Influence of fire treatment on acoustic performances of vegetal wools

Abstract

Vegetal wools are performant sustainable insulation materials. However, their flammability can restrict their application, and therefore a fireproof treatment, that is environmentally friendly to respect their bio-based nature, needs to be done. This study aims to evaluate the impact of two phosphorus-based fireproof treatment methods, pulverization and impregnation, on the density and acoustic properties of hemp fiber stacks. Pulverized fibers had a higher residue amount, in the thermogravimetric analysis, which indicates a higher protection from the char layer. From the acoustic perspective, the treated fibers presented a lower sound absorption than the reference. The density can be lowered after the treatment, but no correlation with the treatment method or condition was observed.