separating wall 135A, and inner chamber 120D is acoustically connected to outer chamber 126D through hole 138D which is formed in separating wall 135D. Inner chamber 120A acoustically connects to a chamber in a subsequent stage through hole 124A, and inner chamber 120D acoustically connects to a chamber in a subsequent stage through hole 124D.
The cylindrical rings 112 and 114 that define the tapered section of the nozzle 108 allow for easy connection to a nozzle section of a subsequent stage upon which the initial stage 100 is stacked. Hole 130A connects outer chamber 126A to an adjacent chamber of an adjacent stage of an adjacent cell and, in a like manner, hole 130D is for purposes of connecting outer chamber 126D to an adjacent chamber of an adjacent stage of an adjacent cell. Hole 142A in the bottom of initial stage 100 connects outer stage 126A to a chamber in a subsequent stage to which initial stage 100 is stacked upon, and hole 142D in the bottom of initial stage 100 connects outer stage 126D to a chamber in a subsequent stage to which initial stage 100 is stacked upon.
The hexagonal shape of the initial stage 100 is further appreciated in the top perspective view of
The bottom perspective view of
Attention is now directed to
A conically-shaped nozzle 208 is formed by a conical wall 218. Conical wall 218 forms an entrance opening 210 at the top surface 202 of the first main stage 200. Conical wall 218 connects to bottom surface 204 of first main stage 200. Located radially within the bottom outer radius 222 of conical wall 218 are holes 224A, 224B, 224C, 224D which acoustically connect soundwaves from the nozzle 208 to respective holes or passages in a second main stage (intermediate main stage) 300.
Holes 224A, 224B, 224C, 224D are positioned within a peripheral bottom region 223 of nozzle 208, with peripheral bottom region 223 being formed between outer bottom ring 222 and inner bottom ring 226 which forms outlet hole 216. Outlet hole 216 is tapered in that lower bottom ring 214 is of a greater radial distance from the axial center of outlet hole 216 than the radial distance of upper-bottom ring 219 so as to allow for a secure connection with a like-shaped intermediate main stage.
Inner chamber dividing walls 232A, 232D respectively separate inner chambers 220A, 220D from adjacent inner chambers of the first main stage 200, with the respective holes 236A, 236D acoustically connecting adjacent inner chambers (not shown). Separating walls 245A, 245D respectively separate inner chamber 220A from outer chamber 236A and inner chamber 220D from outer chamber 236D.
Holes 238A, 238D acoustically connect inner chamber 220A with outer chamber 226A and to inner chamber 220D and outer chamber, respectively. The floor 237A of the outer chamber 226A has a hole or passage 242A that connects to a passage in an intermediate main stage 300. In a like manner, the floor 237D of the outer chamber 226D has a hole or passage 242D that connects to a passage in the intermediate main stage 300 (
Still with reference to
In forming inner chamber 220A, and lower chamber 226A, separating wall 245A connects to sidewall 206A and slopes at an angle before connecting to conical wall 218.
In a like manner, in forming inner chamber 220D, and lower chamber 226D, separating wall 245D connects to sidewall 206D and slopes at an angle before connecting to conical wall 218. Sidewall 206A has a hole 230A for purposes of connecting the outer chamber 226A to a an adjacent chamber in an adjacent cell and sidewall 206D has a hole 230D for purposes of connecting the outer chamber 226D to a corresponding adjacent chamber in an adjacent cell.
In
Passages 217A, 217B, 217C, 217D, 217E, 217F are for purposes of connecting to holes or passages 124A, 124B, 124C, 124D, 124E, 124F located at the bottom of the initial stage 100 so as to acoustically connect the outer chambers of the initial stage to respective inner chambers of the first main stage.
In the perspective bottom view of
Holes 224A, 224B, 224C, 224D, 224E, 224F which are located at the bottom surface 204 of first main stage 200 connect the nozzle 208 to respective holes (e.g., hole 317A, 317E, etc.,) of the intermediate main stage. This results in the nozzle 208 of the first main stage 200 being acoustically connected to the respective inner chambers of the intermediate main stage.
In
In
In
In
In
In
In
The stages, such as stages 100, 200, 300, 400 can be of virtually any geometric shape so long as the respective modules which constitute the respective stages can be fit together. Also, the nozzles do not necessarily have to be in the geometric center of the respective stages, but can be offset from the geometric center. The number of stages needed for a given cell can be determined by the given circumstances. In one situation a single stage might be sufficient, while situations may call for two, three, four or more stages to adequately filter and reduce the exiting sound waves to a desired level.
The governing equations of the invention can be derived using the fundamental acoustic equations which are as follows. The Conservation of Mass/Continuity equation, Conservation of Momentum Equation and the Isentropic Relationship of an Ideal Gas can be used to derive the wave equation for the final design.
The Conservation of Mass/Continuity Equation is defined as:
where ρ is density, V is volume, {dot over (m)} is the mass flow rate.
The Conservation of Momentum Equation is defined as:
where ρ is density, u is velocity, P is the pressure.
The Isentropic Relationship of an Ideal Gas is:
dP=c2dρ (3)
where P is the pressure, c is the speed of sound, and ρ is density.
The general form of the wave equation is:
where P is the pressure, c is the speed of sound, t is the time, and x is the one dimensional position vector.
The prototype of the present invention was constructed by using a three-dimensional printer with a stage length of 0.25 inches. However, other methods of construction can be used such as traditional machine shop equipment or advanced manufacturing methods
Experimentation has demonstrated that the present invention reduces acoustic noise in both directions, i.e., whether the noise originates from the top or bottom of a cell. In addition, in that the different cells can be formed into various geometric shapes, the invention can provide acoustical protection in all directions.
Still further, since the nozzles of the present invention are not closed off to atmosphere, stored heat can escape a sound-protected space or chamber giving further protection to items, components or personnel.
The stages of the present invention may have no chambers, one chamber, or multiple chambers within a given stage. The number of chambers for the cell structures will be dependent upon the degree of sound-level filtering needed for a given situation. So too, the number of stages for the cell structures will be dependent upon the degree of sound-level filtering needed for a given situation. Some situations may not require an intermediate main stage, while other situations might require one intermediate main stage, or multiple iterations of the intermediate main stage. The outer geometry for the stages and subsequent cells will be dependent upon the given situation.
Various modifications and embodiments of the invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the foregoing disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is limited only by the following claims.
Priority is claimed to Provisional Application No. 63/220,541 filed on Jul. 11, 2021 which is hereby incorporated by reference.
All rights in the invention have been assigned to the U.S. Government.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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11835315 | Lo | Dec 2023 | B2 |
20160071507 | Kim | Mar 2016 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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106205590 | Dec 2016 | CN |
H-08183122 | Jul 1996 | JP |
WO-2021194419 | Sep 2021 | WO |
Entry |
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Machine Translation of CN-106205590-A (Year: 2016). |
Machine translation of JPH08183122 (Year: 1996). |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20230010032 A1 | Jan 2023 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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63220541 | Jul 2021 | US |