NOISE REDUCTION USING FLAX AND KENAF FOR HOUSEHOLD VACUUM CLEANER

Abstract

Noise produced by a vacuum cleaner is highly unpleasant and may cause hearing damage if exposed to it for a long period. Thus, this study aims to identify the noise source of household vacuum cleaner and provide a solution to reduce its noise level. The commercial household vacuum cleaner is used in this study to reflect the actual noise level of the household appliance. Two noise source identification methods are used. First, the overall Sound Pressure Level (SPL) of the vacuum cleaner is measured using six units of microphone that installed in a hemisphere setup. Microflown scan and paint are further used to identify the noise source within the vacuum cleaner. Few materials are selected, and their acoustic properties are measured. The selected materials are 300 gsm flax, 1000 gsm flax, and 1300 gsm kenaf. The materials are used as sound-absorbing materials and as filters in the vacuum cleaner. The measurement is then repeated to compare the effectiveness of the proposed materials in reducing noise on the vacuum cleaner. Results indicate that 1000 gsm flax shows better performance in noise reduction compared to the other two materials. Vacuum cleaner with 1000 gsm flax as a sound-absorbing material reduced the overall SPL by 6.08%.

Keywords

• Flax
• Kenaf
• Noise control
• Sound pressure level
• Vacuum cleaner