Acoustic Analysis Simulation for Developing an Acoustic Space with Origami Structure

Abstract

Since the corona pandemic the amount of time spent at home has increased and the need for noise control measures at home has increased. However, it is not easy to introduce a full-fledged soundproof room due to the installation space and cost. Therefore, we worked on the development of a noise-reducing shade that is relatively inexpensive, can be folded and stored, and can reduce external noise to the noise standard level of residential areas (In japan, 45dB at night). Normally, the development of such a product requires many prototypes and verifications, but in this research, by utilizing finite element analysis (FEM), it is possible to find the optimum material and shape without producing a large number of prototypes. We designed shades with multiple shapes and performed numerical calculations to determine their characteristics. Paper and polypropylene were selected as lightweight materials that can be folded, but with the combination of these materials and the shapes tested in this study, only the maximum sound reduction effect of 10 dB was achieved. Therefore, the shape of the top of the shade was optimized by applying Bezier curvet to reduce the sound outside the shade. As the result, it was found that the sound pressure could be lowered by 13dB within the simulated frequency range. Furthermore, the possibility of sound reduction was investigated by simulating the vertical core in the acoustic tube experiment.