Robust Process for the Design and Development of Automotive Noise Control Systems (a.k.a. Acoustic Integration)

The process of developing a vehicle for optimal interior noise levels is an enormous effort on the part of a large team of individuals. Since any given vehicle program will continually evolve during the development process, an effective and robust noise control strategy and process must be implemented to ensure that vehicle performance targets are realized in production. However, robust does not mean “performance overkill” to provide for all possible contingencies, since this approach would be prohibitively expensive and massive. This paper outlines a process by which vehicle development allows for managing performance tradeoffs with other packaging and performance concerns, while continually monitoring performance, cost and mass to target.