Sound insulation analysis and optimization of anti-symmetrical carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite materials

Due to the advantages of high strength and low density, carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite material has become more and more attractive given the increasing demand of lightweight design requirement in the automobile industry. However, as density reduces, the sound insulation ability of CFRP panels is usually inferior compared with traditional metal materials such as steel and aluminum, which may lead to deteriorated noise insulation performance inside the vehicle cabin when the CFRP material is used as body panels. For the sake of investigating the sound insulation ability of CFRP, two optimization methods are proposed, and the optimal ply angles that lead to the largest sound transmission loss in two different frequency ranges are obtained accordingly. On the basis of optimization, the sound insulation capability of CFRP and two metal materials are thoroughly compared. It is found that, when optimally designed, the CFRP panel can achieve a transmission loss level comparable to its metal counterparts at low frequencies (e.g., <300 Hz) with substantially less weight.