  The continuous surge of environmental noise levels has become a vital
challenge for humanity. Earlier studies have reported that prolonged exposure
to loud noise may cause auditory and non-auditory disorders. Therefore, there
is a growing demand for suitable noise barriers. Herein, we have investigated
several commercially available curtain fabrics' acoustic performance,
potentially used for sound insulation purposes. Thorough experimental
investigations have been performed on PVC coated polyester fabrics' acoustical
performances and 100 % pure PVC sheets. The PVC-coated polyester fabric
exhibited better sound insulation properties, particularly in the mid-to-high
frequency range (600-1600 Hz) with a transmission loss of about 11 to 22 dB,
while insertion loss of > 10 dB has been achieved. Also, the acoustic
performance of multi-layer curtains has been investigated. These multi-layer
curtains have shown superior acoustic properties to that of single-layer
acoustic curtains.
