Analysis of sound absorption of tuck spacer fabrics to reduce automotive noise

Abstract

Textiles are widely used in the automotive industry to provide both comfort to the passengers and an aesthetic appearance to the automotive interior. They can also be used to reduce automotive interior noise, which can make automotive travel safer and more comfortable. Knitted fabrics are used widely in automotive upholstery; however, the sound absorbency of a single layer of a knitted fabric is inadequate for the reduction of automotive interior noise. This paper investigates the sound absorbency of a novel knitted spacer fabric, which can be used in automotive upholstery and has the potential for greater sound absorbency than a conventional plain knitted fabric and its derivatives. The spacer fabric is modelled as a porous sound absorber and its sound absorbency is studied with regard to its structural parameters.