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A comparative study of smart polyurethane foam using RSM and COMSOL multiphysics for acoustical applications: from materials to component

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Abstract

A biodegradable, lightweight, and flexible smart PU foam was manufactured using absorption and hydrothermal reduction process and tested for its acoustic properties per ASTM standard E 1050-12. The nanoparticles used in this research are graphene (Gr), zirconium oxide (ZrO2), and bamboo charcoal (BC). The foam’s structure and the uniform distribution of its nanoparticles were seen using FESEM, and the FTIR graph was used to identify the carbon compounds present in the foam. According to the Johnson-Champoux-Allard-Lafarge model, the five important characteristics such as porosity, airflow resistivity, tortuosity, viscous, and thermal characteristic length were determined from the sound absorption coefficient (SAC) using inverse acoustical characterization through MATLAB. The composition of nanoparticles in different foams was consistently designed using central composite design (CCD). Through response surface methodology (RSM), the optimum weight% of nanoparticles was analyzed to produce the maximum noise reduction coefficient (NRC). The maximum value of NRC obtained is 0.628 for the optimal weight percentages of 0.1 wt% of Gr, 0.1 wt% of ZrO2, and 2.5 wt% of BC. The evaluation of experimental results of sound absorption coefficient was compared with inverse characteristics using Matlab code and with simulation using Comsol Multiphysics 5.5. The SPL plot shows an average 5 to 31 dB SPL reduction for the best sample (A8). The outcome suggests that the smart composite foam could be an excellent material for sound insulation for automobiles, building walls, machinery, and aircraft applications.

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Abbreviations

 SAC:

Sound absorption coefficient

NRC:

Noise reduction coefficient

VCL:

 Viscous characteristic length

TCL:

 Thermal characteristic length

RSM:

 Response surface methodology

CCD:

 Central composite design.

FESEM:

Field emission scanning electron microscope

FTIR:

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Gr:

Graphene.

ZrO2 :

Zirconium oxide

BC:

 Bamboo charcoal

wt%:

Weight%

SPL:

Sound pressure level

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Acknowledgements

VIT-Chennai has generously provided us with a seed fund as well as a fully functional laboratory in which to conduct the trials. We are also grateful to Dr. Yuvaraj L of Acharya Institutes in Bangalore for his assistance and knowledge in analysing the results and Dr. Ram Sai Yelamanchili, Managing Director of Shaya Polymers Private Limited, for the support of material development.

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  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai, 600127, Tamilnadu, India

    Vinoth Kumar Selvaraj & Jeyanthi Subramanian

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  1. Vinoth Kumar Selvaraj
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VKS: conceptualization, methodology, software, data curation, writing— original draft preparation. JS: supervision, software, validation and editing.

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Correspondence to Jeyanthi Subramanian.

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Selvaraj, V.K., Subramanian, J. A comparative study of smart polyurethane foam using RSM and COMSOL multiphysics for acoustical applications: from materials to component. J Porous Mater 30, 547–563 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10934-022-01362-7

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