baffle

engine part

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The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 18, 2026

Quick Summary

The term "baffles" can refer to components within an engine's exhaust system, specifically in mufflers, designed to reduce noise.12

In early muffler designs, baffles were internal structures that altered the path of exhaust gases. These baffles would redirect the gas flow, causing interference between pressure waves and thereby reducing the audible pulsations that create engine noise.2

Modern mufflers often use resonating chambers instead of baffles, but the principle remains the same: to cancel out or absorb the vibrations in the exhaust stream to create a quieter sound.2

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gasoline engine
Exhaust system
…early design contained sets of baffles that reversed the flow of the gases or otherwise caused them to follow devious paths so that interference between the pressure waves reduced the pulsations. The mufflers most commonly used in modern motor vehicles employ resonating chambers connected to the passages through which the…
Read More
…early design contained sets of baffles that reversed the flow of the gases or otherwise caused them to follow devious paths so that interference between the pressure waves reduced the pulsations. The mufflers most commonly used in modern motor vehicles employ resonating chambers connected to the passages through which the…
Read More