Patent ID: 7448133

Claim:
A method of replacing an acoustic liner in an integrated exhaust duct muffler (“IEDM”) having a bellmouth coupled to a forward end cap at a forward end of the IEDM, an exhaust pipe coupled to an aft end cap at an aft end of the IEDM, and a muffler section coupled to the bellmouth via the forward end cap and coupled to the exhaust pipe via the aft end cap, the muffler section including an outer skin housing a plurality of baffles slideably coupled to the acoustic liner, the acoustic liner additionally being removeably coupled to the bellmouth and slideably coupled to the exhaust pipe, the method comprising: removing a subassembly consisting of the bellmouth, the forward end cap, and the acoustic liner, from the forward end of the IEDM; removing the acoustic liner from the subassembly; attaching a new acoustic liner to the subassembly, resulting in a new subassembly; inserting the new subassembly consisting of the bellmouth, the forward end cap, and the new acoustic liner, into the IEDM; and attaching the new subassembly with new acoustic liner to the forward end of the IEDM.