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From the early 1980’s through 2015, the engineering community has witnessed dramatic changes in the technology for mitigating sound in vehicles. Throughout these years, vehicle noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) engineers were skilled and talented in testing vehicles, and at conducting laboratory studies of materials and trim-insulator components. This paper surveys a wide variety of processes that NVH automotive engineers use to develop trim-insulator packages which are effective in reducing cab-interior noise while being esthetically appealing. Analytical models are used to cascade overall cab-interior sound pressure level (SPL) targets to trim-insulator performance targets. This paper also reviews how sound absorption is employed to reduce cab-interior SPL. Acoustical material laboratory tests are briefly described along with the role they play in selecting trim-insulator products for vehicles.

A flexible rebound-type acoustic metamaterial with high sound transmission loss (STL) at low frequency is proposed, which is composed of a flexible, light-weight membrane material and a sheet material - Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Copolymer (EVA) with uneven distributed circular holes. STL was analyzed by using both computer aided engineering (CAE) calculations and experimental verifications, which depict good results in the consistency between each other. An obvious sound insulation peak exists in the low frequency band, and the STL peak mechanism is the rebound-effect of the membrane surface, which is proved through finite element analysis (FEA) under single frequency excitation. Then the variation of the STL peak is studied by changing the structure parameters and material parameters of the metamaterial, providing a method to design the metamaterial with high sound insulation in a specified frequency range.

The control strategy design of vehicle active noise control (ANC) relies too much on experiment experience, which costs a lot to gather mass data and the experimental results lack representation. To solve these problems, a new control strategy optimization method based on the genetic algorithm is proposed. First, a vehicle cabin sound field simulation model is built by sound transfer function. Based on the filtered-X Least Mean Squares (FX-LMS) algorithm and the vehicle cabin sound field simulation model, a vehicle ANC simulation model is proposed and verified by a vehicle field test. Furthermore, the genetic algorithm is used as a strategy optimization tool to optimize an ANC control strategy parameter set based on the vehicle ANC simulation model. The optimized results provide a reference for the ANC control strategy design of the vehicle.

Acoustic performance of auto interiors is definitely important to control the NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) performance inside a vehicle, and it is determined by the material parameters, such as density (ρ), thickness (d), open porosity (OP), airflow resistivity (σ), tortuosity (T), viscous characteristic length (VCL), thermal characteristic length (TCL), young's modulus, poisson's ratio, and damping coefficient. Firstly, by making different felt samples (of different surface density and thickness), the sound absorption performance and related parameters were obtained. Then the correlation between the parameters and the sound absorption coefficient (SAC) was summarized. Through this method, database of acoustic parameters and the corresponding SAC for porous materials can be established and sound package design and adjustment can be easily conducted based on the database.

PE (polyethylene) membranes are widely adopted in sound insulation pads inside vehicle. However, there are few studies on the acoustical effects of these inserted membranes. This study focuses on these effects. Frequently sound insulation is made up of two layers of felt (a pad made of cotton or synthetic fiber), separated by a PE membrane. The normal incidence sound absorption coefficient and sound transmission loss for this type of insulation construction were calculated through the micro perforated membrane theory and the analytical model (NOVA) which is based on Biot theory. Impedance tube measurement was used to derive the poroelastic properties needed to utilize these models. Comparison between the calculated and measured results showed that the absorption coefficient obtained from the micro perforated membrane theory was closer to the measured value above 3 kHz. And that calculated using NOVA was closer to the measured value below 3 kHz.

Several methods have been established to measure the normal incidence transmission loss of noise control materials using the standing wave tube. In the automotive NVH field, multi-layered systems are common-place, for example in the interaction between the traditional mass-decoupler dash insulator and the front dash sheet metal. Most of the sound transmission loss studies utilizing the standing wave tube have so far been focused on single layer systems with only a limited number of studies on multi-layered systems. Therefore there is only some degree of information on the correlation between this said method and the more widely accepted two-room methods of determining sound transmission properties in these systems.

Each time a new vehicle is developed, engineers face the challenge to develop the ideal sound insulation package. The goal is to attenuate powertrain, wind and road/tire noise from entering the vehicle while complying with cost, weight and packaging constraints. The design process is greatly facilitated if the engineer has effective tools to rapidly quantify how various sound insulation components contribute to the overall NVH performance of the vehicle. This paper discusses how an interactive vehicle acoustical design tool can be developed that assists the designer in making rapid decisions as to how to balance the performance of the various sound package components. The acoustical design tool is unique for each vehicle, and must take into account design decisions such as type of powertrain, body style, and numerous other factors in order to correctly predict the performance of the total package.

This paper reviews how sound transmission loss (STL) of insulators is affected by gravitational and thermal effects. A special STL test fixture was designed and fabricated to quickly and accurately obtain the STL measurement of a sample oriented at various controlled angles. The STL apparatus was designed to roll into a large reverberation chamber and act as the anechoic termination for a two-microphone approach to measuring STL. The fixture was also built with the intention of studying the temperature effects on a material's STL performance. A variety of samples, including lightweight and traditional barrier decoupled insulators, were tested in the horizontal, vertical, and inverted positions to evaluate gravitational/inertial effects. Thermal effects were investigated by bringing the STL apparatus and sample to a low temperature by moving outdoors, and then rolling the system into the reverberation chamber, at normal room temperature.

This paper reviews an alternative approach for mounting flat absorptive samples in small reverberant chambers, which improves the accuracy of random incidence sound absorption measurements. A square recessed cavity is proposed, which allows flat test samples to be flush mounted to the floor of the chamber. This design feature eliminates acoustical measurement errors caused by diffraction effects at the edges of the samples, which are particularly pronounced in small reverberant chambers. Random incidence sound absorption data are presented for fibrous and cellular flat acoustical insulation samples placed on the floor, and compared with data produced when those same samples were mounted using the flush mount system in a small reverberant chamber. The sample edge diffraction effects are quantified over a frequency range of 250 - 10,000 Hz.

This paper discusses the approach and application of controlling material and manufacturing parameters in development of lightweight acoustic interior systems. First addressed is the theoretical premise of noise control mechanisms and their relationship to material property/process sensitivity through poroelastic model simulation. The optimal balance of sound transmission loss and absorption in achieving optimally tuned acoustic performance is then presented along with material sample and in-vehicle experimental results. The ability to acoustically tune the vehicle interior to a desired sound level and frequency content through proper design & control of the elastic porous properties achieved by unique acoustic material/process flexibility & capability is demonstrated.