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Passive earplug including Helmholtz resonators arranged in series to achieve broadband near zero occlusion effect at low frequencies

Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, ISSN: 1520-8524, Vol: 154, Issue: 4, Page: 2099-2111
2023
  • 4
    Citations
  • 5
    Usage
  • 2
    Captures
  • 3
    Mentions
  • 0
    Social Media
Metric Options:   Counts1 Year3 Year

Metrics Details

  • Citations
    4
    • Citation Indexes
      4
  • Usage
    5
  • Captures
    2
  • Mentions
    3
    • News Mentions
      2
      • 2
    • Blog Mentions
      1
      • 1

Most Recent Blog

A Better Ear Plug

Ear plugs can be wonderful at blocking outside noise, but they come with a downside: they typically amplify internal bodily sounds, like our heartbeat, breathing, and chewing.  (Image and research credit: K. Carillo et al.; via APS Physics) Read the full article

Most Recent News

Earplugs That Block Out All Sounds

Author(s): Rachel Berkowitz A new 3D-printed earplug can absorb physiological sounds made by the body, potentially making it more acoustically comfortable to use than some commercially available earplugs. [Physics 16, 184] Published Mon Oct 23, 2023

Article Description

The use of passive earplugs is often associated with the occlusion effect: a phenomenon described as the increased auditory perception of one's own physiological noise at low frequencies. As a notable acoustic discomfort, the occlusion effect penalizes the use and the efficiency of earplugs. This phenomenon is objectively characterized by the increase in sound pressure level in the occluded ear canal compared to the open ear canal. Taking inspiration from acoustic metamaterials, a new design of a three-dimensional printed “meta-earplug,” made of four Helmholtz resonators arranged in series, is proposed for achieving near zero objective occlusion effect measured on artificial ear in a broadband frequency range (300 Hz to 1 kHz). For this purpose, the geometry of the meta-earplug is optimized to achieve a null occlusion effect target based on an analytical model of the phenomenon. It results from the optimization process that the input impedance of the meta-earplug medial surface approximately matches the input impedance of the open ear canal, weighted by the ratio of volume velocity imposed by the ear canal wall to the ear canal cavity between open and occluded cases. Acoustic properties of the meta-earplug are also shown to significantly improve its sound attenuation at the piston-like mode of the system.

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