Sound attenuating composite articles incorporating scrim material and methods of making same

A sound attenuating composite article for use within a vehicle, comprising:

• a damping layer having a thickness of less than or equal to about five millimeters (5 mm);
• a decoupler layer attached to a surface of the damping layer in face-to-face contacting relationship therewith, wherein the decoupler layer has a thickness of less than or equal to about seventy millimeters (70 mm);
• a third layer of material attached to a surface of the decoupler layer in face-to-face contacting relationship therewith, wherein the third layer comprises micro denier fibrous material and has a thickness of less than or equal to about two millimeters (2 mm);
• and
• a porous upholstery material attached to a surface of the third layer of material in face-to-face contacting relationship therewith;
• wherein the composite article has an acoustic impedance of at least 4,700 Rayls, 1,300 Rayls, and 950 Rayls in the respective frequency ranges of 100-400 Hz, 500-2,000 Hz, and 2,500-5,000 Hz;
• wherein the composite article has a sound absorption factor of at least 0.13, 0.55, and 0.69 in the respective frequency ranges of 100-400 Hz, 500-2,000 Hz, and 2,500-5,000 Hz;
• and
• wherein the composite article has a sound transmission loss of at least 7.3 dB, 6.6 dB, and 8.0 dB in the respective frequency ranges of 100-400 Hz, 500-2,000 Hz, and 2,500-5,000 Hz.

A vehicle floor covering that attenuates noise, comprising:

• a damping layer having a thickness of less than or equal to about five millimeters (5 mm);
• a decoupler layer attached to a surface of the damping layer in face-to-face contacting relationship therewith, wherein the decoupler layer has a thickness of less than or equal to about seventy millimeters (70 mm);
• a third layer of material attached to a surface of the decoupler layer of material in face-to-face contacting relationship therewith, wherein the third layer comprises micro denier fibrous material and has a thickness of less than or equal to about two millimeters (2 mm);
• and
• porous carpeting comprising a fabric side and an opposite backing side, and wherein the backing side is attached to the surface of the third layer of material in face-to-face contacting relationship therewith;
• wherein the composite article has an acoustic impedance of at least 4,700 Rayls, 1,300 Rayls, and 950 Rayls in the respective frequency ranges of 100-400 Hz, 500-2,000 Hz, and 2,500-5,000 Hz.

A vehicle floor covering that attenuates noise, comprising:

• a damping layer having a thickness of less than or equal to about five millimeters (5 mm);
• a decoupler layer attached to a surface of the damping layer in face-to-face contacting relationship therewith, wherein the decoupler layer has a thickness of less than or equal to about seventy millimeters (70 mm);
• a third layer of material attached to a surface of the decoupler layer in face-to-face contacting relationship therewith, wherein the third layer comprises micro denier fibrous material and has a thickness of less than or equal to about two millimeters (2 mm);
• and
• porous carpeting comprising a fabric side and an opposite backing side, and wherein the backing side is attached to the surface of the third layer of material in face-to-face contacting relationship therewith;
• wherein the composite article has an acoustic impedance of at least 4,700 Rayls, 1,300 Rayls, and 950 Rayls in the respective frequency ranges of 100-400 Hz, 500-2,000 Hz, and 2,500-5,000 Hz;
• wherein the composite article has a sound absorption factor of at least 0.13, 0.55, and 0.69 in the respective frequency ranges of 100-400 Hz, 500-2,000 Hz, and 2,500-5,000 Hz;
• and
• wherein the composite article has a sound transmission loss of at least 7.3 dB, 6.6 dB, and 8.0 dB in the respective frequency ranges of 100-400 Hz, 500-2,000 Hz, and 2,500-5,000 Hz.

A vehicle, comprising:

• a panel;
• a damping layer attached to a surface of the panel in face-to-face contacting relationship therewith, wherein the damping layer has a thickness of less than or equal to about five millimeters (5 mm);
• a decoupler layer attached to a surface of the damping layer in face-to-face contacting relationship therewith, wherein the decoupler layer has a thickness of less than or equal to about seventy millimeters (70 mm);
• a third layer of material attached to a surface of the decoupler layer of material in face-to-face contacting relationship therewith, wherein the third layer comprises micro denier fibrous material and has a thickness of less than or equal to about two millimeters (2 mm);
• and
• a porous upholstery material attached to a surface of the third layer of material in face-to-face contacting relationship therewith;
• wherein the damping layer, decoupler layer, and third layer of material have a combined acoustic impedance of at least 4,700 Rayls, 1,300 Rayls, and 950 Rayls in the respective frequency ranges of 100-400 Hz, 500-2,000 Hz, and 2,500-5,000 Hz.

A method of producing a sound attenuating composite article, comprising

• providing a damping layer having a thickness of less than or equal to about five millimeters (5 mm);
• attaching a decoupler layer to a surface of the damping layer in face-to-face contacting relationship therewith, wherein the decoupler layer has a thickness of less than or equal to about seventy millimeters (70 mm);
• attaching a third layer of material to a surface of the decoupler layer in face-to-face contacting relationship therewith, wherein the third layer comprises micro denier fibrous material and has a thickness of less than or equal to about two millimeters (2 mm);
• and
• attaching a porous upholstery material to a surface of the third layer of material in face-to-face contacting relationship therewith;
• wherein the composite article has an acoustic impedance of at least 4,700 Rayls, 1,300 Rayls, and 950 Rayls in the respective frequency ranges of 100-400 Hz, 500-2,000 Hz, and 2,500-5,000 Hz, wherein the composite article has a sound absorption factor of at least 0.13, 0.55, and 0.69 in the respective frequency ranges of 100-400 Hz, 500-2,000 Hz, and 2,500-5,000 Hz, and wherein the composite article has a sound transmission loss of at least 7.3 dB, 6.6 dB, and 8.0 dB in the respective frequency ranges of 100-400 Hz, 500-2,000 Hz, and 2,500-5,000 Hz.