# Eco-Friendly Carbon Fiber Woven Fabric-Based Sound Absorbers with Tunable Air Cavity Structures for Advanced Noise Control

## TL;DR

This paper presents an eco-friendly carbon fiber fabric with tunable air cavities that effectively absorbs sound and reduces noise in lightweight structures.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is the development of tunable air cavity structures in carbon fiber composites for lightweight, broadband sound absorption.

## Key findings

- Acute angle stacking improves layer-to-layer impact noise attenuation by up to ∼3 dB.
- Cavity-integrated CFFCs achieve high absorption levels (SAC max ≤ 0.99) in an ultrathin profile (<7 mm).
- Full system tests show up to ∼35 dB reduction in transmitted sound pressure in a two-story house model.

## Abstract

This study introduces an eco-friendly class of carbon
fiber woven
fabric composites (CFFCs) incorporating tunable air cavity architectures
to achieve lightweight broadband acoustic absorption. By systematically
varying the layer number, fiber orientation, and cavity configuration,
we establish a clear structure–property–performance
relationship that governs resonance tuning, viscous–thermal
dissipation, and air-flow tortuosity. Acute angle stacking enhances
in-plane shear deformation and frictional damping, producing up to
∼3 dB improvement in layer-to-layer impact noise attenuation,
as confirmed through interfacial impact tests. Incorporation of single
or multiple air cavity units further shifts the resonance to lower
frequencies and achieves high absorption levels (SAC
max ≤ 0.99) within an ultrathin (<7 mm) profile.
Full system impact noise transmission measurements in a two-story
house model demonstrate up to ∼35 dB reduction in transmitted
sound pressure, verifying the practical applicability of cavity-integrated
CFFCs as lightweight noise control elements. Overall, this work provides
a scalable and sustainable materials platform that leverages woven
anisotropy and cavity-induced resonances to deliver tunable broadband
acoustic performance in next-generation composite systems.