The development of sound absorber material from green composites

Abstract

One of the most critical parts of ship structure is the sound absorber on the ship structure, particularly in the ship’s engine room, which is a dominant contributor to ship noise. The development of sound absorber materials from natural fibre composite is becoming more varied as material technology develops. This study investigated the sound absorber and thermal conductivity performances of developed sound absorber material. This study used the two-microphone impedance tube method to compare the effectiveness of composite sound absorbers made from three different compositions of water hyacinth fibre, coconut fibre, and sengon wood powder. The coefficient of sound absorption (α), transmission loss, noise reduction, and thermal conductivity (λ) values of three different material compositions become parameters to measure the efficiency of the developed material. The results show that Specimen A (20% hyacinth fibre, 15% coconut fibre, 15% sengon wood) has the highest sound absorption coefficient of 0.57, with stable transmission loss and noise reduction values. The optimum thermal conductivity is found in Specimen C, with the lowest thermal conductivity value.