To broaden the application fields of waste hemp stalks, the macromolecular, supramolecular, and morphological structures of waste hemp stalks were analyzed, and the relationship between these properties and the sound absorption properties of the hemp stalks was explored. Then, waste hemp stalk/polycaprolactone sound-absorbing composite materials were prepared by the hot pressing method. The influence of hemp stalk length and mass fraction, and the density and thickness of the composite materials on the sound absorption properties of composites prepared with the hot pressing temperature set to 140 °C, the pressure set to 8 MPa, and the pressing time set to 30 min was investigated. The results showed that, when the sound energy acts on the hemp stalk, the force between the chain segments, the unique hollow structure, and the large specific surface, act together to attenuate the sound energy and convert it into heat and mechanical energy in the process of propagation, to produce a good sound absorption effect. When the hemp stalk length and mass fraction were set to 6 mm and 50%, respectively, and the density and thickness of the material were set to 0.30 g/cm3 and 1.5 cm, respectively, the average sound absorption coefficient of the waste hemp stalk/polycaprolactone sound-absorbing composite material was 0.44, the noise reduction coefficient was 0.42, the maximum sound absorption coefficient was 1.00, and the sound-absorbing band was wide. The study provided an experimental and theoretical basis for the development of waste hemp stalk/polycaprolactone sound-absorbing composite materials, and provided a new idea for the recycling of the waste hemp stalk.
Keywords: composite materials; sound-absorbing mechanism; sound-absorbing properties; structural characteristics; waste hemp stalk.