Brake Noise Prediction Using Altair Multi-Body Simulation

The level of noise transmitted to the passengers of a vehicle can drastically impact a passenger's comfort. Brake noise will give the customer an impression of poor product quality and can thus damage the quality image of the company. Within the automotive industry, the study of mode coupling instability by the use of FEM and modal complex analysis is widespread to reduce this phenomenon. In this paper an alternative method is presented, where potential brake noise issues are predicted by the use of a time transient integration using multi-body system analysis. The simulation model contains a nonlinear contact description, bushing, flexible bodies and the axis kinematics of the vehicle. Transient results are transformed by Fourier for a frequency domain study. The parameters that can be varied for the prediction analysis are brake pressure, vehicle speed, friction laws, system damping and bushing properties. The advantages of the multi-body system analysis approach are in the direct consideration of the non-linearity's which are significant within certain frequency ranges. The multi-body system analysis approach also provides a further method to confirm results from the complex modal analysis and thus increases the informational value of the numerical predictions. Simulations variant results will be presented and discussed and enhancements will be proposed.