In the last years, the increasing concern for the environmental issues of IC engines has promoted the development of new strategies capable of reducing both pollutant emissions in atmosphere and noise radiation.
Engines can produce different types of noise: 1) aerodynamic noise due to intake and exhaust systems and 2) surface radiated noise. Identification and analysis of noise sources are essential to evaluate the individual contribution (injection, combustion, piston slap, turbocharger, oil pump, valves) to the overall noise with the aim of selecting appropriate control strategies.
Previous paper focused on the combustion related noise emission. The research activity aimed at diagnosing and controlling the combustion process via acoustic measurements. The optimal placement of the microphone was selected, where the signal was strongly correlated to the in-cylinder pressure development during the combustion process. Analysis and processing of the sound emission allowed the acoustic contribution of the combustion event to be isolated. Some indices capable of relating the combustion noise radiation back to the combustion development were defined.
This paper presents an experimental activity devoted to analyze the entire noise generation process of a small displacement diesel engine. The purpose was to identify the contribution of the different sources (mechanical, combustion, fluid dynamic) to the overall emission. The methodology here proposed analyze the specific signature in the frequency domain of each source. The final objective was to use the microphone signal acquired in a proper selected location, to obtain indications about the effective strategies to achieve noise reduction.
The repetitiveness of the measurements was guaranteed by a network encircling the engine. Microphones were placed in different positions and tests were performed in the complete engine operative field. In the paper, the experimental set-up is described, the methodology is presented. Results are then shown and discussed.