Identification of perceived sound discomfort contributed from partially correlated vibration and noise sources in vehicles

Abstract

The interior noise sources are often complex in vehicles, including not only structure-borne and air-borne noise sources but also vibration sources. These sources may be partially correlated and cannot be calculated using traditional methods, e.g., transfer path analysis and operational path analysis. On the other hand, it is necessary to study the sound quality of the vehicle interior noise to improve the comfort of drivers and passengers in vehicles. An operational partial singular value decomposing method together with sound quality analyses was employed in this study to determine the influence of various partially correlated sources with the perceived discomfort of the subject. The vibration and noise in vehicles were measured in a car when it was running on asphalt, concrete, gravel and bumpy roads. Thirty subjects used the absolute magnitude estimation method to rate the discomfort produced by noise stimuli. A discomfort model was proposed based on the relations between subjective magnitudes and the objective parameters of noise (i.e., the SPL, loudness, roughness, sharpness, and articulation index). The contributions of various vibration and noise sources to the vehicle discomfort were predicted well by the operational partial singular value decomposing method based on the discomfort model.