Design of lightweight multilayer partitions based on sonic crystals

Abstract

The sound transmission coefficient of different multilayer partitions commonly encountered in buildings has been measured as a function of frequency. Most of the samples studied showed an increase in the sound transmission coefficient over a specific frequency, called the critical frequency, depending on the layer material. However, for partitions built with the same materials, but built with a periodic arrangement of layers, this behavior has not been observed. This kind of periodic multilayer partition can be considered as a sonic crystal, because the stopband corresponding to a one-dimensional sonic crystal with a constant lattice equal to the modulation of the partition is in the same range as the critical frequency of the panel. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.