Sound Absorbing and Insulating Low-Cost Panels from End-of-Life Household Materials for the Development of Vulnerable Contexts in Circular Economy Perspective

Applied Sciences

Alfredo Guardo Zabaleta¹  Elisa Levi²  Manuela Neri²  Francesc Pardo-Bosch³  Pablo Pujadas⁴  Eva Cuerva⁴ 

[1] Centre de Diagnòstic Industrial i Fluidodinàmica (UPC CDIF), Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyers Industrials de Barcelona (ETSEIB), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC),Av. Diagonal, 647, 08028 Barcelona, Spain;Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, via Branze 38, 25121 Brescia, Italy;Department of Project and Construction Engineering, Escola Superior d’Enginyeries Industrial, Aeroespacial yi Audiovisual de Terrassa, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC),Carrer de Colom, 15, 08222 Terrassa, Spain;Department of Project and Construction Engineering, Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyers Industrials de Barcelona (ETSEIB), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Av. Diagonal, 647, 08028 Barcelona, Spain;

关键词: household end-of-life materials;    building retrofitting;    sound insulation;    sound absorption;    vulnerable houses;    circular economy;   

DOI  :  10.3390/app11125372

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

From a construction point of view, neighborhoods with residents living at or below the poverty threshold are characterized by low energy efficiency buildings, in which people live in acoustic discomfort with no viable options for home improvements, as they usually can not afford the materials and labor costs associated. An alternative to this is to use low-cost insulating elements made of non-conventional materials with acceptable acoustic properties. Given that household materials at their end-of-life (EoLHM) are free of costs and available also to the more disadvantaged population, they can be used to build acoustic panels for such contexts. This approach embraces several benefits since it reduces the amount of waste produced, the footprint deriving from the extraction of new raw materials and, by highlighting the potential of the EoLHM, discourages the abandonment of waste. In this paper, the acoustic properties of EoLHM, such as cardboard, egg-cartons, clothes, metal elements and combinations of them, are investigated by means of the impedance tube technique. The measured sound absorption coefficient and transmission loss have shown that EoLHM can be used for the realization of acoustic panels. However, since none of the analyzed materials shows absorbing and insulating properties at the same time, EoLHM must be wisely selected. This innovative approach supports the circular economy and the improvement for the living condition of low-income households.

【 授权许可】

Unknown