Acoustical properties of wood fiberboards prepared with different densities and resin contents

Abstract

The demand for noise control in residential environments is steadily increasing, but the currently available noise-reducing materials used in walls and floors are unsustainable and expensive. As an alternative, wood-fiber could be a good resource to manufacture eco-friendly acoustic materials. In this study, fiberboards were prepared by mixing wood-fibers (Pinus densiflora) with melamine-urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive, obtaining specimens with different final densities and resin contents. The acoustic, physical, and morphological properties of the fiberboards were investigated. The sound absorption was greatly influenced by the density of the fiberboard: lower densities showed higher sound absorption performances. Furthermore, the low-frequency absorption coefficient was higher for lower resin contents. The materials met all the criteria required by the Korean standards for fiberboards. As the density increased, the dimensional stability and the bending strength increased; in contrast, the physical properties were not affected by the resin content. Microscopy observations confirmed that specimens with different densities and resin contents had different porosities; the porosity was assumed to be the main property that governs the noise-reducing ability. Due to their eco-friendliness and inexpensiveness, these fiberboards offer themselves as efficient and effective alternative sound-absorbing materials.

Comparison of the sound absorption properties of acoustic absorbers made from used copy paper and corrugated board

“…By considering the NRC, some copy paper composites (< 442.4 kg/m 3 ) and corrugated board composites (< 474.8 kg/m 3 ) can be deemed alternative sound absorbers to commercial PU foam at the same thickness, despite their bulk densities being around 15 to 21 times higher than the PU foam. As mentioned by Park et al (2020), the use of inexpensive, and eco-friendly sound absorbers is expected to increase. The use of recycled materials in this study has environmental and economic benefits to society through the substitution of petrochemical-based sound absorbers like PU foam.…”

“…In addition, because of the exceptionally high shelf life and difficulty in incineration, these synthetic sound absorbers cause trouble for sustainable waste control. Researchers have been attracted to investigating environmental-friendly sound-absorbing materials, such as recycled materials derived from agricultural byproducts or household disposal (Yang et al 2003;Park et al 2020). Most of such sound-absorbing materials are low-cost, and some of them are biodegradable.…”

Hydrophobic microcrystalline cellulose/polyethyleneimine composite aerogel for effective sound absorption

“…As a major social problem, noise pollution threatens human physical and mental health (Park et al 2020;Moroe and Mabaso 2022). Therefore, developing advanced soundabsorbing materials is crucial.…”

Development of Sustainable Plant-Based Sound-Absorbing Boards to Reduce Noise in Interior Spaces

“…Gliscinska et al [26] measured the sound absorption effect of a concavo-convex-shaped composite material surface made of flax fiber and polylactic acid fiber. Park et al [27] investigated the relationship between density, resin content, and sound absorption rate by fabricating a wood fiberboard by mixing wood pulverized into a fibrous form with a melamine-urea-formaldehyde resin adhesive. Tudor et al [28] investigated changes in sound absorption properties due to particle direction and density by creating a compressed board using larch bark, a waste material, as a raw material.…”