In aero engines, noise absorption is realised by acoustic liners, e.g., Helmholtz resonator (HR) liners, which often absorb sound only in a narrow frequency range. Due to developments of new engine generations, an improvement of overall acoustic damping performance and in particular more broadband noise absorption is required. In this paper, a new approach to increase the bandwidth of noise absorption for HR liners is presented. By replacing rigid cell walls in the liner’s honeycomb core structure by flexible polymer films, additional acoustic energy is dissipated. A manufacturing technology for square honeycomb cores with partially flexible walls is described. Samples with different flexible wall materials were fabricated and tested. The acoustic measurements show more broadband sound absorption compared to a reference liner with rigid walls due to acoustic-structural interaction. Manufacturing-related parameters are found to have a strong influence on the resulting vibration behaviour of the polymer films, and therefore on the acoustic performance. For future use, detailed investigations to ensure the liner segments compliance with technical, environmental, and life-cycle requirements are needed. However, the results of this study show the potential of this novel liner concept for noise reduction in future aero-engines.

It was found that the ultrasonic spot welding may serve as an efficient method to join relative large thin-walled parts made of fiber-reinforced thermoplastics. In this study, a new control method for the ultrasonic spot-welding process was investigated. It was found that, when welding fiber-reinforced thermoplastic laminates without energy directors, overheating and decomposition of the polymer at the weld spot occurred. The occurrence of the overheating took place at unpredictable times during welding. It was observed that the time trace of the consumed power curve by the welder follows a similar pattern as the time trace of the temperature in the weld spot center. Based on this observation, a control system was developed. The time derivative of the welder power was monitored in real time and, as soon as it exceeded a critical value, the ultrasonic vibration amplitude was actively adjusted through a microcontroller. The controlling of the ultrasonic welding process forced the temperature in the weld spot to remain in an adequate range throughout the welding duration for the polymer diffusion to occur. The results of the controlled welding process were evaluated by means of weld temperature measurements, computed tomography scans, and microscopic analysis of the weld spot fracture surfaces.