Original Article

Proc IMechE Part D:

J Automobile Engineering
1–9
Acoustic behaviour analysis and Ó IMechE 2016
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DOI: 10.1177/0954407016630112

reactive muffler pid.sagepub.com

Longyang Xiang, Shuguang Zuo, Xudong Wu, Jun Zhang and Jingfang Liu

Abstract
A two-dimensional analytical approach is developed to study the acoustic behaviour of a multi-chamber reactive muffler.
The value of the transmission loss is obtained by matching the acoustic pressure and the particle velocity across the
interfaces between different domains in the muffler. The analytical approach is validated by experimental results. Unlike
the transfer matrix method, with this approach the acoustic behaviours can be studied above the first cut-off frequency
of the muffler. Next, the effects of several structural parameters on the transmission loss value are invetigated, including
the radii of the baffle holes, the inlet and the outlet, as well as the lengths and the radii of the expansion chambers. The
variations in these parameters lead to quite large changes in the value of the transmission loss of the multi-chamber
reactive muffler. Then, these parameters are chosen as the variables for the optimal design of the muffler, where the
objective is the average transmission loss value between 1000 Hz and 3000 Hz. The results show that the objective value
increases from 23.3 dB to 54.9 dB during optimization. The analytical approach in this paper can be used for analysis and
optimization of the multi-chamber reactive muffler to reduce the noise effectively and efficiently in various applications.

Keywords
Multi-chamber reactive muffler, transmission loss, acoustic analysis, optimal design, exhaust, silencer

Date received: 31 August 2015; accepted: 4 January 2016

Introduction finite element method to investigate the effects of the

The compressor is one of the key components of the
power system of a fuel cell car. However, it is also one
of the main noise sources. When the compressor works
in transient conditions, it produces a whoosh noise with
a frequency of 1–3 kHz.1 A reactive muffler is widely
used to attenuate the noise of vehicles and other vent-
ing systems.2–4 Acoustic behaviour is one of the main
indices to evaluate the performance of a muffler. The
transmission loss (TL) is often used to evaluate the
acoustic behaviour of mufflers.5–7 For the exhaust out-
let in the fuel cell system of the fuel cell car, flow restric-
tions are not critical. Instead, the acoustic behaviour of
the muffler should be as good as possible to attenuate
the noise spreading into the air. Therefore, it is neces-
sary to study the acoustic performance and optimiza-
tion of the reactive muffler here.
The existing mature approach for studying the TL
value of a reactive muffler is to use a numerical method,
including the finite element method, the boundary ele-
ment method and the finite volume method. Xuan et
al.8 used the time-domain finite volume approach to
predict the TL value of a muffler. Fang and Ji9 used the
offset of the perforated tube, the number of perforated
tubes, the hole diameter and the porosity on the trans-
verse modes and the acoustic attenuation characteristics
of circular and oval perforated-tube silencers.
It is proposed that a multi-chamber muffler which
contains some baffles performs much better than a muf-
fler with only one expansion chamber. Liu et al.10 pre-
dicted the acoustic attenuation performance of double-
expansion-chamber silencers using the finite element
method. Lee and Kim11 and Lee12 used the finite ele-
ment method to study the optimal topology of a reac-
tive muffler. The results showed that the baffles in a
reactive muffler can lead to higher TL values. However,
the objective was the TL value for only one frequency,
which is not widely used. In addition, the optimal
Clean Energy Automotive Engineering Center, Tongji University, Shanghai,
People’s Republic of China
Corresponding author:
Shuguang Zuo, Clean Energy Automotive Engineering Center, Tongji
University, 4800 Cao’an Highway, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China.
Email: sgzuo@tongji.edu.cn

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2 Proc IMechE Part D: J Automobile Engineering
structure was not quite appropriate for volume produc-
tion, which can cause difficulties for industrial applica-
tions. Furthermore, the numerical method for
calculating the TL value of a muffler requires much
time and many computing resources, which is not con-
venient for analysis and optimization. An analytical
approach is sometimes used for calculating the TL
value of a muffler. Zuo et al.13 used the transfer matrix
method to study the effect of the number of baffles on
the TL value of a microperforated muffler. The results
showed that the TL value increased obviously with
increasing number of baffles for up to four baffles. Guo
and Zhu14 studied optimization of a multi-chamber per-
forated muffler by means of transfer matrix method,
but this method is useful only when the studied fre-
quency is less than the first cut-off frequency of the
muffler. Lee and Jang15 studied the effects of partition
in a reactive muffler on its TL value and the pressure
drop based on the simplified two-dimensional method.
However, the two-dimensional method used in that
paper had not been proved by experiments, and the
results in the paper differ greatly from the practical
conditions.
To sum up, previous studies have shown that the
multi-chamber reactive muffler performs much better
than the simple reactive muffler with only one expan-
sion chamber. However, the numerical methods require
much time and many computing resources, while the
transfer matrix method is accurate only below the first
cut-off frequency of the muffler. There is not an efficient
analytical method to study the wide-band acoustic beha-
viours of a multi-chamber reactive muffler accurately.
In the second section of this paper, a two-
dimensional (axial direction and radial direction) analy-
tical approach is developed to calculate the TL value of
a multi-chamber reactive muffler. The acoustic pressure
and the particle velocity in the muffler are expressed on
the basis of propagation of the acoustic wave. Then,
acoustic equations are obtained according to the
boundary conditions of continuity between the inter-
faces of adjacent domains. The solutions are used to
calculate the TL value of the muffler. The analytical
method is proved by the experimental results. In the
third section, this analytical method is employed in the
analysis of the effects of the muffler parameters on the
TL value. In the fourth section, the parameters that
have obvious effects on the TL value are chosen as the
variables for the optimal design. The objective of opti-
mization is the average TL value between 1000 Hz and
3000 Hz. The outer dimensions of the muffler are
restricted so that the volume of the muffler does not
become larger, and optimization is carried out using a
genetic algorithm (GA).
Analytical approach and validation
Figure 1 shows the geometry of the multi-chamber
muffler considered in this study. The air space in the
Downloaded from pid.sagepub.com at University of Bath - The Library on June 4, 2016
Figure 1. Structure of the multi-chamber reactive muffler.
muffler can be divided into seven domains: the inlet A,
the expansion chamber B, the baffle hole C, the expan-
sion chamber D, the baffle hole E, the expansion cham-
ber F and the outlet G. The radii of the inlet and the
outlet are r1. The expansion chambers B, D and F have
the same radius r2, and their lengths are lb, ld and lf
respectively. The radius of the baffle hole C is r3, and
the length is lc. The radius of the baffle hole E is r4, and
the length is le. x1, x2, x3, x4, x5 and x6 are the local
axial coordinates of each domain.
Acoustic wave propagation in the muffler
The linearized acoustics inside ducts conform to the
Helmholtz equation2
r2 P + k2 P = 0 ð1Þ
where r2 is the Laplace operator, P is the acoustic pres-
sure, k = v/c0 is the wave number, v is the angular fre-
quency and c0 is the speed of sound.
Each domain in the muffler can be seen as a short
rigid duct with a different radius. The inlet A is first
taken as an example. The solution of equation (1) can
17
be written as16,
X
‘   n
pA = A+ jkx, A, n x1
+ A jkx, A, n x1
ð2Þ
n e n e fA (r)
n=0
where
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi pA is the acoustic pressure in the inlet,
j = 1 is the imaginary unit, n is the mode number,

A+n and An are the modal amplitudes corresponding to
the component travelling in the positive x direction and
the component travelling in the negative x direction
respectively, kx,A,n is the wave number in the x direc-
tion with the subscripts x, A and n denoting the axial
direction, domain A and the order of the waves respec-
tively and x1 is the local coordinate of domain A and
domain B. Also
fnA (r) = J0 (kr, A, n r) ð3Þ
is the eigenfunction for a circular duct where r is the
radial direction, J0 is the zeroth-order Bessel function
of the first kind and kr,A,n is the radial wave number
satisfying
k2r, A, n + k2x, A, n = k20 ð4Þ
Xiang et al. 3

where k0 = 2pf/c0 is the wave number in air, f is the fre- 3. All transmitted waves in the outlet pipe are non-
quency and c0 is the speed of sound. propagating modes except for the planar wave with
For a rigid wall duct, the boundary condition is G+
0 .

J90 (kr, A, n r1 ) = J1 (kr, A, n r1 ) = 0 ð5Þ

Based on the assumptions, the unknown coefficients
where J1 is the first-order Bessel function of the first in the equations are A +  +  +  +
n , B n , B n , C n , C n , Dn , Dn , E n ,
 +  +
kind.18 En , Fn , Fn and Gn . In order to solve the equations,
According to the linearized momentum equation, the the infinite series n of unknown amplitudes needs to be
particle velocity in the axial direction can be expressed truncated to a suitable number N. For a reactive muf-
as fler, N5 5 can ensure that the solution error19 is less
than 0.1%. Then, equations (7) to (18) yield 12(N + 1)
1 X ‘
equations described as in Appendix 1.20 By solving the
ux, A = kx, A, n
r0 v n = 0 ð6Þ equations, the TL value of the multi-chamber reactive
 + jk x  n muffler can be obtained as
An e x, A, n 1  An e
jkx, A, n x1
fA (r)
 +
p 
where r0 is the density of air. TL = 20 log A 

The acoustic pressure and the particle velocity of p+
G ð19Þ
 +
other domains are similar to those of domain A. =  20 logG0 

Prediction of the TL value Validation of the analytical approach

With the expressions for the pressures and the particle In order to validate the analytical approach, a multi-
velocities at the inlet, the outlet, the expansion cham- chamber reactive muffler is constructed for the experi-
bers and the baffle holes, the TL value can then be ments. The two-load technique21 is applied in measur-
obtained by solving the unknown coefficients using the ing the TL value of the muffler by means of an
boundary conditions at the interfaces between adjacent impedance tube, as shown in Figure 2.
domains. At the interfaces, the acoustic pressure and
the velocity continuity conditions are
pA jx1 = 0 = pB jx1 = 0 , for 04r4r1 ð7Þ

ux, A jx1 = 0 , for 04r4r1
ux, B jx1 = 0 = ð8Þ
0, for r1 4r4r2
pB jx1 = lb = pC jx2 = 0 , for 04r4r3 ð9Þ

ux, C jx2 = 0 , for 04r4r3
ux, B jx1 = lb = ð10Þ
0, for r3 4r4r2
pC jx2 = lc = pD jx3 = 0 , for 04r4r3 ð11Þ

ux, C jx2 = lc , for 04r4r3
ux, D jx3 = 0 = ð12Þ
0, for r3 4r4r2
pD jx3 = ld = pE jx4 = 0 , for 04r4r4 ð13Þ

ux, E jx4 = 0 , for 04r4r4
ux, D jx3 = ld = ð14Þ
0, for r4 4r4r2
pE jx4 = le = pF jx5 = 0 , for 04r4r4 ð15Þ

ux, E jx4 = le , for 04r4r4
ux, F jx5 = 0 = ð16Þ
0, for r4 4r4r2
pF jx5 = lf = pG jx6 = 0 , for 04r4r1 ð17Þ

ux, G jx6 = 0 , for 04r4r1
ux, F jx5 = lf = ð18Þ
0, for r1 4r4r2

In order to calculate the TL value of the muffler, sev-

eral assumptions are made.

1. The incoming waves are planar with A+ 0 = 1 and Figure 2. Measurement of the TL values of the muffler,
A+n = 0. showing (a) the test scheme and (b) the test set-up:
2. An anechoic termination is imposed at the exit by 1, impedance tube; 2, muffler; 3, microphone; 4, sound source; 5, data
setting Gn = 0. acquisition system; 6, computer; 5, power amplifier.

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4 Proc IMechE Part D: J Automobile Engineering
Figure 3. TL values obtained by the analytical method and
from experiments.
TL: transmission loss.
The instruments for thess experiments include a
sample muffler, an impedance tube, a sound source, a
power amplifier, a data acquisition system, a computer
and four microphones, as shown in Figure 2(b). The
impedance tube with the end cover and the impedance
tube without the end cover represents two different
loads respectively. The sound signals in the tube are
measured by four microphones at two different loads
in order to obtain the TL values of the muffler.
The parameters of the tested multi-chamber muffler
are given as r1 = 30 mm, r2 = 75 mm, r3 = r4 =30
mm, lb = ld = lf = 80 mm and lc = le = 2 mm. To
check the accuracy of the analytical approach for the
multi-chamber reactive muffler, the TL values calcu-
lated by the analytical approach and from experiments
are compared in Figure 3. It can be seen that the analy-
tical result agrees well with the experimental result
below 3200 Hz, which validates the analytical
approach.
For this muffler, the transfer matrix method is accu-
rate only under the first cut-off frequency
c0
fc = 1:84
pd0
= 1299 Hz
where d0 is the diameter of the expansion chamber.2
Figure 3 shows that a wider frequency band can be
studied by the above analytical method than by the
transfer matrix method. This means that the above
analytical method can used for the further analysis and
optimization of the multi-chamber reactive muffler.
Analysis of the effects of the parameters
on the TL value
Based on the analytical approach that is proposed and
validated in the last section, the effects of several main
parameters on the TL value of the multi-chamber reac-
tive mufflers are studied. The parameters include the
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Figure 4. TL values of multi-chamber reactive mufflers with
different radii of the baffle holes.
TL: transmission loss.
radii of the baffle holes, the inlet and the outlet, as well
as the lengths and the radii of the expansion chambers.
Effects of the radii of the baffle holes
This paper calculates the TL values of multi-chamber
reactive mufflers with different radii of the baffle holes.
The parameters are the same as for the test muffler
except for the radii of the baffle holes. The radii of the
baffle holes in the multi-chamber reactive mufflers are
respectively as follows: r3 = 20 mm and r4 = 30 mm;
r3 = 30 mm and r4 = 30 mm; r3 = 40 mm and r4 =
30 mm; r3 = 40 mm and r4 = 40 mm ; r3 = 50 mm
and r4 = 50 mm. The TL values are shown in Figure 4.
It can be seen from Figure 4 that the radii of the baf-
fle holes have obvious effects on the TL values of the
multi-chamber reactive mufflers. As the radii of the baf-
fle holes increase, the TL value decreases, especially in
the middle-frequency range.
Effect of the lengths of the expansion chambers
The TL values of multi-chamber reactive mufflers with
different lengths of the expansion chambers are also
calculated. The parameters are the same as for the test
muffler except for the lengths of the expansion cham-
ð20Þ
bers. The lengths of the three chambers in the multi-
chamber reactive mufflers are respectively as follows: lb
= 40 mm, ld = 80 mm and lf = 120 mm; lb = 60 mm,
ld = 80 mm and lf = 100 mm; lb = 60 mm and ld = lf
= 90 mm; lb = ld = lf = 80 mm. The TL values are
shown in Figure 5.
It can be seen from Figure 5 that the lengths of the
expansion chambers have obvious effects on the TL
values of the multi-chamber reactive mufflers. A multi-
chamber reactive muffler with different lengths of the
chambers performs better than a multi-chamber reac-
tive muffler with the same lengths of the chambers.
Effect of the radii of the inlet and the outlet
In this paper the TL behaviours of multi-chamber reac-
tive mufflers with different radii of the inlet and the
Xiang et al.
Figure 5. TL values of multi-chamber reactive mufflers with
different positions of the baffle holes.
TL: transmission loss.
Figure 6. TL values of multi-chamber reactive mufflers with
different radii of the inlet and the outlet.
TL: transmission loss.
outlet are studied. The parameters are the same as for
the test muffler except for the radii of the inlet and the
outlet. The radii r1 of the inlet and the outlet are 20
mm, 25 mm, 30 mm, 35 mm and 40 mm respectively.
The TL values are shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6 shows the obvious effects of the inlet and
the outlet radii on the TL values of multi-chamber
reactive mufflers. As the radii of the inlet and the outlet
increase, the TL value decreases, especially in the
middle-frequency range.
Effect of expansion chamber radius
The TL behaviours of multi-chamber reactive mufflers
with different expansion chamber radii are also studied.
The parameters are the same as for the test muffler
except for the expansion chamber radius. The radii r2
of the expansion chamber are 55 mm, 65 mm, 75 mm
and 85 mm respectively. The TL values are shown in
Figure 7.
Figure 7 shows the significant effects of the expan-
sion chamber radii on the TL values of multi-chamber
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5
Figure 7. TL values of multi-chamber reactive mufflers with
different expansion chamber radii.
TL: transmission loss.
reactive mufflers. A multi-chamber reactive muffler
with a larger expansion chamber radius performs better
in the middle-frequency range, but worse in the high-
frequency range.
Optimal design of the multi-chamber
reactive muffler
A GA is a powerful stochastic search method for opti-
mization22 and involves the use of optimal search stra-
tegies patterned after the Darwinian notion of natural
selection. During GA optimization, one set of trial solu-
tions is chosen and evolves towards an optimal solu-
tion.23 This paper adopts a GA for optimal design of a
multi-chamber reactive muffler based on the analytical
approach to obtain the TL value of the muffler.
Objective of optimization
The multi-chamber reactive muffler in this paper is used
to attenuate the whoosh noise of the compressor on a
fuel cell car. The frequency range is 1–3 kHz. The aver-
age TL value between 1000 Hz and 3000 Hz is chosen
as the objective of the optimal design of the muffler, as
described by
ðf2
1
f(X) = TL(f) df ð21Þ
f2  f1
f1
where f is the objective, X is the variable, f1 = 1000 Hz
is the lower frequency limit and f2 = 3000 Hz is the
upper frequency limit. The aim is to obtain the optimal
parameters of the muffler to make the objective achieve
the maximum value.
Variables and boundary conditions
The analysis in the last section shows that the para-
meters that have obvious effects on the TL value of the
multi-chamber reactive muffler include the radii of the
6 Proc IMechE Part D: J Automobile Engineering

Table 1. Variables and their ranges for optimization.

Variable Lower limit (mm) Upper limit (mm)

r1 20 30
r2 30 75
r3 20 75
r4 20 75
lb 20 200
ld 20 200
lf 20 200

inlet, the outlet and the baffle holes, as well as the

lengths and the radii of the expansion chambers. Thus,
in this paper, these parameters are chosen as the vari-
ables for optimization. The upper limit r2 of the expan-
sion chamber is set to be the same as that of the
experimental muffler. It is found that the fuel cell sys-
tem outlet can meet the flow requirement when the
radius is not smaller than 20 mm. Accordingly, the
ranges of variables are set as in Table 1.
During optimization, the outer dimensions are
restricted to be not larger than the original dimensions
used for the test. In addition, the radii of the baffle
holes are less than or equal to the expansion chamber Figure 8. Optimization procedure of the GA.
radius. Therefore, the boundary conditions are Y: yes; N: no.

lb + ld + lf 4240
r3  r2 40 ð22Þ Table 2. Variables before and after optimization.
r4  r2 40 Variable Original value (mm) Optimized value (mm)

r1 30 25.4
r2 75 67.3
Optimization procedure and control parameters r3 30 20.2
The optimization procedure is shown in Figure 8. r4 30 28.7
lb 80 136.5
During optimization, the population size is 60, the ld 80 47.2
maximum number of generations is 100, the cross-over lf 80 56.2
ratio is 0.8, the mutation ratio is 0.01 and the tolerance
is 1026. This means that optimization ends when the
change in the best fitness value between two adjacent section. The lengths of the three expansion chambers
generations is less than 1026 or when the iterated num- are no longer the same, which also validates the conclu-
ber of generations reaches 100. sions in the last section.
Optimization results The TL values of the original muffler and the opti-
The best fitness value of each generation during opti- mal muffler are shown in Figure 10. The comparison
mization is shown in Figure 9. It can be seen that opti- shows that the optimized muffler performs much better
mization ends at the 61st generation because the change than the original muffler does in the objective frequency
in the fitness value is less than the tolerance. The opti- range. The smaller expansion chamber radius leads to a
mal values and the original values of the variables after better performance in the relatively high-frequency
optimization are listed in Table 2. range. The average TL value between 1000 Hz and
It can be seen from Table 2 that the outer dimensions 3000 Hz increased from 23.3 dB to 54.9 dB, i.e. an
of the multi-chamber reactive muffler do not increase increase of 136%. Optimization proves to be effective
after optimization. The total length of the expansion and efficient.
chamber remains unchanged, while the radius of the In contrast, the average TL value between 1000 Hz
expansion becomes less. Therefore, the volume of the and 3000 Hz of the muffler in the study by Zuo et al.13
optimal muffler is smaller than that of the original muf- is less than 30 dB, which is smaller than that obtained
fler. The optimal radii of the inlet, the outlet and the in this paper. In addition, the structure of the optimal
baffle holes become close to the lower limit as shown in muffler in this paper is simpler and easier to manufac-
Table 1, which also validates the conclusions in the last ture than that in the study by Zuo et al.

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Xiang et al.
Figure 9. Best fitness values during optimization.
Figure 10. Comparison of the TL values of the original muffler
and the TL values of the optimized muffler.
TL: transmission loss.
Conclusions
This paper presents an analytical approach to calculate
the TL values of multi-chamber reactive mufflers. This
approach is more accurate in a wider frequency range
than is the transfer matrix method, which is validated
by the experimental results. The parameters that have
obvious effects on the TL behaviours include the radii
of the baffle holes, the inlet and the outlet, as well as
the lengths and the radii of the expansion chambers.
These parameters are chosen as the variables for the
optimal design of the multi-chamber reactive muffler.
Optimization leads to an increase in the average TL
value between 1000 Hz and 3000 Hz from 23.3 dB to
54.9 dB, i.e. an increase of 136%.
The analytical approach for analysis and optimiza-
tion of the multi-chamber reactive muffler developed in
this paper can be used to reduce the noise effectively
and efficiently in various applications. The optimal
muffler in this paper can be used to silence the middle-
frequency noise where there are no strict flow
restrictions.
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7
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest
with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publi-
cation of this article.
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following finan-
cial support for the research, authorship, and/or publi-
cation of this article: This work was supported by the
Key Scientific Instrument Developing Project of China
(grant number 2012YQ150256).
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: n  Cn for r3 4ru, m 4r2
mission loss of a circular dissipative silencer. J Sound Vibr n=0 0

2001; 243(3): 403–426. ð26Þ

19. Sharkawy AIE and Nayfeh AH. Effect of an expansion
rp3,
ðm
chamber on the propagation of sound in circular ducts. J X
N  
jkx, C, n lc
Acoust Soc Am 1978; 63(3): 667–674. C+
n e + C
n e jkx, C, n lc
fnC (r)r dr
20. Denia FD, Selamet A, Fuenmayor FJ et al. Acoustic n=0
0
attenuation performance of perforated dissipative muf- rp3,
ð27Þ
X
N ðm
flers with empty inlet/outlet extensions. J Sound Vibr  

2007; 302: 1000–1017. = D+
n + Dn fnD (r)r dr
21. Tao Z and Seybert A. A review of current techniques for n=0
0
measuring muffler transmission loss. SAE paper 2003-01-
ru,
ðm
1653, 2003. X
N  

22. Chiu MC. Optimization of hybrid mufflers on broadband kx, D, n D+
n  Dn fnD (r)r dr
n=0
frequencies using the genetic algorithm. Arch Acoust 0
8 N
2011; 36(4): 795–822. > P   rÐu, m n
> kx, C, n C+ 
23. Chiu MC and Chang YC. Shape optimization of multi- >
< n  Cn fC (r)r dr, for 04ru, m 4r3
n=0 0
chamber side inlet/outlet mufflers hybridized with multi- =
>
> P
N   Ðr3
> kx, C, n C+ 
fnC (r)r dr , for r3 4ru, m 4r2
ple perforated intruding tubes using a genetic algorithm. : n  Cn
n=0 0
J Marine Sci Technol 2013; 21(3): 238–249.
ð28Þ
Appendix 1 X
N 
rp4,
ðm
jkx, D, n ld

Substitutions of the acoustic pressure and the particle D+
n e + D
n e jkx, D, n ld
fnD (r)r dr
velocity into equations (7) to (18) result in 12(N + 1) n=0
0
equations, according to rp4,
ðm
X
N  

rp1, = E+
n + En fnE (r)r dr
X
N  ðm

 n=0
0
A+
n + An fnA (r)r dr
n=0 ð29Þ
0
rp1,
ð23Þ
X
N  ðm X
ru,
ðm
 N  jkx, D, n ld

= B+
n + B
n fnB (r)r dr kx, D, n D+
n e  D
n e
jkx, D, n ld
fnD (r)r dr
n=0 n=0
0
0 8 N
> P   rÐu, m n
ru, >
> kx, E, n E+ 
n  En fE (r)r dr, for 04ru, m 4r4
X
N ðm <
  n=0 0
kx, B, n B+  B fnB (r)r dr =
n n >
> P
N   Ðr4
> kx, E, n E+ 
fnE (r)r dr,
: n  En for r4 4ru, m 4r2
n=0
0
8 N n=0 0
> P   rÐu, m n
>
> kx, A, n A+ 
n  An fA (r)r dr, for 04ru, m 4r1 ð30Þ
<
n=0 0
=
>
> P
N   Ðr1 rp4,
ðm
>
: kx, A, n A+ 
n  An fnA (r)r dr, for r1 4ru, m 4r2 X
N  
jkx, E, n le
n=0 0 E+
n e + E
n e jkx, E, n le
fnE (r)r dr
ð24Þ n=0
0
rp4,
ð31Þ
X
N ðm
 

= F+
n + Fn fnF (r)r dr
n=0
0

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Xiang et al. 9

ru,
ðm
X
N   with

kx, F, n F+
n  Fn fnF (r)r dr
n=0
0 m
8 N rp1, m = r1 , m = 1, . . . , N + 1 ð35Þ
> P   rÐu, m n N+1
>
> kx, E, n E+ 
n  En fE (r)r dr, for 04ru, m 4r4
<
n=0 0 m
= rp3, m = r3 , m = 1, . . . , N + 1 ð36Þ
>
> P
N   Ðr3 n N+1
> kx, E, n E+ 
: n  En fE (r)r dr, for r4 4ru, m 4r2
n=0 0 m
ð32Þ rp4, m = r4 , m = 1, . . . , N + 1 ð37Þ
N+1
rp1,
ðm
X
N   m
F+ e jkx, F, n lf
+ F e jkx, F, n lf
fnF (r)r dr ru, m = r2 , m = 1, . . . , N + 1 ð38Þ
n n N+1
n=0
0
rp1,
ð33Þ By solving the above equations, the unknown coeffi-
X
N ðm
 
 cients of the acoustic pressure amplitudes are obtained,
= G+
n + Gn fnG (r)r dr
n=0
which are used to calculate the TL values of the multi-
0 chamber reactive mufflers.
ru,
ðm
X
N  
jkx, F, n lf
kx, F, n F+
n e  F
n e jkx, F, n lf
fnF (r)r dr
n=0
0
8 N
> P  +  rÐu, m n
>
> k G  G 
fE (r)r dr, for 04ru, m 4r1
< x, G, n n n
n=0 0
=
>
> P
N   Ðr1
> kx, G, n G+ 
fnG (r)r dr,
: n  Gn for r1 4ru, m 4r2
n=0 0

ð34Þ

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