Damping acoustic properties of reclaimed rubber/seven-hole hollow polyester fibers composite materials

Abstract

A series of thin, low-cost and environment-friendly elastomeric composites consisting of reclaimed rubber, which is a waste product of roller processing of textile mill and seven-hole hollow polyester fibers, were fabricated. In this study, the damping property of the reclaimed rubber composites was tested in the dynamic mechanical thermal analyzer, the sound absorption property was investigated using the impedance tube method, the morphology was characterized by scanning electron micrographs and the mechanical property was measured by strength tester. The study concluded that reclaimed rubber/seven-hole hollow polyester fibers elastomeric composites exhibited an exceptional damping performance with a broad temperature range, and that acoustical absorption of materials increased significantly with increasing seven-hole hollow polyester fibers content. Meanwhile, reclaimed rubber/seven-hole hollow polyester fibers demonstrated an acoustic property of 1 mm thickness and a mass ratio of 100/25, giving a sound absorption coefficient peak, 0.407 at 2500 Hz. The analysis also revealed that the mechanical properties of the composites improved significantly with the increase of fibers. As an acoustical absorption material with high damping performance and a broad temperature range, reclaimed rubber/seven-hole hollow polyester fibers composites have potential applications in fields of engineering.