Cube-Shaped Sound-Insulating Enclosures: Experimental Tests and Calculation Models

The research described in this article concerns sound-insulating enclosures used for sound sources imitating a noisy machine or device. It is a continuation of experimental tests and modelling studies previously conducted on a prototype test stand, in which the enclosure walls measured 0.7 m × 0.7 m. The main aim of the current research was to estimate the acoustic efficiency of the enclosures through experimental testing on a new stand with walls measuring 0.55 m × 0.55 m, conducted under conditions similar to those found in an industrial facility. Tests conducted on five wall types of varying thicknesses, made of materials such as steel, aluminium, and plexiglass, enabled the development of a calculation model for insertion loss (IL), which can be used based on the material data for the enclosure walls. The model was validated through further experimental tests covering four additional material variants, and a high correlation of the results was obtained. The influence of the calculation model used for the enclosure wall transmission loss on the IL result was also investigated. The results of the experimental tests and modelling studies were also compared with those obtained for a larger enclosure made of the same wall materials. The research described in the current article may have practical applications in the selection of walls of cube-shaped enclosures and in estimating their effectiveness in a cost-free manner, assuming that appropriate material data are used in the calculations.