Sound Transmission Prediction of Sandwich Plates With Honeycomb and Foam Cores and an Emphatic Discussion on Radiation Terms

When applying the modal summation method to the sound transmission loss (STL) prediction of various plates, the assumption of the blocked sound pressure, or alternatively speaking, ignoring sound radiation terms, has obvious simplicity and is sometimes used for the single-layered panels, rib-stiffened plates or heavily damped sandwich plates. For light-weighted sandwich plates with honeycomb and foam cores, however, this assumption is somewhat in doubt and worth examining. Based on sixth-order differential equations governing the flexural vibration of sandwich plates, the prediction formula of STL is derived by the modal summation approach. Theoretical predictions were validated by measurement data. Next, the theoretical formula of STL under the assumption of the blocked sound pressure was examined. The STL discrepancies of sandwich plates caused by sound radiation terms are illustrated. It was found that the STL discrepancies of sandwich plates were closely related to frequency, reached their peak value at the coincidence frequency region. The results indicate that the sound radiation terms, or the couplings between the radiated sound pressure and the plate response, should not be ignored for the prediction of STL for sandwich plates with honeycomb and foam cores.