Topology optimization of muffler internal partitions for improving acoustical attenuation performance

Abstract The internal partition configuration of an expansion chamber muffler affects significantly its acoustical transmission characteristics, but the use of systematic optimization methods to muffler design problems is rare. The main objective of this research is to maximize the transmission loss at target frequencies by optimizing partition layouts inside a muffler chamber by formulating an acoustical topology optimization problem. The selected target frequencies include the deep frequencies of a nominal muffler in order to see the critical effects of partition configurations on the acoustical transmission characteristics. The effects of partition volume constraint ratios are also investigated and physics behind the optimized layouts is investigated. Numerical results show that mufflers with optimized partition layouts outperform nominal mufflers considerably, but the shapes and locations of the optimized partitions should be much different from those of conventional partitions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.