Variation in vibro-acoustic noise due to the defects in an automotive drum brake

Abstract

Drum brakes are significant contributors to noise and vibration in automobiles causing discomfort to the passengers. The vibration and hence the resulting noise increase due to various inherent defects in the drum brake, such as asymmetry. This work aims to quantify the variation in the vibro-acoustic noise due to several common defects in the drum brake using an integrated non-linear vibration analytical model and a numerical acoustic model. The sources of vibro-acoustic noise sources such as contact and reaction forces are predicted using a four-degree-of-freedom non-linear contact mechanics based analytical model. A finite element based acoustic model of the drum brake is utilized to predict the force to the sound pressure transfer function in the drum brake. Product of the transfer functions and the forces gives the corresponding sound pressure level from which the overall sound pressure levels are estimated. The variation in the overall sound pressure levels due to different drum brake defects is evaluated by introducing defects to the analytical model. The results show that the overall sound pressure level is a strong function of the defects. It is envisioned that the current work will help in the development of effective health monitoring systems.