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Mufflers aren’t absolutely necessary to the general function of an automobile, but they are necessary to control emissions and reduce the noise pollution caused by an automobile. Fortunately, these are relatively simple devices, and it’s easy to learn how they work.
When automobiles were first invented, they were essentially little more than a carriage attached to an engine that turned an axle connected to wheels. This meant that the exhaust and noise from the engine were spewed into the surrounding environment, causing a number of complaints from people who had to share the road with an automobile.
This led to the invention of the muffler. Mufflers were first invented to muffle the sound of the escaping exhaust gas, which is often the reason why people believe the engine of the car is loud. Of course, while most people want a muffler that will make their car quieter, it is also possible to use an exhaust system to create a louder engine.
For our purposes, however, we’ll only consider a muffler that is working to depress sound, rather than enhance it. Inside of a muffler, you will find a series of tubes, holes, and channels. These structures work together to direct exhaust gases.
The extra movement of these gases results in an overall reduction of the exhaust pressure. Simultaneously, the muffler is working to absorb the emitted sound pressure. This is what makes the engine seem to become quieter.
The tubes and channels in the muffler suppress the sound by forcing the gasses to move in a way that merge the sound waves that are emitted by the gas escaping the engine. By the way, mufflers that increase engine sound work on a similar principle, but they use a series of structure to enhance noise rather than depress it.
To really understand how a muffler works, however, we have to get to know all of the parts of its structure. This will give us a clear idea about their function:
A muffler or exhaust system assembly will start at the inlet. This is the first segment that the exhaust gas go through immediately after leaving the combustion chamber of the engine.
Next, the exhaust gases travel through the resonator. This piece of the muffler functions almost like an echo chamber. Its job is to decrease the overall noise volume of an automobile’s engine by forcing sound waves to collide with each other, essentially canceling each other out.
The air will then travel through a series of perforated tubes These are metal tubes that are typically located on the inside of the muffler. This is the portion of the muffler that will actually determine the volume of the sound being emitted from the car.
By the way, if you are looking for a muffler that increases the sound of your engine, this is the part of the muffler that does the job. Commonly known as the pipes, this part will only adjust the volume of the escaping gas. It will not do anything to improve or hinder engine efficiency.
Finally, the gasses will escape into the surrounding environment through the outlet. In total, it takes only seconds for gas emitted from the combustion chamber to be emitted from the outlet of the muffler.
In short, mufflers work by redirecting the sound of escaping exhaust through a series of pipes. Depending on the type of vehicle, the exact design can have some variation, but in general, there are three main types of mufflers. Let’s take a look at chambered mufflers, glass pack mufflers, and straight-through mufflers.
Chambered Mufflers
Within the main canister or resonator of a chambered muffler, there is a series of walls and baffles. These structures have the job of throwing back the flow of the exhaust gases into different chambers. As the size, shape, and placement of these structures changes, the overall performance and sound will change as well.
Changing these structures is often referred to as tuning a muffler. The first appearance of these types of exhaust systems was in high-performance GM vehicles. While they can be tuned to cancel out virtually all noise, they’re also commonly used to create very aggressive or unique sounds.
There are hobbyists who enjoy adjusting the internal structure of these types of mufflers in order to get different sounds. Even if you are a car owner who is not interested in making unusual sounds with a muffler, this type of design is still a high-quality design that will last for years.
Many higher-end cars use chambered mufflers because the design reduces the possibility of the hot exhaust gases interfering with other components of the vehicle.
One drawback to this type of muffler is that they can block airflow if they are improperly tuned. This will increase back pressure which can result in a performance drop. Chambered mufflers come in many different configurations, and therefore will also have a very wide variance in price and maintenance issues.
Glass Pack Mufflers
A glass pack muffler was one of the earliest types of muffler. This muffler delivers the exhaust gasses through the center chamber where the resonator is located. Glass pack mufflers can be tuned to make a lot of noise, but they can also be adjusted to keep a car engine quiet.
One of the great features about glass pack mufflers is that is relatively easy to adjust their volume. They can be adjusted to be extremely quiet, and while they will make some unusual sounds if tuned correctly, they rarely will get loud enough to be in danger of violating a noise ordinance.
Glass pack mufflers are not necessarily the best choice for all vehicles, however. They do not fit on all cars, and it can be very difficult to retrofit them onto certain vehicles in order to “make them work”. When tuned correctly, they ensure that the escaping gas does not interfere with any function of the engine, including finely-tuned sports-style engines.
They are very high-quality parts, however, and they are ideal for people who love to work on their cars.
Straight-Through Mufflers
A straight-through muffler is designed to give you the maximum horsepower and airflow. This is because straight-through mufflers block very little airflow from the engine. For car enthusiasts,this type of muffler can be an ideal choice.
When these mufflers first came on the market, many customers would get in trouble with their neighbors over noise complaints. While efficient, they did not do a great job at masking noise. Today, however, these mufflers are made with a straight pipe wrapped in sound-suppressing material. This makes them fairly effective at decreasing noise.
A straight-through muffler can offer excellent sound variation. This muffler can also reduce the cost of your gas expenses. Because it is the most efficient design when it comes to allowing airflow, it’s one of the best choices for people who value engine efficiency,
How Does the Muffler Help in The Vehicle’s Performance?
The muffler does play an important role in improving the overall performance of a vehicle. It can provide the vehicle engine with fresh air to generate more power, and it efficiently removes emissions from the engine. When a muffler features a high-functioning exhaust flow, the car will have a better overall performance.
It’s estimated that the most a muffler can do is provide a car with about a 10% increase in horsepower. How that translates to saved gas mileage will depend on the size and type of engine, but most cars owners can expect to get about one extra mile per gallon with a finely tuned muffler.
Even if you are not interested in working on your car, knowing how a muffler works can save you a lot of grief down the road. If the muffler on your vehicle becomes cracked or broken, knowing how this component works will allow you to explain to a mechanic what is wrong and help you to understand how and why a repair will be made.