This paper presents theoretical and experimental results on the influence of panel vibrations on the sound absorption properties of thin micro-perforated panel absorbers (MPPA). Measurements show that the absorption performance of thin MPPAs generates extra absorption peaks or dips that cannot be understood assuming a rigid MPPA. A theoretical model is established that accounts for structural-acoustic interaction between the micro-perforated panel and the backing cavity, assuming uniform conservative boundary conditions for the panel and separable coordinates for the cavity cross-section. This model is verified experimentally against impedance tube measurements and laser vibrometric scans of the cavity-backed panel response. It is shown analytically and experimentally that the air-frame relative velocity is a key factor that alters the input acoustic impedance of thin MPPAs. Coupled mode analysis reveals that the two first resonances of an elastic MPPA are either panel-cavity, hole-cavity, or panel-controlled resonances, depending on whether the effective air mass of the perforations is greater or lower than the first panel modal mass. A critical value of the perforation ratio is found through which the MPPA resonances experience a frequency "jump" and that determines two absorption mechanisms operating out of the transitional region.

This paper describes theoretical and experimental investigations into the sound absorption and transmission properties of micro-perforated panels (MPP) backed by an air cavity and a thin plate. A fully coupled modal approach is proposed to calculate the absorption coefficient and the transmission loss of finite-sized micro-perforated panels-cavity-panel (MPPCP) partitions with conservative boundary conditions. It is validated against infinite partition models and experimental data. A practical methodology is proposed using collocated pressure-velocity sensors to evaluate in an anechoic environment the transmission and absorption properties of conventional MPPCPs. Results show under which conditions edge scattering effects should be accounted for at low frequencies. Coupled mode analysis is also performed and analytical approximations are derived from the resonance frequencies and mode shapes of a flexible MPPCP. It is found that the Helmholtz-type resonance frequency is deduced from the one associated to the rigidly backed MPPCP absorber shifted up by the mass-air mass resonance of the flexible non-perforated double-panel. Moreover, it is shown analytically and experimentally that the absorption mechanisms at the resonances are governed by a large air-frame relative velocity over the MPP surface, with either in-phase or out-of-phase relationships, depending on the MPPCP parameters.

In this paper we discuss the characterization of low frequency sound transmission between two rooms via a flexible panel. A fully-coupled modal model is used to investigate the individual effect of the source room and the receiving room on the measured sound reduction index, and the results are compared with the ideal case of having a free field on both sides of the panel. The effect of the source room on the measured sound reduction index at low frequencies can be reduced by using a number of suitable-driven loudspeakers close to the panel to simulate a diffuse incident field. However, the effect of the receiving room was found not to be reduced by calculating the transmitted acoustic power from a dense array of acoustic intensity measurements, instead of an array of microphones in the receiving room.