A study of the structural-acoustic response and interior noise levels of fuselage structures

Models of both flat and curved fuselage panels were tested for their sound transmission characteristics. The effect of external air flow on transmission loss was simulated in a subsonic wind-tunnel. By numerically evaluating the known equations for field-incidence transmission loss of single-walled panels in a computer program, a comparison of the theory with the test results was made. As a further extension to aircraft fuselage simulation, equations for the field-incidence transmission loss of a double-walled panel were derived. Flow is shown to provide a small increase in transmission loss for a flat panel. Curvature is shown to increase transmission loss for low frequencies, while also providing a sharp decrease in transmission loss at the ring frequency of the cylindrical panel. The field-incidence transmission loss of a double-walled panel was found to be approximately twice that for a single-walled panel, with the addition of dips in the transmission loss at the air gap resonances and at the critical frequency of the internal panel.