A
noise reducing
composite material for use in automotive applications, and methods for preparing the material, are disclosed. The composite includes a carpet layer and a
noise reducing layer. The carpet layer can be a tufted carpet layer that includes a primary backing in which to position tufts of
yarn, and a latex layer to lock in the tufts of
yarn, or a nonwoven carpet layer with a
coating of latex to lock in the fibers. The
noise reducing layer is adhered to the carpet layer. The latex layer includes, as an additive, an
adhesive of sufficient type and quantity to adhere the noise reducing layer to the carpet layer. Latex dispersions including such additives, which can be used to form the latex layer in the
composite material, are also disclosed. Examples of noise reducing
layers include heavily filled EVA, shoddy, and foam
layers. For adhering shoddy and / or foam
layers, the additive in the latex layer is a
polyolefin, such as
polyethylene. For adhering filled EVA layers, the additive in the latex layer is a water-based
adhesive such as an
ethylene acrylic acid ammoniated dispersion. The composite carpet materials described herein represent an improvement over the existing carpet materials, in that they can be manufactured using wet steps, without the need for organic solvents, and reduce the number of process steps by eliminating the need for an extruded
polyethylene layer.