Advanced ABH for mitigation of wave propagation in thin-walled structures under heavy fluid loading conditions

In various industrial applications (i.e., pipelines carrying water), fluid/structure interaction falls into the category of heavy fluid loading conditions, making the modelling required to control vibration propagation and radiated noise extremely complex.

The Acoustic Black Hole (ABH) concept appears as a promising approach in this context. It has been investigated in laboratory settings by various research groups over the past decade. Through specific geometric design, the ABH aims to slow down wave propagation and concentrate energy in a specific zone where it can be dissipated or, possibly, harvested.

It has been shown that the ABH strategy can be integrated into tubular systems in the form of cylinders of variable thickness or at the level of the flexible joints used for vibration absorption. These proposed tubular ABH architectures have proven their effectiveness for light fluid loading conditions (i.e., when the fluid’s feedback on wave propagation is weak).

The aim of this project is to explore the use of a structure-embedded ABH to mitigate wave propagation in cases of strong fluid/structure coupling, which is completely new. In this new class of systems, the combined effects of local resonances of the ABH, periodicity, and, possibly, Herschel-Quincke filtering are expected to facilitate significant localized attenuation of propagating waves.

More information on the link below.