Sheep’s Wool in Sound Absorbers : An Eco-Friendly Alternative

Sammanfattning

Focussing on the Swedish wool industry and the extensive waste of wool in the country, this study explores an alternate use of Swedish sheep's wool as a material in sound absorbers. Using research through design, sheep’s wool was compared to standard rockwool insulation (a commonly used material for sound absorption). Four absorbers were designed using wool, carded wool, felted wool, and rock wool. Their acoustic performance was tested using the tone-burst method at multiple angles of incidence and frequencies. The results reveal that the wool-based absorbers perform comparably, and in some cases surpass, the performance of rock wool in sound absorption. This study underscores the importance of using waste wool in acoustic applications, offering both environmental and functional benefits.