Assessing Headliner and Roof Assembly Acoustics

Although automotive headliners are primarily designed for their aesthetic qualities, technical experts realize that they play a significant role in affecting the acoustics in the cab of the vehicle. This paper suggests that the roof sheet metal and headliner perform as an assembly system, and explores how the acoustical attributes of that system, including the sound absorption, sound transmission loss and damping, can be assessed in the acoustics laboratory. New test methodologies and devices are introduced, and a wide variety of headliner and roof assembly designs are tested.