Acoustic performance of a duct loaded with identical resonators

This paper presents a theoretical study of a duct loaded with identical side-branch resonators. The Bloch wave theory and the transfer matrix method are used to investigate wave propagation in the duct. It is found that this duct-resonator system has a unique attenuation characteristic brought about by structural periodicity. Three types of stop-bands are discussed and their bandwidths are predicted. All of the results predicted by the theory fit well with a computer simulation using a three-dimensional finite element method. Compared to a single resonator, this structure may have a potential application in broadband noise control. (C) 2012 Acoustical Society of America