Improving low frequency sound absorption of panel absorbers using point mass

Sound absorption is an essential tool for managing noise in rooms and offices. Panel absorbers can be effective for low-frequency absorption with shallow application depths, unlike porous materials and fibrous panels, which requiring thick and bulky designs for low frequency performance. Nevertheless, panel absorbers are generally successful in a single narrow frequency range. This study is devoted to evaluating panel absorbers with point mass attached to the panel for broad band low frequency sound absorption in an effective form factor. Detailed numerical analyses were performed to obtain the vibro-acoustic response of the panel absorbers while varying the position and amount of the added point mass. The effect of the added point mass on the sound absorption characteristics of the plate absorbers was experimentally investigated. The results revealed that it is possible to design panel absorbers using interior design elements and small masses to reduce the noise in multiple frequencies below 200 Hz. • An efficient sound-absorbing structure was developed using furniture materials for low-frequency bands. • Vibro-acoustic responses of panel absorbers with attached point mass was parametrically investigated with numerical methods. • The impact of point mass location on sound absorption performance was experimentally evaluated. • The designed structures showed promising absorption characteristics across multiple low frequencies.