Acoustic attenuation by two-dimensional arrays of rigid cylinders

In this Letter, we present a theoretical analysis of the acoustic transmission through two-dimensional arrays. of straight rigid cylinders placed parallel in the air. Both periodic and completely random arrangements of the cylinders are considered. The results for the sound attenuation through the periodic arrays are shown to be in remarkable agreement with the reported experimental data. As the arrangement of the cylinders is randomized, the transmission is significantly reduced for a wider range of frequencies. For the periodic arrays, the acoustic band structures are computed by the plane-wave expansion method and are also shown to agree with previous results.