Morphological Analysis of Goose Down Fibers as a Bio-based Sustainable Acoustic Insulation Material
Chapter from the book:
Kocatepe,
S.
&
Aydemir,
H.
(eds.)
2025.
Innovative Studies in Textile Science and Engineering.
Synopsis
In recent years, biologically derived fibrous structures have gained significant attention as sustainable alternatives to synthetic acoustic materials. Among various natural fibers, goose feathers, although overlooked for sound insulation applications, continue to be a promising candidate based on recent studies. This study aims to evaluate the morphology of goose feather fibers and examine the effects of their unique multi-scale structures in the acoustic field. The branched structure of the fibers, combined with their porous internal structure, makes this material highly suitable for use in the acoustic sector as a porous fiber. Unlike conventional natural fibers, their low density, air entrapment within their internal structure, and irregular pore topology collectively indicate that this material has a high potential for sound attenuation. The fineness of the spiny structures in the fibers, the branching density, and the surface roughness are expected to enable sound absorption by affecting the air flow resistance and energy distribution mechanisms in the material. However, systematic studies addressing the acoustic behavior of fibers are quite limited in this field. Therefore, this study fills a critical gap in the literature by synthesizing existing literature information and proposing structure-based hypotheses for sound absorption performance. Goose feathers are a renewable, lightweight, and biodegradable material.
