Foam morphology and sound transmission loss of foamed wood flour/low-density polyethylene (LDPE)/nanoclay composites

In this research, the effects of foaming and of nanoclay on foam morphology and soundproofing of wood flour/low-density polyethylene (LDPE) composites were investigated. For this purpose, LDPE, wood flour, foaming agent, and nanoclay were mixed in an internal mixer to produce test samples. The standard circular samples were made using compression molding method in a hot press machine. Sound transmission loss (STL) was measured by an impedance tube. Results showed that foaming and nanoclay increase the STL of the composites at frequencies above 2000 Hz. The biggest increase in STL has been found for the foamed composites containing nanoclay. The addition of nanoclay decreased the average cell size and increased the cell density of foamed composites.