Acoustic Tuning of Lightweight Vehicle Interior Systems

This paper discusses the approach and application of controlling material and manufacturing parameters in development of lightweight acoustic interior systems. First addressed is the theoretical premise of noise control mechanisms and their relationship to material property/process sensitivity through poroelastic model simulation. The optimal balance of sound transmission loss and absorption in achieving optimally tuned acoustic performance is then presented along with material sample and in-vehicle experimental results. The ability to acoustically tune the vehicle interior to a desired sound level and frequency content through proper design & control of the elastic porous properties achieved by unique acoustic material/process flexibility & capability is demonstrated. The acoustic_tuning capability created from the material and manufacturing design space offers a family of acoustic solutions that provide up to 70% additional weight benefit in comparison to other current vehicle acoustic interior system solutions.