Simulation of in-vehicle tire noise performance from single-tire test stand

A test and signal processing strategy was developed to allow a tire manufacturer to predict vehicle-level interior response based on component-level testing of a single tire. The approach leveraged time-domain Source-Path-Contribution (SPC) techniques to build an experimental model of an existing single tire tested on a dynamometer and substitute into a simulator vehicle to predict vehicle-level performance. The component-level single tire was characterized by its acoustic source strength and structural forces estimated by means of virtual point transformation and a matrix inversion approach. These source strengths and forces were then inserted into a simulator vehicle model to predict the acoustic signature, in time-domain, at the passenger’s ears. This approach was validated by comparing the vehicle-level prediction to vehicle-level measured response. The experimental model building procedure can then be adopted as a standard procedure to aid in vehicle development programs.