Squeak Studies on Material Pairs

Advancements in the area of noise and vibration control have succeeded in quieting the vehicle to the point that previously obscure squeak and rattles must now be addressed. One possible way to decrease the squeak levels is by judicious selection of the material friction pairs. The squeak levels produced by a given material friction pair are a function of a number of test conditions like interference, temperature, humidity and excitation frequency. This paper experimentally studies the dependence of squeak levels on these factors. Understanding the relationship between squeak and test conditions will guide the selection of materials and help us to carefully select the test conditions for squeak evaluations. It will also result in cost reductions to otherwise numerous and expensive squeak parameter testing.