Sound transmission loss of integrally damped, curved panels

Results are reported from acoustic transmission-loss measurements on 13 curved Al and composite aircraft-type panels (height 0.81 m, arc length 1.32 m, and curvature radius 2.29 m) without and with integral damping of various types. The fabrication of the panels and the test procedures are described and illustrated with photographs, and the results are presented in graphs. It is found that the loss of a curved panel exceeds the mass-law-predicted loss for a flat panel of the same material and thickness at frequencies below the ring frequency. At higher frequencies, the curved-panel loss is lower than the mass-law loss, being proportional to 20 time the log of thickness. Integral damping is found to be effective both below and above the ring frequency, but different mechanisms are responsible in each case.