Simulation and Optimization Driven Design Process for S&R Problematic - PSA Peugeot Citroën Application for Interior Assembly

NVH (Noise Vibration & Harshness) is one of the main focus areas during the development of products such as passenger cars or trucks. Physical test methods have traditionally been used to assess NVH, but the necessity for reducing cost and creating a robust solution early in the design process has driven the increased usage of simulation tools. Development of well-defined methods and tools for NVH analysis allows today’s OEMs to have a virtual engineering based development cycle from concept to test. However, a subset of NVH problems including squeak and rattle (S&R) have not been generally focused upon. In a vehicle, S&R is a recurring problem for interior plastic parts such as an instrument panel or door trim. Since 2012, Altair has been developing S&R Director (SnRD), which is a solution that identifies and combats S&R issues by embedding the Evaluation-Line (E-Line) methodology [1] [2]. This methodology is based on industry best practices, as described in the paper SAE 2012-01-1553. This simulation based approach consist of predicting the risk of S&R for trim parts, identifying the root causes, and proposing solutions to the projects via robustness analysis and optimization. This type of simulation integrates design & manufacturing data (GD&T) as well as advanced material testing data.