| Ever heard of cars without mufflers? Well, | | | | consequently making the two waves out of |
| get ready to cover your ears. Mufflers may | | | | phase. If the waves are out of phase, zero |
| look like some tube somewhere in the engine | | | | amplitude is produced called destructive |
| but you'd be amazed at what it can do with | | | | interference. |
| regards to a vehicle's noise level. Here are | | | | |
| some top facts you need to know about them. | | | | So if the sound wave produced by the car |
| | | | engine is at the maximum, the muffler will be |
| What is a muffler? | | | | producing the same wave at the minimum. When |
| | | | the two waves hit your eardrum, you hear |
| A muffler is a tubular acoustic device that | | | | nothing because the waves when added add up |
| is inserted in the exhaust system. It is | | | | to nothing. In order to cancel out sound, a |
| designed to reduce noise. Inside it, you will | | | | tube set is found inside a muffler. These |
| find a tube set with holes on them. They work | | | | tubes are made to produce waves that reflect |
| in the same manner like a musical instrument | | | | and get in the way with each other. |
| by reflecting waves that transmit sound | | | | |
| caused by the vehicle engine. In this way, | | | | This is how it happens. The sound waves get |
| some of the waves are cancelled out. | | | | inside the tube at the center into the |
| | | | muffler's body and then go into another |
| How does a muffler work? | | | | chamber called the "resonator". The |
| | | | resonator, equipped with a specific length |
| The key to knowing how mufflers work is to | | | | and some air, is the chamber that's |
| know and understand the concept of canceling | | | | responsible in creating a wave that wipes out |
| sound first. To cancel out sound is to make a | | | | a definite sound frequency. It is here that |
| wave of sound that is precisely the opposite | | | | sound waves are canceled out. After going |
| of some other wave. | | | | into the resonator, the sound waves take a |
| | | | turn and leave through the last pipe, leaving |
| This would mean that if the engine produces a | | | | the muffler. |
| certain sound wave, the muffler would produce | | | | |
| the exact opposite of this sound wave | | | | What are the other kinds of mufflers? |