Performance of a planar virtual sound barrier at the baffled opening of a rectangular cavity

This paper proposes to reduce the radiation of a sound source inside a cavity through the baffled opening by using an array of loudspeakers and microphones. The system is called a planar virtual sound barrier because it acts like a concrete sound barrier to block the transmission of sound but does not affect light and air circulation. An analytical model for the planar virtual sound barrier is developed based on the modal superposition method to calculate the sound field in and outside a rectangular cavity with a baffled opening. After the model is verified with numerical simulations, a performance study of the planar virtual sound barrier is carried out based on the proposed analytical model, and then the results are confirmed by experiments. The mechanisms of the planar virtual sound barrier are investigated and it is found that three mechanisms work together in the system, including changing the impedance of the primary source, modal control, and modal rearrangement. It is also found that there exist some frequencies where the sound cannot be controlled if all the secondary sources are on the same plane parallel to the opening, and the reasons behind the phenomenon are explained.