Interior noise in vehicles constitutes a significant problem in the automotive industry. The customer - knowingly or not - perceives noise as a lack of quality. Therefore, all manufacturers put a lot of effort into avoiding disturbing noise in a car's interior. In addition to numerous complex acoustic tests during the development process, expensive actions during the manufacturing process intended to remedy noise, burden the company’s financial result. Due to the high volume of produced cars, the smallest additional expenditure per car can lead to considerable costs.
Generally, the later a problem is detected, the less scope there is for its solution and the higher the costs. Therefore, simulation methods are applied to identify weak spots as early as possible. Usually, calculation methods with a linear approach are used and the results are interpreted in a rather empirical way. However, since the relevant mechanisms of noise generation are based on contact and friction, i.e. nonlinear phenomena, the information provided by such calculation methods is severely limited.
Simulation methods comprising a nonlinear approach allow to calculate the contact state and are therefore suited for evaluating noise in a car’s interior. Aim of the project is to enhance these approaches to increase quality and accuracy of results as well as to enlarge the range of applicability. Thereby, important elements are to be developed within the field of vehicle acoustics.