Sound transmission through curved aircraft panels with stringer and ring frame attachments

A numerical approach based on a receptance method has been developed to evaluate the airborne sound insulation of aircraft panels with stringer and ring frame attachments. Theoretical predictions have been compared with laboratory measurements conducted on both model structures and aircraft panels. Certain parameters were varied in this study to gauge stiffener effects on sound transmission through the panel. For large curved aircraft panels studied here, it was found that the ring frames have little influence on sound transmission loss in the frequency range of interest. However, the stringers may have considerable influence on the sound transmission loss. The stringer improves the sound transmission loss for a curved panel in the vicinity of the ring frequency, but may result in a potential deterioration above this frequency. In addition it was found that the sound transmission loss for the composite skin attached with composite stringers was lower than that of the metallic panel attached with metallic stringers. The results suggest that acoustical optimization design for the stringers is necessary to achieve improved airborne sound insulation for aircraft panels.