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In this paper we present a time-domain dynamic analysis of a helical gear box with different housing models using a unique finite element-contact mechanics solver. The analysis includes detail contact modeling between gear pairs along with the dynamics of gear bodies, shafts, bearings, etc. Inclusion of the housing in the dynamic analysis not only increases the fidelity of the model but also helps estimate important NVH metrics, such as dynamic load and vibration transmission to the base, sound radiation by the gearbox, etc. Two different housing models are considered. In the first, the housing is represented by a full FE mesh, and in the second, the housing is replaced by a reduced model of condensed stiffness and mass matrices. Component Mode Synthesis (CMS) methods are employed to obtain the reduced housing model. Results from both the models are successfully compared to justify the use of reduced housing model for further studies.

Disc brake squeal is a very complicated phenomenon, and the influence of insulators in suppressing squeal is not fully understood. The aim of this paper is increase the understanding of the effect of insulators. A previous paper [1] presented an experimental technique for measuring the frequency- and temperature- dependent properties of viscoelastic materials currently used in insulators. The present work continues by considering the coupled vibrations of the brake pad and insulator. A comparison of natural frequencies found from experimental modal analysis and finite element modeling indicates agreement to with 5%. Experimentally determined modal loss factors of the brake pad vary dramatically with frequency, changing by a factor of 2 over the frequency range 2-11 kHz. A method for including this frequency dependence, as well as the frequency dependence of the insulator material, in state-of-the-art finite element software is proposed.

High frequency brake squeal is often suppressed by applying an insulator to the shoe plate of the pad. This may increase the damping and change the coupling conditions in a favorable way, but detailed knowledge about which of the several effects of insulators that are most important is not at hand. A joint effort is needed to increase the understanding of the effects of insulators. This paper describes a new way of measuring the shear stiffness and damping of insulators. The method can be used to measure either the individual layers in an insulator or the complete insulator that is build up of several layers. The method does not rely on the resonant behavior of a structure and it therefore allows for measurements of the parameters over a wide frequency range. The measurement setup can be placed in a temperature chamber and this allows the parameters to be measured over a wide temperature range.

Recent investigations by others have indicated that the dynamic response of automotive brake rotors in the squeal frequency range involves the classic flexural modes as well as in-plane motion. While the latter set creates primarily in-plane displacements, there is coupling to transverse displacements that might produce vibrational instabilities. This question is investigated here by analyzing a modal model that includes two modes of the rotor and two modes of the pad and caliper assembly. Coupling between in-plane and transverse displacements is explicitly controlled. Results from this model indicate that the coupling does create vibrational instabilities. The instabilities, whose frequencies are in the squeal range, are characterized by power flow through the transverse motion of the rotor.

This paper first gives a brief review on brake squeal mechanisms and then studies in-plane modes/friction process and their contribution to disc brake squeal. Pulsed laser electronic speckle pattern interferometry was used to acquire the operational deflection shape (ODS) of a disc brake when it was squealing. Laser vibrometry was used to obtain mode shapes of brake discs/rotors including both the out-of-plane (transverse) modes and in-plane (radial or tangential) modes. The rubbing friction process with a non-rotation rotor under a free-free boundary condition was used to simulate friction-induced vibration. The coupling between in-plane modes and out-of-plane modes/vibration is believed to be the key to produce squeal. The in-plane modes tend to control the squeal frequency, and the out-of-plane modes/vibration are efficient to generate noise. Many case studies have shown that high frequency disc brake squeal occurs at one or some of its rotor in-plane resonant frequencies.

The problem of NVH CAE model correlation in light of test and product variation has been addressed. An objective metric based on statistical hypothesis testing has been proposed and evaluated. This technique has been shown to work for frequency response functions. The hypothesis test answers the question ‘Are the involved frequency response functions statistically different than those in a reference set?’ This paper demonstrates that vehicles are uniquely identifiable by their frequency response functions. Under certain restrictive assumptions, the average gross error normalized by the ensemble variance is chi-squared distributed. Using a chi-squared test, the probability that a NVH CAE prediction is a member of a reference (test) set can be estimated. Within the context of a reference (test) set, this metric represents the limit to predictability. The metric was applied to examples including two midsize car NVH CAE models.