Production and Characterization of Silencer Composite Materials From Natural Fiber Using Hand Lay-Up Methods

Abstract

Noise pollution is a loud sound emitted by a device that can disturb the environment and living things. Therefore, development is needed to manufacture sound absorbers with aesthetic value and comfort and still have good sound absorption from natural fiber composite materials. Composites are materials that can be developed universally. Composites are formed from the combination of two or more materials, producing a new material with different mechanical properties and characteristics from its constituent materials. This research aims to make sound absorption composites from various natural fibers (honey pineapple leaf fiber, spiked pandanus leaf fiber, and jute waste fiber) and matrix variations (epoxy and polyester) with a fiber = resin ratio of 40%: 60% and 60%: 40%. The first treatment was alkalization with 5% NaOH for fiber retrieval, then mixing natural fibers and matrix variations with the Hand Lay-Up method. The transmission loss method, density test, and SEM carried out the sound absorption test. The results showed that the best sound-absorbing composite was the spiked pandanus leaf fiber with polyester resin with a ratio of 60% fiber = resin: 40%, where the transmission loss results reached 28 dB. This is because the fiber dominates the resin to form a hole or porosity; increasing porosity affects the sound absorption ability of a material.