Numerical and experimental-based framework for vibro-acoustic coupling investigation on a vehicle door in the slamming event

Abstract

The sound quality produced by the door slamming event is one of the significant subjective parameters to evaluate the inherent quality of the vehicle. The vehicle door is mainly composed of fixed door panels and moving glass channels and the sound quality depends on these structural components. This paper proposes a numerical and experimental-based framework to evaluate the vibro-acoustic coupling value between the door panel system and the glass channel system in the door slamming event. The framework is composed of transfer path analysis (TPA), semi-constrained modal analysis based on finite element analysis (FEA) and lab experiments, and boundary element analysis (BEA). Two TPAs (the 1st and 2nd transfer path), lab experiment and bench test are conducted to obtain the transient excitation forces on the designated excitation points. Modal analysis is carried out by FEA and validated through experiments. Transient responses are obtained through FEA and low-frequency modes. Finally, the transient vibration response is mapped to the boundary element mesh, and the acoustic pressure at the microphone field point is obtained by using the BEA technique. The vibro-acoustic coupling value is obtained by comparing the total acoustic energy of the door panel system and glass channel system with the entire door’s acoustic energy. This framework can be used for optimal door structural design to maximize a door’s noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) performance.