Simultaneous Sound Power Measurement of Engine Components

The sound power level is the most important quantity that characterizes the noise emission of machinery. Following standardized procedures, it is usually calculated from sound pressure levels measured at a number of reference positions on a surface enveloping the object. The resulting value does not hold any direct information on the noise contributions of subcomponents. However, effective noise reduction necessitates a prior identification of acoustic sources and their characteristics. Combining the enveloping-surface method with microphone array measurements facilitates the evaluation of synchronously noise-emitting subcomponents. The application of this technique on a water pump with a four-stroke engine as power source is presented in this paper. The microphones are arranged on a cuboid surface surrounding the setup. The measured data is processed so as to yield sound power levels in a defined 3D focus region. As is shown, with this technique it is not only possible to identify and spatially visualize noise sources and the emitted respective sound powers, but also to determine spectral characteristics of noise emitted by chosen components.