Optimization of sound absorption performance of 316L stainless steel foam using the Taguchi method

This study adopts the Taguchi method to determine the optimal robust parametric levels for enhancing the sound absorption performance of 316L stainless steel foam. The factors examined in this study are the average pore size (1.1 mm−4.4 mm), the porosity (48%−61%), and the thickness (10 mm−30 mm). Each factorial contribution is evaluated using an analysis of variance (ANOVA). The analysis indicates that porosity is the most significant factor, accounting for 89.4% of the total variance, while pore size and thickness have a smaller influence. There is no interaction between the factors. An increase in the porosity increases the sound absorption coefficient. The optimal combination of factor levels for sound absorption specifies a pore size of 1.1 mm, a porosity of 61%, and a thickness of 30 mm. The highest sound absorption coefficient of 0.7 is attained at a frequency of 6300 Hz. This study proposes a useful approach combining the Taguchi method with ANOVA designed to accelerate the development of the sound adsorption performance of metal foam.