Prediction of automotive HVAC duct acoustic properties via innovative simulation techniques

Abstract

For the automotive industry, acoustic comfort is of increasing importance. Customer expectations and strong competition in the market play an important role to accelerate vehicle development activities. Although the primary function of HVAC (Heating ventilation and Air-conditioning) is thermal comfort of the occupant during ride; acoustic comfort is also important when it comes to customer satisfaction resulting in overall experience of the vehicle. Hence, prediction of cabin interior noise in the early design stage plays an important role in designing a superior quality product. In this paper, cabin interior noise levels generated by HVAC systems are predicted by using computational 1-D (one dimensional) analysis. 3-D (three dimensional) CAD geometry is designed using SOLIDWORKS and 1-D analysis is done on GT-Suite. Main purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how 1-D simulation can be an aid for a duct designer by predicting the NVH characteristic of HVAC Ducts and continuing the research to shorten the product development timelines.