Unit 8 – Vehicle noise and vibration

8.1 Introduction

Vehicles are mobile bodies that carry and move people and/or goods. Vehicles

can be space vehicles, airplanes, submarines, trains, on- or off-road vehicles, and

others. This work is dedicated to road vehicles—automobiles. When a vehicle’s

engine is in operation, the vehicle or a part of it exhibits oscillatory motion, which

is termed vibration. The adjacent air also exhibits vibration, which is called sound.

Vehicle sound includes wanted and unwanted sounds. Unwanted sound is noise.

Vibration and noise can cause passenger discomfort and can be detrimental to the

customer’s perception of vehicle quality. Wanted sound is typically engine related

and can be a good contributor to the customer’s quality perception, or sound

quality. The vibration, noise, and sound quality are important vehicle attributes.

They are usually among the top attributes of any vehicle type. Vehicle sound and

vibration are major qualities that customers consider when they purchase a

vehicle. They are a measure of ride comfort and perceived quality and reliability.

Automotive sound and vibrations have received much attention by researchers

over the last two decades [1–2]. In the automotive community, the term NVH

(noise, vibration, and harshness) has been widely used to describe unwanted

vibration and sound in an automobile [3–5]. NVH is a generic term/acronym that

covers the branch of engineering related to vehicle refinement in terms of

vibration and sound experienced by the occupants when the vehicle is in service.

The term has been used mainly in connection with road vehicles, but almost the

same techniques are used in air and rail vehicles to provide refinement.
8.2 Vehicle systems

A typical passenger car consists of several systems including body; powertrain;

chassis; electronic systems; heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), etc.

The body consists of body structure, frames, seats, and trims. The powertrain

system includes engine, transmission, clutch, driveline, exhaust, and intake

subsystems as well as the engine isolation subsystem, as shown in Fig. 8.1. The

engine and transmission are usually integrated into one system that is referred to

as the powerplant. The powertrain is the “heart” of the vehicle. It is the singular

most expensive and most complex part of every vehicle.

The chassis system includes tires, shocks and isolators, frame, etc. Because

most individual systems, subsystems, and components of a vehicle are either

sources or transmitters of vibration and sound, the vibrations and sound of the

entire vehicle depend on the synthesis of vibration and sound at the system and

subsystem levels, as well as the component level [6–31].

Figure 8.1-Powertrain representation

8.3 Transfer paths

In principle, the vibrations and sound of all vehicle systems, subsystems,

and components can be treated with physics and solved using differential

equations. However, many of the real systems and boundary conditions are too

complicated to be treated this way. The perspective of sources-path-receivers

can offer many convenient treatments or approximations of vibrations and

sound for real systems.

For analytical simplicity, all vehicle parts can be viewed as either a

source or a transfer path of vibrations and sound, both contributing to the

perception of the receiver, namely, the driver or passenger. Actually, the

receivers of vehicle sound also include pedestrians and personnel in buildings

near the road. However, the impact level of vehicle noise as traffic noise to the

environment has been directly specified by legislation for pass-by noise

standards of vehicles; as such, research and development on vehicle vibration

and sound have been focused on interior noise and vibration qualities that

influence the perception of the driver or passenger, who is the true receiver.

The combination of vibration and sound is one of the most significant

performance indexes of a vehicle. Interior noise control and vibration reduction

as well as sound quality design of a vehicle are critical for attracting customers.

8.4 Features of NVH

The category of vehicle vibration and sound is among the most important

attributes of the vehicle. Other attributes include dynamics, styling,

performance, cost, safety, reliability, durability, and fuel economy. These

qualities have to be considered closely in the design process.

These attributes are on the customers’ minds when they shop for new

vehicles. Customers’ priorities regarding them vary, depending on many

factors. Some customers give high priority in their vehicle selection to styling,

while other give more priority to vehicle safety or its reliability. Vehicle sound

and vibration is rarely the top attribute when purchasing a vehicle, but is

always among the top, regardless of the customers. The vibration and sound

qualities of a vehicle include many salient characteristics, just to name a few:

First, the vibration and sound phenomena are very rich and complicated for a

vehicle in service. There are hundreds of different vibrations and sound

phenomena in a traveling vehicle. Figure 8.2 illustrates some of the major

vibrations and sounds in a vehicle and their connections.

Figure 8.2-Vehicle NVH

The engine system is one of the major sources of vibration and sound. Engine

vibrations can be classified as internal or external vibration. The internal

vibration refers to the vibration of internal components of the engine, induced

by the inertia of moving parts and the variable pressure of combustion. The

external vibrations refer to vibrations of entire engine system as a block,

usually integrated with the transmission case, which is due to unbalanced

moment, inertial moment, or variable-output torsional torque. Engine noise is

one of the major noise sources in a vehicle. The noise sources of an engine

consist of mechanical, combustion, and aerodynamic noise. Mechanical noise

is due to the inertia effect of relative motion parts under air pressure or inertia

force that results in impact and vibration-radiated noise. Mechanical noise is

proportional to engine speed. It includes piston slap noise, bearing noise, cam

system noise, timing belt or chain noise, oil pump noise, noise from accessories

such as belts/pulleys, the power steering pump, structural noise of the cover

and tank, etc. Other engine noise includes combustion noise and aerodynamic

noise. Aerodynamic noise is comprised of intake noise, exhaust noise, and fan

system noise. Combustion noise is generated in the cylinder due to the pressure

wave impacting on the cylinder wall and head. It causes structural vibrations of

the engine which exhibit high-frequency features.

The combustion noise radiates through engine blocks and parts.

Aerodynamic noise is mainly generated in the intake and exhaust process,

which radiates to the ambient environment and also transmits to the vehicle

interior. The vibrations and sound of the transmission and driveline system also

contribute to powertrain vibrations and sound. In addition to powertrain system

vibrations and sound, the other two major noise sources in the vehicle are
tire/road noise and wind noise. There also exist other vibration and noise

sources in the vehicle: squeak and rattle of the body system and the vibration

and squeal of the brake system in the chassis. Body and chassis systems could

generate or amplify vibrations and sound. Various types of vibrations and

sound could be transmitted into the vehicle body interior and perceived by the

driver. The noise experienced in the body interior is not only dependent on the

sources, but also on body structure and acoustic transfer sensitivity. Most parts

and systems on a vehicle are directly connected with the body, including

exhaust, driveshaft, suspension, and engine/subframes. The structural modes

and acoustic modes of the body should be separated from the natural modes of

these systems. The local structures such as doors and pillars should have

sufficient stiffness to avoid local vibrations. Second, one characteristic of

vehicle vibration and sound is that most vibrations and sounds are proportional

to the rotational velocity of the engine or the vehicle traveling speed.

Basically, the engine noise, road noise, and wind noise increase with the

increase of speed. These types of sound are “normal noise” and are expected by

customers to some extent, despite the perception difference depending on noise

level. This is because the motion of the engine, tires, and vehicle are always

associated with the generation of sound and vibration. However, the other type

of sound, “abnormal noise,” includes squeak and rattle, which is independent of

speed and is due to friction and/or impact of different interior parts. “Abnormal
noise” is usually not expected by customers and could be perceived as due to

quality problems. Third, a salient attribute of vehicle vibration and sound is that

different sound and vibration sources have different specific frequency ranges.

The chassis and body vibrations due to road and engine excitations are usually

at low frequency. Many engine subsystem noise frequencies are in the middle

or reach the high frequency range. Wind noise and road-tire noise as well as

some friction/impact noise extend across the middle frequency range.

Fourth, multidisciplinary analysis and numerical methods have to be

applied synthetically to comprehensively model the vibration and sound of a

vehicle, and include the lumped mass approach, finite element method (FEM),

boundary element method (BEM), statistical energy analysis (SEA) method,

power flow approach, modal analysis and synthesis method, transfer path

analysis (TPA), modified transfer function method, and hybrid approach.

Each approach has a specific frequency range over which it is suitable to

model vehicle vibrations and sound. For instance, in the vibration and sound

analysis of whole vehicles, the use of FEM is feasible to the low frequency

range, TPA is suitable for the middle range, and SEA is efficient for the high

range. On the other hand, to characterize the vibrations and sound of a vehicle

in the three levels, namely the vehicle level, system level, and component level,

varied modern methods for vibration and sound testing must be used.

Fifth, the evaluation of vehicle vibrations and sound needs to be

conducted both objectively and subjectively. Not only the vibration and noise
level should be controlled under certain specific limits, but also the

soundquality engineering has to be used to enhance the pleasure experienced

from a vehicle. Two different types of vibration and sound phenomena are

experienced by customers: 1. the usual or expected sources of vibrations and

sound, which include powertrain, road, and wind sound. They also include

sounds such as the closing sound of a door, power window, and glove box. For

this type of sound, it is required to bring levels to a competitive level, or a

leading status. The typical requirement is to reduce noise and/or vibration

levels; to eliminate the characteristics that are annoying to the customer; and to

enhance those that are delightful to the customer to give the customer the

needed impression about the vehicle such as its sportiness, responsiveness, or

luxurious appeal.

The unusual or unexpected vibrations and sound, which include certain

phenomena that the customer does not expect or want in the vehicle interior,

such as squeak and rattle, whines, booms, rumble or roughness, and squeal.

Those unusual or unexpected vibrations and sound could be experienced in

certain driving and environmental conditions and may give the impression that

the vehicle is malfunctioning; thus, they may cause either higher warranty costs

or loss of customer satisfaction. The unusual vibrations and sound should be

eliminated, or reduced to competitive and acceptable levels.

Sixth, many contemporary technologies have been used in vehicles for

vibration and noise reduction and sound control. Acoustic insulation and
 absorption as well as damping materials are widely applied in vehicle

applications ranging from the dash, floor, and roof, to panel walls. Dynamic

absorbers and isolators are extensively applied in vehicle engines, suspensions,

bodies, and exhaust systems. It is noted that the vehicle frequency response

(vibration/sound) at different frequency segments (from several Hertz to 20

kHz) requires different control strategies/approaches.

Roughly, in the low frequency range, the vibrations are controlled via

“global stiffness” by avoiding the coincidence/proximity of natural modes of

different systems/ parts and by using a tuned mass damper (dynamic absorber);

in the middle frequency range, the vibrations and sound are mainly structure-

borne noise and could be controlled by “local stiffness” through the isolation

and damping approach as well as the strengthening of local stiffness. In the

high frequency range, noise is mainly airborne and could be abated by acoustic

treatment, including increasing mass insulation, adding absorption materials,

and enhancing sealing. Moreover, semi-active and active control technologies

such as compartment active noise cancellation, and active engine mount and

suspension mount have also been widely used in the vibration and sound

control of modern vehicles.

8.5 Importance of vehicle NVH

According to estimates in 2006, the automotive industry was a global

business of $1.2 trillion a year and was growing at about 6%, with sales of 67

million vehicles in 2006. The road vehicle has been at the center of consumers’

wants, needs, and desires. Over the last decade, technological changes in
automotive engineering have been tremendous, with a focus on safety,

entertainment, and performance.

The combination of vehicle sound and vibration is one of many attributes

of the vehicle. Other attributes include styling, ride, handling, performance,

cost, safety, reliability, durability, and fuel economy, as well as others. These

attributes are on customers’ minds when they shop for a new vehicle.

Customers’ priorities regarding these attributes vary depending on many

factors. Some customers give high priority in their vehicle selection to styling,

while others give more priority to vehicle safety or its reliability. Vehicle sound

and vibration is rarely the top attribute when purchasing a vehicle, but is

always among the top, regardless of the customer. Many of the vehicle

attributes can be determined from literature available on the internet or from

government sources. These attributes include cost, weight, fuel economy, and

performance. Other attributes can be assessed by visiting a dealer and assessing

the vehicle. These attributes include its package and styling. Attributes such as

vehicle durability and reliability require the vehicle to be in service for a certain

period of time.

Three months in service and 36 months in warranty are typical time

periods used in the assessment of reliability. There are other attributes,

however, that cannot be assessed unless one rides in and drives the vehicle.

These include vehicle handling, maneuverability, and its sound and vibration

characteristics.
 Sound and vibration need also to be assessed after a certain amount of months

and/or years in service. The assessment of vehicle sound and vibration, as with

many other attributes, is a subjective matter. What people like and dislike about

the vehicle’s sound and vibration varies between drivers. What some drivers

perceive as a “sporty sound” may be excessive noise to others. Vehicle

vibration is unwanted oscillation; sound is vibration propagating in elastic

medium; and noise is unwanted sound. The vibration and sound characteristic

of a vehicle is a “soft” attribute, yet it is very important as a perceived quality

and is also an entertainment and performance feature. The cost for vibration

and sound control is usually remarkably high. For instance, for brake noise and

vibration alone, the annual warranty was estimated to be $100 million per brake

company, and the total warranty cost was up to $1 billion in the Detroit district

alone, according to an estimate in 2005.

8.6 References

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