With noise pollution playing havoc in urban life, controlling it from a health perspective is vital. Taking inspiration from the bees, an Indian researcher has created paper honeycomb and powerful honeycomb structure as sound-absorbing panels.

These panels can disperse acoustic energy to low-frequency levels and play a major role in noise control.

What makes natural bee hives special when it comes to controlling sound frequencies is that they can manage both the high and the low ones. The reason they can do so is because of their shape and form.

Further studies like theoretical analysis and experimental investigations suggest that the bee hive structure is able to manage high and low frequencies owing to the change of acoustical energy to vibration energy. The latter is expended in the form of heat due to wall damping property.

Copying this attribute as an engineering solution can result in controlling noise pollution cost effectively. This is what Dr. B. Venkatesham and Dr. Surya, Faculty at Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, did as they fabricated low thickness and strong acoustic panels.

The designing was done by the two by understanding the physics of bee hive acoustic energy dissipation and then mimicking its design. By developing a mathematical model, the team calculated the parameters.

The team created two prototypes with different materials. One prototype is for paper honeycomb and the other for polymer honeycomb structure.

This technology is supported by the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India.

Dr Venkatesham feels that this innovation may create an opportunity to capture 15% of the traditional sound-absorbing acoustic material market based on the low-frequency applications.