What Are Mufflers Made Of?
A muffler is a vital part of a vehicle. The best and only thing it does is it controls and regulates the sound that comes out from the vehicle engine via the singular chambers within the muffler. If you can select the perfect muffler for your car, you can expect a soothing sound and also a little bit of boost in performance as well.
That’s why it is crucial to take care of the muffler to prevent you from dealing with unwanted stress that may damage the engine and the exhaust mechanism of the vehicle. However, when you have a better understanding of your vehicle’s muffler, then it will become easier for you to ensure its well-maintenance.
Today, we are going to discuss what mufflers are made of. So, let’s get started.
Benefits of a Muffler
Before we jump into our main topic, let’s get to know why you need a muffler for your vehicle.
We all know that the principal function of a muffler is to expel exhaust. However, a muffler actually has tons of other functions that are beneficial to your vehicle.
When you are driving your vehicle, your engine goes through a lot of stress, which produces pulsating noises.
This happens when the exhaust valves open up and release extremely pressurized gas. This noise becomes louder as soon as it reaches the exhaust pipe of your vehicle. And that’s where exactly you need a muffler.
Here are the three keys factors that your muffler adds to your vehicle:
Sound
Having a muffler on your vehicle is going to offer you much of a quieter ride. When you don’t have a muffler, the engine is definitely going to be louder. The mufflers will mitigate the sound that goes out via the chambers within the muffler design.
Horsepower
Mufflers allow ample flow of air and reduce the backpressure to the vehicle engine. It provides the car’s power boost and better throttle response.
Fuel Economy
You can choose an exhaust to reduce your fuel cost, as well. When you install a muffler, the vehicle engine will be circulating more air than before, which ensures better efficiency in the engine operation.
What are Mufflers Made of
In the year 1897, Marshall Reeves and Milton Reeves were the first to patent the very first muffler. The muffler is usually used to mitigate the noise of the acoustic exhaust. You can find a lot of types of mufflers in the market. Some of these are chambered, while some come as glass-packed. And there is a third type that is basically a mixture of these two.
Having said that, fiberglass is the only widely used material for a muffler. There are other materials as well that, includes fiber-mat, rock minerals, metal chambers, and etch, that also play an active role in absorbing the sound.
What’s Inside a Muffler
When opened, you can find chambers, louvered tubes, partitions, and solid-type tubes, as well, inside the muffler. The design is often a singular type which is often known as a straight-thru one. These are actually the glass pack design that has a solid pipe piercing through the inlet and outlet.
Depending on the frequency of the sound made by the engine inside, you can set the amount and arrangement of the tube, partition, and chamber design. You can find some chambers that come with zero outlets. Again, there are some that have tiny openings that should lead to a different chamber.
These are better known as Helmholtz tuners. These tuners actively lower the frequency of the low-pitched sound. Some of the chambers channel the exhaust gas via the acoustic pathway toward a bigger chamber.
Muffler Construction
A muffler must have the ability to endure the operating condition of a car. For instance, the frequencies of engine sound, and off-road driving conditions, and, most importantly, a muffler must be able to outplay rust and corrosion.
The heads of the muffler are made spun-locked against the shell. This provides it protection against ruptures. With a strong mechanical system, the internal shell and the outside cover are both installed at a 180-degree angle. The lock heads and the lock seam both make sure that there is a tight fit between these two.
Because of the gasses passing via a catalytic converter, you can find a by-product – water. You can see the muffle comes with a few pin-holes right beneath it that allow water to pass through. Once these holes are jammed, and the water can’t escape, rust will form immediately.
Louvered Tubes
As a vital part of the muffler, the louvered tubes ensure optimum gas glow to make sure that the temperature is universal all the time. Condensation of acid is also prevented by ditching cool spots inside the muffler.
Internal Drainage Mechanism
This internal drainage mechanism doesn’t let water be collected in the muffler. You can find the exits of the system on the lower side of a muffler. If it’s not there, you can also find it around the outlet tube.
Spot Welded Partitions
This is used for attaching the shell of the muffler to the partitions. This is done to retain its strength of it. At the same time, it aims to allow a bit of room for the water to slip through to get drained out.
Mechanically Attached Tubes
When the temperature fluctuates, there will be contraction and expansion in the internal tubes. That’s why these are mechanically attached to the partition so that they can easily expand and contract when necessary. It also ensures longer life, as well.
Final Words
We hope now it’s pretty clear to you that mufflers play a very important role in your vehicle’s overall functionality. It helps to regulate engine noise and enables your car to operate to its maximum performance. The last piece of advice for you is, please, always be sure to keep your muffler in excellent condition.
