Quality and refinement are of paramount importance for luxury vehicles. The rapid electrification of the automotive industry has increased the contribution of aeroacoustics to the consumer perception of sound quality. The ability to predict whole vehicle aeroacoustic interior noise is essential in the development of vehicles with an extraordinary acoustic environment.
This publication summarises the development of a process to combine lattice Boltzmann computational fluid dynamics simulations, with a whole vehicle statistical energy analysis model, to predict the aeroacoustic contribution from all relevant sources and paths. The ability to quantify the relative contribution of glazing panels and path modifications was also investigated.
The whole vehicle aeroacoustic interior noise predictions developed, were found to be within 2dB(A) of comparable test vehicle wind tunnel measurements, across a broad frequency range (250-5000 Hz). The ability to determine panel contributions and identify the effect of path modifications was also shown.
This study is the first stage in delivering an accurate, optimised and cost-effective approach to predict whole vehicle aeroacoustic interior noise, early in the vehicle development process; reducing the reliance upon expensive prototype vehicles.