Emerging progressive developments in the fibrous composites for acoustic applications

The new age of fibrous and porous-based composite materials has excellent acoustic characteristics. Some of the prominent areas where these acoustical materials have found superior applications in building and automobile sectors for construction thermal insulation, acoustic insulation, seating and cushioning material in mattresses, etc. In addition, fibrous materials with porous structures have found numerous applications in noise reduction. This review aims to compile and analyze existing studies that concentrate on various fibrous materials, including natural fibers, synthetic fibers, inorganic fibers, and nanofibers, following the characteristics of acoustic energy absorption. This article critically reviews the current advancements that provide new insight into the different acoustic composite materials and their unique novel features. This investigation intends to demonstrate existing detailed literature on enhancing acoustical characteristics using modified fiber-reinforced hybrid polymer composites and porous sound-absorbing materials. As revealed from the literature survey, the acoustical properties of various Porous/open cellular-based polymer composite materials possess exceptional characteristics than rigid material by converting incident sound energy to heat. This review also provides an in-depth analysis of the influence of different shapes, structures and arrangements of fibrous materials on the sound-absorbing properties of composites. Emphasis has been given to measuring acoustical properties using various models and modified developed test rigs, and the results were compared with the standard testing methods. This review has elaborated on the vibroacoustic damping properties of various composites materials for sound insulation applications. Additionally, due to their value-addition characteristics, including their light weight, wide frequency range, and high sound-absorption capacity, porous materials have attracted much attention in sound absorption. Furthermore, this review aims to give a thorough overview of the most recent developments in forming porous sound-absorbing materials. The study includes a summary of the sound absorption mechanism and the development of porous sound absorption materials. It also emphasizes progressive evolution and advancement of the fabrication methods, design concepts, and sound absorption fibrous materials. This systematic review, which encompasses the informative results from 253 articles, summarizes the acoustic characteristics of fibrous composites for vibroacoustic applications. Eventually, the progressive-outlook as well as crucial-challenges were addressed.