Acoustic Noise Assessment of Gasoline Direct Injection Fuel Injectors Using Taguchi Methods

Gasoline Direct injection (GDi) systems offer performance and /or fuel consumption advantages compared to the traditional lower pressure port fuel injected technology. One disadvantage of GDi is the higher level of audible noise produced by the high pressure GDi system components. Powertrain noise is a known warranty complaint across the automotive industry.

This paper presents an objective comparison of acoustic noise emitted by eight solenoid actuated fuel injector designs during their normal operation, including at engine idle, where powertrain noise is more noticeable to the customer. Taguchi Robust Engineering methods will be used to conduct an assessment of the noise generated by various GDi fuel injector designs. Injector fixturing, measurement procedures, and their impact on reducing test-to-test measurement variation are discussed.