This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Web of Science (1) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Parikh, D.V. Articles by Sun, L. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Reducing Automotive Interior Noise with Natural Fiber Nonwoven Floor Covering Systems

Southern Regional Research Center, USDA-ARS, New Orleans, LA, U.S.A, parikh{at}srrc.ars.usda.gov

Y. Chen

School of Human Ecology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, U.S.A.

L. Sun

School of Human Ecology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, U.S.A.

Eliminating unwanted noise in passenger compartments of vehicles is important to automobile manufacturers. The ability to reduce noise inside the vehicle enhances the perceived value of the vehicle to the consumer, and offers a competitive advantage to the manufacturer. Several methods are presently employed to reduce noise and its sources, one of which uses sound-absorbing materials attached to various components such as floor-coverings, package trays, door panels, headliners and trunk liners. Natural fibers are noise-absorbing materials that are renewable and biodegradable, making them an effective choice for the automobile industry. Floor coverings using natural fibers (kenaf, jute, waste cotton, and flax) in blends with polypropylene (PP) and polyester (PET) were developed as carded needle-punched nonwovens. The acoustical absorption coefficients of these floor coverings, and of floor coverings in combination with an underpad (either a rebonded polyurethane foam, or a soft cotton nonwoven) were evaluated by ASTM E— 1050 in the frequency range of 100 to 3200 Hz. By stacking an underpad and a floor covering together, a floor covering system was created. The measurements demonstrated that each of the natural fiber-based nonwoven floor coverings contributed to noise reduction, e.g., coefficients = 0.54—0.81 at 3.2 kHz. Noise was significantly reduced with a floor covering system using either of the underpads. The most reduction occurred with a polyurethane pad; for example, for kenaf floor covering C20-1 the coefficients at 3.2 kHz were: 1.0 with polyurethane versus 0.81 with cotton pad.

Key Words: natural fiber nonwovens • environmentally benign • biodegradable • floor covering • underpad • auto interiors • acoustical absorption coefficient

Textile Research Journal, Vol. 76, No. 11, 813-820 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0040517506063393


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?