Innovative Use of Sheep Wool for Obtaining Materials with Improved Sound-Absorbing Properties

Abstract

In recent years, natural materials are becoming a valid alternative to traditional sound absorbers due to reduced production costs and environmental protection. This study explores alternative usage of sheep wool as a construction material with improved sound absorbing properties beyond its traditional application as a sound absorber in textile industry or using of waste wool in the textile industry as a raw material. The aim of this study was to obtain materials with improved sound-absorbing properties using sheep wool as a raw material. Seven materials were obtained by hot pressing (60 ÷ 80 °C and 0.05 ÷ 6 MPa) of wool fibers and one by cold pressing. Results showed that by simply hot pressing the wool, a different product was obtained, which could be processed and easily manipulated. The obtained materials had very good sound absorption properties, with acoustic absorption coefficient values of over 0.7 for the frequency range of 800 ÷ 3150 Hz. The results prove that sheep wool has a comparable sound absorption performance to mineral wool or recycled polyurethane foam.