Time-domain simulation of acoustic wave propagation and interaction with flexible structures using Chebyshev collocation method

A time-domain Chebyshev collocation (ChC) method is used to simulate acoustic wave propagation and its interaction with flexible structures in ducts. The numerical formulation is described using a two-dimensional duct noise control system, which consists of an expansion chamber and a tensioned membrane covering the side-branch cavity. Full coupling between the acoustic wave and the structural vibration of the tensioned membrane is considered in the modelling. A systematic method of solution is developed for the discretized differential equations over multiple physical domains. The time-domain ChC model is tested against analytical solutions under two conditions: one with an initial state of wave motion; the other with a time-dependent acoustic source. Comparisons with the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method are also made. Results show that the time-domain ChC method is highly accurate and computationally efficient for the time-dependent solution of duct acoustic problems. For illustrative purposes, the time-domain ChC method is applied to investigate the acoustic performance of three typical duct noise control devices: the expansion chamber, the quarter wavelength resonator and the drum silencer. The time-dependent simulation of the sound-structure interaction in the drum silencer reveals the delicate role of the membrane mass and tension in its sound reflection capability. ► A time-domain solution is presented for sound-structure interaction problems. ► The scheme uses Chebyshev collocation in space and exact integration in time. ► Higher accuracy is achieved than ordinary finite-difference time-domain method. ► The method is used to study the physics involved in a novel drum-like silencer.