Whether you want your car to roar like a lion or hiss like a snake depends on the car muffler or silencer. As the name implies, the car muffler muffles or suppresses the sound coming from the car's exhaust system. Keep reading ahead to learn more about how a muffler works.
How Mufflers Work In A Car?
The muffler performs a dual role by silencing the noises from the engine and removing the toxic gases emitted from the exhaust. The catalytic converter, a component of the exhaust system, aids the muffler in emission reduction. Here is the underlying mechanism of how a muffler works.
- The muffler accepts the incoming gas and noise through the centre tube. By reducing the velocity of high-pressure gases, the gases slow down for a while.
- The different chambers inside the muffler are called baffles, and the space between them is perforated, which allows the gas to pass straight away, leaving the noise trapped between the baffles. The opposing soundwaves hitting the walls of baffles result in noise cancellation due to destructive interference. However, noise reduction also creates substantial backpressure, which can reduce nitrous oxide emissions from the engine, but it also affects engine efficiency.
- Ultimately, the soundwaves and the air meet in the Helmholtz tuner, which acts as an air reservoir. As the frequency of the air and the soundwaves meet, a resonance frequency is created that is tuned in the Helmholtz tuner and finally ejected through the exhaust tailpipe.
- The structure of a muffler also aids in noise reduction. Muffler has a three-layered body, with two layers of metal and a heavily insulated layer in between them. Such a structure helps the muffler absorb the pulsating pressure waves.
- In addition, the muffler ensures the health of your car's engine by emitting excessive heat.
Conclusion
Now, you must be aware of how does a muffler work. Remember to subscribe to car insurance to get coverage against damage to your vehicle and extensive engine protection.