Analysis of Influence of Excitation Source Direction on Sound Transmission Loss Simulation Based on Alloy Steel Phononic Crystal

As a type of locally resonant phononic crystal, alloy steel phononic crystals have achieved notable advancements in vibration and noise reduction, particularly in the realm of low-frequency noise. Their exceptional band gap characteristics enable the efficient reduction of vibration and noise at low frequencies. However, the conventional transmission loss (TL) simulation of finite structures remains the benchmark for plate structure TL experiments. In this context, the TL in the XY-direction of phononic crystal plate structures has been thoroughly investigated and analyzed. Given the complexity of sound wave incident directions in practical applications, the conventional TL simulation of finite structures often diverges from reality. Taking tungsten steel phononic crystals as an example, this paper introduces a novel finite element method (FEM) simulation approach for analyzing the TL of alloy steel phononic crystal plates. By setting the Z-direction as the excitation source, the tungsten steel phononic crystal plate exhibits distinct responses compared to excitation in the XY-direction. By combining energy band diagrams and modes, the impact of various excitation source directions on the TL simulations is analyzed. It is observed that the tungsten steel phononic crystal plate exhibits a more pronounced energy response under longitudinal excitation. The TL map excited in the Z-direction lacks the flat region present in the XY-direction TL map. Notably, the maximum TL in the Z-direction is 131.5 dB, which is significantly lower than the maximum TL of 298 dB in the XY-direction, with a more regular peak distribution. This indicates that the TL of alloy steel phononic crystals in the XY-direction is closely related to the acoustic wave propagation characteristics within the plate, whereas the TL in the Z-direction aligns more closely with practical sound insulation and noise reduction engineering applications. Therefore, future research on alloy steel phononic crystal plates should not be confined to the TL in the XY-direction. Further investigation and analysis of the TL in the Z-direction are necessary. This will provide a novel theoretical foundation and methodological guidance for future research on alloy steel phononic crystals, enhancing the completeness and systematicness of studies on alloy steel phononic crystal plates. Simultaneously, it will advance the engineering application of alloy steel phononic crystal plates.