Noise Attenuation in Exhaust Systems

The noise produced by internal combustion engines, particularly automobiles, is a major contributor to environmental noise pollution. In automotive design, external noise must be limited according to industry standards as well as federal and state regulations. Engine exhaust is one of the main sources of sound produced by automobiles, making it a very important aspect in vehicle design.

Exhaust systems must be engineered to attenuate sound in order to meet required levels and sound quality while also balancing aspects of emissions, performance, and fuel economy.

 In an internal combustion engine, pressure waves are generated when the exhaust valve repeatedly opens and lets high-pressure gas into the exhaust system. These pressure pulses translate to audible sound. As engine rpm increases so do the pressure fluctuations and therefore the sound emitted is of a higher frequency. The function of the muffler in an automobile exhaust system is to attenuate the noise produced by the engines exhaust. The two different types of mufflers are: absorptive and reactive (reflective)

Absorptive Muffler
Absorptive or dissipative mufflers use absorption to reduce sound energy, this is done by converting the energy into heat using an absorptive material, usually fiberglass or steel wool. Consists of a straight perforated pipe that is encased by a larger housing. Between the housing and the perforated pipe is a layer of sound absorptive material that absorbs some of the sound energy as it travels through the muffler. Create less backpressure than reactive mufflers but at the cost of less sound attenuation. Used in performance applications Reduce noise over the entire frequency spectrum and more so at higher frequencies

Absorptive Muffler

Reactive Muffler
Reactive or reflective mufflers use the phenomenon of destructive interference to attenuate sound. Destructive interference occurs when a reflected sound wave of equal amplitude and 180 degrees out of phase collides with sound waves produced by the engines exhaust. Consist of a series of resonating and expansion chambers that are designed to reduce the sound pressure level at certain frequencies. Inlet and outlet tubes are offset and have perforations that allow sound waves to scatter in different directions inside a chamber resulting in destructive interference. Decrease in engine efficiency and performance due to the backpressure created in the exhaust system.

Reactive Muffler

Active Noise Control

Active noise control (ANC) relies on the fundamentals of destructive interference between the primary noise created by the exhaust and the secondary noise created by another sound source, usually a speaker. The way it works is the ANC system processes a reference signal to generate the control signal that drives the secondary sound source which outputs a sound wave with the same amplitude as the primary wave but at 180 degree phase difference. This method has yet to be commercially used. The main reason being the high production costs of a suitable speaker for this application. The speaker would have to be small yet powerful enough to produce a very high sound pressure level and also have very good low-frequency characteristics.

Active Noise Control

Active Exhaust System

Uses the principles of destructive interference coupled with a traditional passive muffler. Sound attenuation comparable to traditional reactive systems with increased power and fuel economy. The design uses a U-shaped bypass pipe attached to the original exhaust pipe. The bypass pipe has a length variable mechanism so that when two divided noises meet, the pipe length difference is adjusted to make the major component of the noise have a 180 degree phase difference, therefore cancelling the noise by destructive interference eliminating the need of a secondary noise source such as a speaker.

Active Exhaust System

In the low engine rpm range, only a passive muffler is used and in the high rpm range, where only a short length difference is required, the proposed system with a very low backpressure muffler is used. With the control of the valve at the left, the exhaust gas and noise are fed to a conventional muffler at the bottom in a low rpm range. In the higher rpm range, where active control is engaged, the valve is switched to drive the exhaust gas and noise to the active muffler system at the top. The bypass pipes are composed of inner and outer tubes and actuators are used to change the length. A simple muffler, which has the minimum backpressure, is used to remove the remaining noise.

Active Exhaust System

Engine Torque Curves

Top curve Without Muffler Middle curve Active Exhaust System Bottom curve Passive Muffler