Importance of Sealants for Interior Noise Control of Automobiles

Sealant materials are used in todays automobiles for many applications such as, sealing of body seams, sealing access holes and the filling of hollow cavities. The primary reasons for these applications are to prevent corrosion, prevent water intrusion, and to reduce the noise level in the passenger compartment. However, the noise control capabilities of sealant materials have not been explored until recently. This paper discusses the requirements that a noise control material must possess, and reviews how a sealant material can fulfil these requirements. Properly designed sealant materials can possess sound transmission loss (barrier) properties, vibration damping properties over a given frequency and temperature range of interest, and often sound absorption properties with proper formulation. This paper provides case studies to substantiate the acoustical capabilities of sealant materials.