Acoustical properties of particleboards made from Betung bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper) as building construction material

Acoustic panels are used to overcome noise problems; the purpose of this study was to determine the acoustical properties of particleboard made from Betung bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper). The acoustic parameters measured were the transmission loss (TL) value and sound absorption coefficient. Particleboards of two different densities (0.5 g/cm3 and 0.8 g/cm3) that were made with three particle sizes (fine, medium, and wool or excelsior) were used in this study. The sound TL value was measured in a reverberation room, while the sound absorption coefficient was determined using the impedance tube method. A single-number rating of sound transmission class (STC) was determined based on TL measurements. The results showed that sound TL and STC values of medium-density particleboard (0.8 g/cm3) were better than low-density (0.5 g/cm3) board. However, low-density particleboard performed well as sound absorber panels. Generally, the boards absorbed sound at low (< 500 Hz) and high frequency ranges (> 1000 Hz) and reflected sound at middle frequencies. The sound absorption coefficient was better with the fine- and medium-sized particles than with the wool size; meanwhile, boards made from wool- or excelsior-sized particles possessed higher TL and STC values.