Characterization and Optimization of Sound Transmission Loss of PVC Foam Sandwich Structure Reinforced by Carbon Fiber Columns

This study presents a foam sandwich structure reinforced with carbon fiber columns (FSS-CFC), which exhibits strong mechanical and sound insulation properties. The FSS-CFC consists of two face-sheets and a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) core containing multiple CFC cylinders arranged in a periodic array. The sound transmission loss (STL) measured in acoustic tube experiments closely aligns with the finite element simulation results, validating the reliability of the present research. Through characteristic analyses, the study reveals the sound insulation mechanism of FSS-CFC, identifying three distinct sound insulation dips caused by the standing wave resonance of the core, column-driven same-direction bending vibrations, and column-constrained opposite-direction bending vibrations in the sheets. It is also demonstrated that the sound insulation performance of FSS-CFC is insensitive to hydrostatic pressure changes. Finally, the FSS-CFC is optimized by the genetic algorithm in MATLAB and COMSOL. The optimized FSS-CFC displays good improvements in both mechanical and acoustic performance compared to the initial structure. The average STL in the frequency of 500 Hz to 25,000 Hz has increased by 3 dB, representing an improvement of approximately 25%. The sound insulation mechanism in FSS-CFC could provide valuable insights for the development of a pressure-resistant acoustic structure for use on deep-water vehicles.