Acoustic Characteristics of Jute and Coir Non-woven Fabric

Effective noise reduction is essential because it can influence the health and well-being of living organisms significantly, both physically and psychologically. This necessitates the use of appropriate absorbing materials to minimize the negative impact of noise. In recent years, there has been growing interest in using jute, coir and natural fibre-based acoustic materials in architectural and interior applications due to their exceptional acoustic properties, eco-friendliness, cost-effectiveness and widespread availability. The study focuses on analysing the effects of some scrutinised testing parameters of jute, coir and jute-coir blended non-woven fabric samples on noise reduction coefficient through observing sound absorption coefficient. The sound absorption coefficient was measured using the impedance tube method as per the ASTM E-1050 standard. The mean value of the sound absorption coefficient observed at frequencies 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, and 2500 Hz was used to calculate the noise reduction coefficient. A three-factor & three-level Box–Behnken experimental design was used for designing research and non-woven jute, coir and jute coir blended fabric sample planning. The experimental work showed that with an increase in non-woven jute fabric sample thickness from 15 mm to 45 mm, blending jute 50 % with coir 50% and non-woven fabric samples tested by creating air gaps (15 mm to 30 mm) resulted in higher sound absorption coefficient and improved noise reduction coefficient. The experimental findings and statistical analysis revealed that blending jute with coir and increasing the thickness of non-woven fabric led to a significant improvement in the acoustic performance of the tested samples. However, increasing the air gap resulted in only a marginal improvement in acoustic performance.