Experimental validation of the active noise control methodology based on difference potentials

To achieve active noise cancellation over a large area, it is often necessary to get a measure of the physical properties of the noise source to devise a counter measure. This, however, is not practical in many cases. A mathematical approach, the Difference Potential Method, can provide an alternative solution for active shielding over a large area. In this approach, the cancellation of unwanted noise requires only measurements near the boundary surface but not at the source itself, and it does not require any other information. Moreover, the solution based on difference potentials applies to bounded domains in the presence of acoustic sources inside the domain to be shielded. This paper reports on the results of experimental validation. It has been demonstrated that while preserving the wanted sound, the developed approach can cancel out the unwanted noise. The volumetric noise cancellation offered by the proposed methodology along with leaving the wanted sound unchanged is a unique feature compared to other techniques available in the literature. It can be most useful in the context of applications related to civil aviation, in particular, for eliminating the exterior noise inside the passenger compartments of both current and future generation of commercial aircraft