TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEDICATION ...................................................................................................................................... i

DECLARATION ................................................................................................................................ iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................v

TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................ vii

LIST OF FIGURES .........................................................................................................................xv

LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................ xxiii

SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................... 1

1 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................ 3
1.1 OUTLINE .................................................................................................................................. 3
1.2 AIMS ......................................................................................................................................... 5
1.3 APPROACH .............................................................................................................................. 5

2 BACKGROUND........................................................................................................................... 7
2.1 THE AUTOMOTIVE CONTEXT ............................................................................................. 8
2.1.1 Cavity configurations ............................................................................................... 8
2.1.1.1 External rearview mirrors: common features .................................................... 8
2.1.1.2 Cavity definition and associated parameters ................................................... 11
2.1.2 The physical environment ..................................................................................... 13
2.1.2.1 Relative flow field ........................................................................................... 13
2.1.2.2 Vehicle acoustics ............................................................................................. 15
2.1.2.3 Conclusions ..................................................................................................... 18
2.1.3 Human hearing ......................................................................................................... 18
2.1.3.1 Reduced masking............................................................................................. 19
2.1.3.2 Modulation effects ........................................................................................... 19
2.1.3.3 Acceptable noise levels ................................................................................... 20
2.1.3.4 Conclusions ..................................................................................................... 20
2.2 TONAL CAVITY NOISE ....................................................................................................... 20
2.2.1 Fluid-dynamic cavity oscillations overview ................................................... 22
2.2.2 Helmholtz resonance overview ........................................................................... 24
2.2.3 Room acoustic resonance overview ................................................................... 26
2.2.4 Coupling between mechanisms ........................................................................... 29
2.2.5 Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 29
2.3 FLUID-DYNAMIC CAVITY OSCILLATIONS ..................................................................... 31
2.3.1 Resonance mechanism ........................................................................................... 32
2.3.2 Fluid-dynamic classification/acoustic compactness ..................................... 33
2.3.2.1 Boundary between fluid-dynamic and fluid-resonant phenomena.................. 35
2.3.3 Amplification ............................................................................................................ 36
2.3.4 Resonance frequency.............................................................................................. 37
2.3.4.1 Stages............................................................................................................... 38

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