Investigation and analysis of sound-absorbing properties of waste tea leaf fiber as fillers in pineapple leaf/glass fiber-reinforced composites

Abstract

To control the noise pollution through sound absorption, the development of natural fiber-reinforced hybrid composites (NFRHCs) using waste tea leaf fibers (WTLFs) and pineapple leaf fibers as reinforcing materials with epoxy matrix will act as an initial step to address this issue. Also, a minimal additional reinforcement of glass fibers was added for achieving mechanical strength too. The fabricated samples underwent a sound absorption test for assessing their capability of absorbing unwanted noise. With the help of sound absorption coefficient (SAC) curves acquired from the impedance tube method, the effects of the weight fraction and mass densities of WTLF and the thicknesses of the fabricated composites on their sound absorption ability were investigated. From the investigation, it was found that the noise reduction coefficient of the developed NFRHCs was more than 0.7 at a broad frequency spectrum. The fractal dimensions were estimated using the MATLAB program by utilizing the box-counting dimension method to correlate the effects of porosity percentage with weight fractions and mass densities of WTLF and the thicknesses of the fabricated NFRHCs. Following that, a quantitative relationship between the fractal dimension and SACs of the developed NFRHCs was derived to offer a theoretical concept for the future design of similar sound-absorbing materials.

An experimental investigation to predict the durability of polyester-glass fiber composite subjected to tensile loading

“…In this regard, predicting the behavior of polyester-glass fiber composites under tensile loading becomes paramount for designing durable structures. Factors such as the content and length of glass fibers and the composite plates' thickness significantly influence their mechanical performance (Akpinar;Akpinar, 2023;Chavan et al, 2023;Gokulkumar et al, 2022;Moustapha Sarr;Kosaka, 2023). This experimental investigation focuses on the prediction of durability for polyester-glass fiber composites under tensile loading.…”

Sound absorption performance of natural areca plant husk fibers: Experimental and theoretical study

“…Rafique et al 24 discussed the SA properties of microperforated samples with spider web-shaped cavities using the impedance tube technique. Gokulkumar et al 25 analyzed the SA properties of tea and pineapple leaf fibers composites. Their study revealed that the effect of thickness, fiber density, and weight fraction of hybrid composites improves the SAC.…”