Computer Model Tests for Car Noise During Design Stage

Matti Rantatalo (Luleå University of Technology)

A researcher at Luleå University of Technology in Sweden has built a computer simulation model to help car designers locate potential sources of unwanted car noise. Matti Rantatalo (pictured right) developed the model as part of his doctoral studies at Luleå, in the university’s Center for Automotive System Technologies and Testing (CASTT), and with help from Sweden’s auto industry.

The model helps car makers locate the origins of squeaks and rattles  during the car’s design stage, which can help them devise a plan to better seal the car. Given this knowledge, says Rantatalo, “the test phase of the vehicles can be refined and focused in the right areas so that future problems can be avoided.”

A car’s body seal does more than minimize noise. It also insulates the driver and passengers from other environmental factors, such as temperature extremes, odors, and dust. In addition, the seal provides a cushion between the car’s body parts, such as the frame and doors, to minimize wear. But as cars become more complex, chances grow for dislocations or anomalies that can create unwanted noise.

Rantatalo studied ways to identify and simulate the various noises made by cars. His work with CASTT on this subject got the attention of Sweden’s auto industry that built a test track in Norrbotten, in the northern part of the country, to help make Rantatalo’s research more realistic. At the test track Rantatalo can, for example, check on real life rattles created artificially at various frequencies by the model.

For their part, the car makers are eager to figure out if their new models would start squeaking or creaking before they go into production, at significant savings to the companies.

Read more: Engineers Developing Human Driving Model to Reduce Crashes

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