Development and sound absorption testing of a poroelastic kenaf/sisal fibre composite trim for lowering of vehicle cabin noise levels

ABSTRACTThe automotive industry is under pressure to produce a product (vehicle) that is morerecyclable and environmentally-friendly with a high fuel efficiency. At the same time,customers are looking for a vehicle that will provide them with a comfortable ride andlow cabin noise levels. Therefore, the present work is concerned with thedevelopment and characterization of new poroelastic natural fibre-based soundabsorbers, which have not yet been contemplated. This newly developed material isto be recyclable and in addition, be an environmentally-friendly alternative tosynthetic absorbers which are currently used as internal trims in vehicles. Therefore,several sound absorber variants, based on the above, were developed and tested inorder to select an optimally performing product. These sound absorbers are made ofdifferent ratios of kenaf and sisal fibres, which are held together by AcrylonitrileButadiene Styrene (ABS) matrix. On evaluation of the results, it was found that theproposed sound absorbers have airflow resistivity and sound absorption coefficientvalues compatible to that of normal practice.