A Structural-Acoustic Finite Element Method for Predicting Automobile Vehicle Interior Road Noise

Abstract

A structural-acoustic finite element model of an automotive vehicle is developed and experimentally evaluated for predicting the structural-borne interior noise in the passenger compartment when the vehicle travels over a randomly rough road at a constant speed. The structural-acoustic model couples a structural finite element model of the vehicle with an acoustic finite element model of the passenger compartment. Measured random road profile data provides the prescribed power spectral density excitation applied at the tire-patch contact points to predict the structural-borne interior road noise. Comparisons of the predicted and measured interior noise for laboratory shaker excitation, tire patch excitation, and vehicle travel over a randomly rough road are used to assess the accuracy of the model.

Literature review of tire-pavement interaction noise and reduction approaches

“…17 (Fischer et al 2014 [44]). The structural-acoustic finite element method is often used for modeling vehicle interior noise (Sung and Nefske, 2010 [45]), but it is only valid at low frequencies. Sung and Nefske (2009) [46] then presented a new statistical regression-based energy method for early vehicle design, which is suitable for high frequencies where the Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) is often utilized in acoustics (Gur et al, 2015 [47]).…”