A self-sustained sound, more usually known as a whistle, refers to a distinct tonal noise created due to the interaction between the sound and flow field. When a positive feedback loop is formed between the two fields, the energy in the mean flow will be transferred into the sound wave, thus giving rise to a whistle. In engineering practice, whistles are destructive as they can produce high sound and vibration levels and may result in risk for mechanical failures. In this work, a flow-related high level tonal noise was found during a measurement on a particle agglomeration pipe, which is a quasi-periodic corrugated structure designed for the exhaust system of heavy-duty trucks. The purpose of the pipe is to enhance particle agglomeration to increase the size of exhaust gas particles. To investigate the origin of the detected tonal noise additional measurements were carried out. Based on the measurement result, the aero-acoustic coupling in the agglomeration pipe was analyzed, revealing that the pipe has a large potentiality to amplify the incident sound power in the presence of a mean flow. Furthermore, the Nyquist stability criterion was applied to confirm the existence of exponentially growing modes in the system at certain conditions.

Cremer impedance, first proposed by Cremer (Acustica 3, 1953) and then improved by Tester (JSV 28, 1973), refers to the locally reacting boundary condition that can maximize the attenuation of a certain acoustic mode in a uniform waveguide. One limitation in Tester's work is that it simplified the analysis on the effect of flow by only considering high frequencies or the 'well cut-on' modes. This approximation is reasonable for large duct applications, e.g., aero-engines, but not for many other cases of interest, with the vehicle intake and exhaust system included. A recent modification done by Kabral et al. (Acta Acustica united with Acustica 102, 2016) has removed this limitation and investigated the 'exact' solution of Cremer impedance for circular waveguides, which reveals an appreciable difference between the exact and classic solution in the low frequency range. Consequently, the exact solution can lead to a much higher low-frequency attenuation level. In addition, the exact solution is found to exhibit some special properties at very low frequencies, e.g., a negative resistance. In this paper, liners designed on the basis of the exact solution are tested and the difference between the exact and classic solution in the low frequency range (not low enough to go into the negative resistance region) is experimentally investigated.

The knowledge of the reflection properties of open end jet ducts is important for different applications, where the flow and high temperature conditions are involved and add complexity to the problem. In this paper, the magnitude of the reflection coefficients together with the respective end-corrections is experimentally determined for hot flow duct openings. A Mach number range up to 0.3 for cold jets and up to 0.12 for a jet temperature of 200 degrees C is treated. The experimental results are compared with the numerical model proposed by Munt (Acoustic transmission properties of a jet duct with subsonic jet flow: 1. The cold jet reflection coefficient, Journal of Sound and Vibration 142 (1990) 413-436) and a good correlation in plane-wave region is demonstrated. To reduce experimental uncertainty, the sound reflection properties at the duct opening are obtained by using an overdetermined two-microphone technique with the implementation of a three pressure transducer array. By introducing a modified multistep version of the stepped sine excitation, the accuracy of data acquisition process is improved without compromising the measurement time.

Regulations stipulating the design of motorcycle silencers are strict, especially when the unit incorporates fibrous absorbing materials. Therefore, innovative designs substituting such materials while still preserving acceptable level of characteristic sound are currently of interest. Micro perforated elements are innovative acoustic solutions, which silencing effect is based on the dissipation of the acoustic wave energy in a pattern of sub-millimeter apertures. Similarly to fibrous materials the micro-perforated materials have been proved to provide effective sound absorption in a wide frequency range. Additionally, the silencer is designed as a two-stage system that provides an optimal solution for a variety of exploitation conditions. In this paper a novel design for a cruiser type motorcycle silencer, based on micro-perforated elements, is presented. It has been demonstrated that the micro-perforated elements can successfully be used to achieve high attenuation of IC-engine noise in strictly limited circumstances. A technical description of the design and manufacturing of the prototype silencer is given and technological issues are discussed. The acoustical and aerodynamical performance of the silencer is characterized by transmission loss and pressure drop data. The influence of the two-stage system valve operation has been analyzed by studying the acoustics data and engine output characteristics. In addition to the experimental investigations, numerical 1-D models were developed for the optimization of the silencer geometry and the results are compared in a number of operating conditions. The studies have resulted in development of a silencer system for a small series cruiser type motorcycle. The first silencer prototypes have been tested on the motorcycle. While maintaining acceptable pressure drop characteristics, it has proven to comply with standard noise criteria without incorporating fibrous materials. The radiated motorcycle sound, as one of the key features of successful design, has been evaluated. The sound design has been recognized as well suitable for the product.

In this paper an overview of recent experimental studies performed at KTH on the sound transmission and sound generation in turbochargers is presented. The compressor and turbine of the turbochargers are treated as acoustic active 2-ports and characterized using the unique experimental test facility established at KTH. The 2-port model is limited to the plane wave range so for higher frequencies the propagating acoustic power is estimated using an average based on pressure cross-spectra. A number of automotive turbochargers have been studied for a variety of operating conditions systematically selected from the compressor and turbine charts. The paper discusses the experimental procedures including special techniques implemented to improve the quality of the data. Results from a number of experiments on various modern automotive turbochargers including a unit with variable turbine geometry (VTG) are presented. Copyright 

In this paper an overview of recent experimental studies performed at KTH on the sound transmission and sound generation in turbochargers is presented. The compressor and turbine of the turbochargers are treated as acoustic active 2-ports and characterized using the unique experimental test facility established at KTH. The 2-port model is limited to the plane wave range so for higher frequencies the propagating acoustic power is estimated using an average based on pressure cross-spectra. A number of automotive turbochargers have been studied for a variety of operating conditions systematically selected from the compressor and turbine charts. The paper discusses the experimental procedures including special techniques implemented to improve the quality of the data. Results from a number of experiments on various modern automotive turbochargers including a unit with variable turbine geometry (VTG) are presented.

Turbochargers are common parts of a modern automotive engine. This paper presents an overview of the recent studies performed in the competence center for gas exchange studies at KTH on the sound transmission in turbochargers. The compressor and turbine of the turbochargers are treated as acoustic 2-ports and the scattering matrix for these devices are determined. A unique experimental facility established in the competence center for gas exchange research at KTH has been utilized to study the turbochargers at a variety of operating conditions systematically selected from compressor and turbine charts. A description of the experimental procedures to determine the acoustic 2-port data including techniques implemented to improve the quality of the results is presented. Results from a number of experiments on various modern automotive turbochargers including a unit with variable turbine geometry (VTG) are included. By plotting the up- and downstream transmission loss data against a dimensionless (He-number) frequency scale general characteristics for the sound transmission of turbochargers is found.

In this paper a unique experimental facility designed for a complete determination of the sound transmission in turbochargers is introduced. The facility can be used to characterize the passive acoustic effect for turbocharger compressors and turbines working in realistic operating conditions by extracting the acoustic two-port data. The acoustic pressure transmission loss results for a passenger car turbocharger compressor and turbine measured in up- and downstream directions regarding the mean flow are presented. The data are obtained for various operating points of the turbocharger and the influence of operating conditions on the sound transmission is discussed.