This paper proposes an inverse estimation method for the characterisation of the elastic and anelastic properties of the frame of anisotropic open-cell foams used for sound absorption. A model of viscoelasticity based on a fractional differential constitutive equation is used, leading to an augmented Hooke's law in the frequency domain, where the elastic and anelastic phenomena appear as distinctive terms in the stiffness matrix. The parameters of the model are nine orthotropic elastic moduli, three angles of orientation of the material principal directions and three parameters governing the anelastic frequency dependence. The inverse estimation consists in numerically fitting the model on a set of transfer functions extracted from a sample of material. The setup uses a seismic-mass measurement repeated in the three directions of space and is placed in a vacuum chamber in order to remove the air from the pores of the sample. The method allows to reconstruct the full frequency-dependent complex stiffness matrix of the frame of an anisotropic open-cell foam and in particular it provides the frequency of maximum energy dissipation by viscoelastic effects. The characterisation of a melamine foam sample is performed and the relation between the fractional-derivative model and other types of parameterisations of the augmented Hooke's law is discussed.

In turboprop aircraft, the low-frequency noise field created by the propellers is the major contributor to the interior vibro-acoustic field, which determines a passenger’s discomfort. This paper deals with the experimental assessment of an active noise control (ANC) system for cabin seat headrests using two loudspeakers placed on both sides of the passenger’s head to create a local zone of quiet around the passenger’s ears. To deal with time-varying disturbances, the developed ANC system utilized a two-input-two-output filtered-X LMS algorithm developed in MATLAB/Simulink and implemented on a DSPACE control board to drive the secondary speakers and cancel the unwanted low-frequency noise components. The performance of the active headrest was investigated through real-time experimentation involving sensors, actuators, and electronic devices. The test results showed that up to approximatively 20 dB of sound attenuation could be realized in the passenger’s ears over a narrowband sound field replicated under laboratory conditions. Such achievements represent an excellent starting point toward practical applications in the design of more comfortable and acoustically efficient aircraft cabin seats.

It is well known that flexural waves in beams or plates slow down if their thickness decreases. A beam or a plate with a decreasing thickness in the vicinity of one of their boundaries can be designed so that the travel time needed for a wave to reach the edge becomes infinite. Thus, the reflection coefficient associated with the corresponding region is zero. This effect is referred to as the acoustic black holeeffect. The use of 'acoustic black holes' in combination with thin damping layers for wedges of power‐law profile has been theoretically and experimentally studied by V.V. Krylov and R.E.T.B. Winward (JSV 300 (2007) 43‐49). The aim of this paper is to show experimentally the acoustic black holeeffect in a two‐dimensional configuration comprising an elliptical plate with a pit of power‐law profile placed in one of its focuses. The elliptical shape of the plate induces a focalization of waves towards the black hole, which is observed by means of scanning laser vibrometry. Comparison of input mobilitymeasurements for plates with and without black hole shows the reduction in vibrational level induced by the black holeeffect.

The proposed method allows for an extended analysis of the wave analysis, internal powers, and acoustic performance of anisotropic poroelastic media within semi-infinite multilayered systems under arbitrary excitation. Based on a plane wave expansion, the solution is derived from a first order partial derivative as proposed by Stroh. This allows for an in-depth analysis of the mechanisms controlling the acoustic behaviour in terms of internal powers and wave properties in the media. In particular, the proposed approach is used to highlight the influence of the phenomena intrinsic to anisotropic poroelastic media, such as compression-shear coupling related to the material alignment, the frequency shift of the fundamental resonance, or the appearance of particular geometrical coincidences in multilayered systems with such materials.