Investigation of thermal insulation and sound absorption properties of polymer foam added bicomponent yarns

In the study, it was aimed to produce bicomponent yarns which were produced with 1%, 2%, and 3% additive ratios of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) foam for insulation applications. Polymer foam was added for the first time into a bicomponent yarn structure. The bicomponent spinning was performed according to the sheath and core bicomponent melt spinning. Knitted fabrics were produced from bicomponent yarns with garter stitches to evaluate the thermal insulation and sound absorption properties. Thermal measurements were carried out with two different principles according to the JIS R 2618 standard (hot wire method) with a Thermal Conductivity Meter (QTM-710) and Alambeta test instrument. The lowest thermal conductivity coefficient factors (0.063 and 0.060 W/mK) were obtained according to the JIS R 2618 standard and Alambeta test instrument, respectively. Sound absorption properties were performed with ASTM E1050-12 standard with BSWA Impedance Tube Kit Type SW 260 with the small tube setup. The sound absorption coefficient was improved with the addition of polymer foam into the bicomponent yarn structure.