Abstract
Effective reduction and control of noise have continued to attract attention globally due to the adverse effects noise poses to human health, effective knowledge dissemination and desirable environmental tranquility. The use of natural and synthetic reinforced composites in noise pollution control is an emerging area of research. In this study, coal fly-ash in nanoparticles varied at 5 – 25 wt. % was employed as reinforcement in the fabrication of epoxy resin composites. The composites were characterised both for noise reduction capability and mechanical properties necessary for a damage-free handling during installation. Results showed that at 5 – 15 wt. % fly-ash nanoparticles addition, the composites demonstrated the following mechanical properties in terms of flexural strength, 43.7 MPa; impact energy, 4.8 J and hardness, 25.4 HV. Samples of the composites at 15 wt. % exhibited the highest noise reduction coefficient (NRC) of 0.8072. Contributions to these levels of performances appeared to have stemmed from the nature (connected or isolated) and dispersion of pores induced in the material during mixing and subsequent curing. The composites are adjudged suitable for deployment as noise muffling material in facilities that are usually subjected to low mechanical system noise sources.
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