Investigations on Wave Propagation of the Pressure Pulsation in a Helmholtz-Type Hydraulic Silencer With a Hemispherical Vessel

Abstract

The Helmholtz-type hydraulic silencer is one of the most practical silencers for attenuating pressure pulsations in hydraulic systems owing to its simple structure and reasonable cost. Maximum attenuation performance can be attained at the resonance frequency in accordance with the principle of Helmholtz resonance. Therefore, it is extremely important to precisely determine the resonance frequency at the design stage. It was clarified in our previous study that the shape of the volume vessel affects the resonance frequency of the silencer because of the wave propagation of pressure pulsation inside the volume vessel. In this study, the attenuation characteristics and wave propagation in a silencer with a hemispherical vessel are investigated. A mathematical model that takes into account the propagation of a one-dimensional wave in the radial direction of the hemispherical vessel is proposed and compared with the step section approximation model and the classic lumped parameter model. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the theoretical analysis is verified by experiments wherein the dimensional specifications of the vessel and neck are adjusted.