Experimental Research and Transfer Matrix Method for Analysis of Transmission Loss in Multilayer Constructions with Devulcanized Waste Rubber

According to circular economy principles, the recycling and reuse of tyre rubber waste are among the most advanced and ecological waste disposal technologies. Each year, about 19 million tons of tyres are produced, and this number increases every year. One of the most innovative ways to recycle rubber waste is devulcanization. There are many methods of rubber devulcanization, but the most popular is chemical devulcanization. Also, pre-process treatment is important before devulcanization. In this article, devulcanized rubber granules were used for the preparation of rubber samples. Two of the samples were obtained via the grinding method and one via chemical devulcanization. In total, 15 different rubber samples were produced for experimental measurements. Multilayer constructions, with two solid layers of plasterboard on both sides (GKB (a standard gypsum board) and GKFI (an enhanced-strength and surface-hardness gypsum board)) and the porous acoustic material of the rubber sample inside, were produced. Measurements were made in an impedance tube and compared with the results of a transfer matrix method (TMM) analysis. The same trends of resonant frequencies were determined. According to the results, the resonant frequencies depended on the thickness of the material, since transmission loss (TL) values depended on the mass of the construction. According to the test results of transmission loss, constructions with 50 mm thick rubber samples had results that were, on average, 3 dB better than those of structures with 25 mm thick samples and 5 dB better than those of structures with 12 mm thick rubber samples. In addition, it was found that higher-density plasterboards (GKFI) increased the overall transmission loss value of the structure by 5 dB. The same trends were determined using the TMM method. The test results showed that multilayered constructions with devulcanized waste rubber had high transmission loss results and could be used for sound-insulating structures.