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How Does a Muffler Work?

How Does a Muffler Work?

The first muffler patent was awarded in 1897 to a couple of Indiana boys named Milton O. Reeves and Marshall T. Reeves. Since then, it has grown to be an essential part of the automotive process and a vehicle’s exhaust system. Mufflers are used to filter out the harmful gases that come from your truck’s engine while also reducing the noise (anybody that’s ever heard a car with a busted muffler knows just how much it does).

Sound Reduction

The sound reduction is achieved through a series of tubes inside of the muffler. These tubes have small holes and the entire design is set up to reflect the sound waves generated by the vehicle’s engine. The reflection of sound waves actually ends up cancelling out the noise. But, how does this happen?

muffler

Destructive Interference

If you listen to a band play, say The Rolling Stones for example, all of the sound waves from their instruments blend together and hit the ear drum wall at one time, which produces an even richer sound. Well, instead of sound waves blending together, there is also a way to generate waves that actually cancel each other. This is called destructive interference.

The Key Components of a Muffler

Destructive interference is generated in a muffler because of its unique design. The original sound that is created within the engine is first filtered into the muffler’s inlet. From there, the sound waves travel through a perforator and bounce off of the muffler’s walls and into the resonator chamber until it eventually exits through the outlet. The resonator chamber is the key tool in the destructive interference process. This chamber has a specific volume of air and is set at a specific length to facilitate the loss of sound. Instead of a resonator chamber, some luxury cars feature an entire resonator component to drown out all sound.

Backpressure

Mufflers are known for producing a considerable amount of backpressure. This happens because of all of the twists and turns that the exhaust must go through inside of the muffler. Backpressure will lower an engine’s performance capabilities, which is why many opt for alternatives. Aftermarket mufflers are often made to be wider and will improve an engine’s performance; however, some of these mufflers will not restrict sound at the same efficiency. This is not a problem for many drivers because aftermarket manufacturers have developed a way to give clean, pure American muscle style sound.

By: Tim Snyder
Posted on October 7th, 2013

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