New Delhi, Sep 10 (PTI) Two Indian researchers have developed sound-absorbing panels based on the geometry of honeycombs and these can be used in building acoustics as well as environmental noise control solutions, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) said on Friday.

These panels are paper honeycomb and stronger polymer honeycomb structures, it said.

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Many traditional materials have been found to be good at controlling higher frequencies. However, natural bee hives have been found to efficiently control high as well as low frequencies because of their geometry, it said.

It has been also found from theoretical analysis and experimental investigations that this was due to conversion of acoustical energy into vibration energy, the DST said in a statement.

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This vibration energy is dissipated in the form of heat due to the wall damping property. Mimicking this property as an engineering solution can offer a cost-effective method for controlling noise pollution, it said.

Dr B Venkatesham and Dr Surya of the mechanical and aerospace engineering department at IIT Hyderabad fabricated low thickness and strong acoustic panels mimicking this property using biomimetic design methodology, the statement said.

The design methodology involves understanding the physics of bee hive sample acoustic energy dissipation and then mimicking its design.

The team developed a mathematical model and calculated optimised parameters, and then fabricated the test samples using systematic, controlled parameters, the DST said in the statement.

Subsequently, fabrication of a large sample was done.

They have used two different approaches and their respective prototype machines with two different kinds of materials. One prototype is for paper honeycomb based on indexed -Honeycomb Before Expansion (HOBE) process, and another prototype machine is for polymer honeycomb structure based on hot wire technique, it said.

The panels were made by slicing stacked extruded polypropene straws. The slicing process is done with the help of hot wire, which also bonds the straws together, the statement said.

The developed technology provides a mechanism of acoustic energy dissipation with lower thickness and higher specific strength of acoustic panels, it said.

A test facility to measure the absorption coefficient of large samples has also been established as part of this work.

This technology, supported by the Advanced Manufacturing Technologies programme of the DST, is in the sixth stage of technology readiness level, and Venkatesham has allied with Eaton PVT Ltd and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation Kharadi Knowledge Park, Pune, the statement added.

He plans to further scale up the technology demonstration, develop a batch production machine for polymer materials and fabricate with newer alternative self-damping materials, it said.

Venkatesham said that it may create an opportunity to capture 15 per cent of the traditional sound-absorbing acoustic material market based on the low-frequency applications.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)