Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

5-6-2025

Department

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Abstract

Reducing the pore size of bulk sound absorbers often increases weight and introduces manufacturing challenges, limiting their practical use. To address these issues, a class of materials is introduced that uses 3D printing to seamlessly integrate fibers within porous scaffolds, allowing improved sound absorption performance without a significant weight addition. The reliance on 3D printing enables the creation of gradient fibro-porous structures with customizable acoustic properties. This study explores the effect of through-thickness gradients in the scaffold’s relative density, fiber thickness, and fiber density on the acoustical performance with the goal of identifying the optimal strategy to obtain broader and higher sound absorption performance. Experimental evaluation using a normal-incidence impedance tube setup demonstrates that gradient fibro-porous samples offer a 47% mass reduction compared to traditional porous structures while maintaining enhanced sound absorption. This research highlights gradient-engineered fibro-porous structures, manufactured using advanced 3D printing techniques, as a lightweight, efficient, and innovative solution for advanced noise control applications.

Publisher's Statement

©2025 Author(s). Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0002148

Publication Title

Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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