Sound absorption property of nonwoven based composites

Abstract

Abstract Sound absorbing materials used to provide optimal conditions in rooms can be applied in the form of textiles with a special structure such as nonwovens or fibre-containing composites. Nonwovens can be successfully used to make thermoplastic composites by thermal pressing. This paper presents the comparison of the sound absorbing properties of needled nonwovens and composites made from them. Composites with various densities can be made of nonwovens with various percentage contents of filling and matrix fibres. The sound absorption by composites with similar thickness, about several millimetres, is slightly lower than that by the laminar nonwoven packs used for their making. The optimal content of the filling fibres in the composite, when its sound absorption coefficient reaches the highest values, is at the level of 10 wt.%. With the increase in the content of filling fibres the composite density decreases. In the case of the composite with 10 wt.% of filling fibres, its density is the highest among the composites investigated, and the increase in absorption of high-frequency sounds is the highest. Imparting a relief with a protrusion diameter over 10 mm to the composite surface, we can increase the sound absorption of that composite.