On the calculation of the transmission line parameters for long tubes using the method of multiple scales

The present paper deals with the classical problem of linear sound propagation in tubes with isothermal walls. The perturbation technique of the method of multiple scales in combination with matched asymptotic expansions is applied to derive the first-order solutions and, in addition, the second-order solutions representing the correction due to boundary layer attenuation. The propagation length is assumed to be so large that in order to obtain asymptotic solutions which extend over the whole spatial range the first-order corrections to the classical attenuation rates of the different modes come into play as well. Starting with the case of the characteristic wavelength being large compared to the characteristic dimension of the duct, the analysis is then extended to the case where both of these quantities are of the same order of magnitude. Furthermore, the transmission line parameters and the transfer functions relating the sound pressures at the ends of the duct to the axial velocities are calculated.