Transmission loss characteristics of aircraft sidewall systems to control cabin interior noise

Aircraft interior cabin noise control is an important factor in providing a comfortable environment for travelling passengers. Transmission loss (TL) testing and TL prediction analysis can be used on a simplified representation of an airplane sidewall system. Test data were in good agreement with the predicted levels. The TL contributions due to all sidewall components were important for interior cabin noise control. Polyamide foam insulation was inferior to fiberglass in the mid frequency range; however, foam was a better performer at high frequencies. Fiberglass/polyimide foam composite blankets, with less weight, provided noise reductions similar to fiberglass. Premium fiberglass was a slightly better performer than the standard fiberglass. Solid fiberglass interior trim panel provided adequate noise performance. Production-type trim attachment design could be improved to control flanking path for sound transmission.