Eco-Friendly Carbon Fiber Woven Fabric-Based Sound Absorbers with Tunable Air Cavity Structures for Advanced Noise Control

This study introduces an eco-friendly class of carbon fiber woven fabric composites (CFFCs) incorporating tunable air cavity architectures to achieve lightweight broadband acoustic absorption. By systematically varying the layer number, fiber orientation, and cavity configuration, we establish a clear structure-property-performance relationship that governs resonance tuning, viscous-thermal dissipation, and air-flow tortuosity. Acute angle stacking enhances in-plane shear deformation and frictional damping, producing up to ∼3 dB improvement in layer-to-layer impact noise attenuation, as confirmed through interfacial impact tests. Incorporation of single or multiple air cavity units further shifts the resonance to lower frequencies and achieves high absorption levels (SA<i>C</i> _max ≤ 0.99) within an ultrathin (<7 mm) profile. Full system impact noise transmission measurements in a two-story house model demonstrate up to ∼35 dB reduction in transmitted sound pressure, verifying the practical applicability of cavity-integrated CFFCs as lightweight noise control elements. Overall, this work provides a scalable and sustainable materials platform that leverages woven anisotropy and cavity-induced resonances to deliver tunable broadband acoustic performance in next-generation composite systems.