Case study: Mitigation of the road noise of a passenger vehicle by determination of critical paths via transfer path analysis

Abstract

The acoustic comfort level of a passenger vehicle is one of the most critical factors that affect customer preferences before purchasing. Recent studies on refining the engine noise lead to a more evident panorama for tire and wind noise due to the elimination of the masking effect of the engine. Furthermore, replacing the internal combustion engine with the electric motor will also push road noise to be the primary noise factor in vehicles. In this study, the road noise phenomenon is analyzed for both structure-borne and air-borne paths. Transfer path analyses and panel contribution analyses were performed on a reference vehicle to identify the main paths of road noise. Solutions to improve road noise levels were determined accordingly. Finally, improvements were confirmed by physical tests and subjective evaluations.