Correlation of Various Test Methodologies with Vehicle Seat Acoustical Performance

Quietness is a primary metric of vehicle interior sound quality. Seats have always had the potential of enhancing interior quietness. An acoustic study was undertaken with seats to determine the similarity of result rank using different acoustic test methodologies. The component of test were seats for a production minivan. Nine complete seat sets underwent various acoustic tests. The nine seat sets were of various fabrics and construction. The acoustic tests were normal incidence sound absorption, random incidence sound absorption, in-vehicle sound absorption and artificial source noise reduction. A comparison of acoustical performance rank of seat sets from the various tests were obtained. Ranks obtained from various materials with in laboratory acoustical tests showed consistency.