Acoustic behaviour of 3D printed titanium perforated panels

Abstract

Titanium alloys such as Ti6Al4V is amongst the most widely studied metallic materials in the broad context of metal 3D printing. Although the mechanical performances are well understood, the acoustic performance of 3D printed Ti6Al4V, and Ti6Al4V ELI (Extra Low Interstitial) has received limited attention in the literature. As such, this study investigates the normal incidence sound absorption coefficient (α) and Sound Transmission Loss (STL) of both Ti6Al4V and Ti6Al4V ELI samples manufactured using Selective Laser Melting (SLM). The influence of material thickness on acoustic responses and the potential of developing Ti6Al4V micro-perforated panels (MPP) at 400–1600 Hz is also explored. The sound absorption of three aesthetic perforations printed using Ti6Al4V and the influence of a porous back layer was also investigated. The experimental measurements were carried out using an impedance tube following ISO10534-2. The result of the study establishes that 3D printed non-circular perforations featuring porous back-layer can exhibit improved sound absorption coefficient.