Underbody contribution simulation for vehicle wind-noise

Wind noise is one of the largest sources to the interior noise of modern electric and hybrid vehicles. This noise is encountered when driving on roads and freeways and generate considerable fatigue for passengers on long journeys. Aero-acoustic noise is the result of turbulent and acoustic pressure fluctuations created within the flow. They are transmitted to the passenger compartment via the vibro-acoustic excitation of vehicle surfaces and underbody cavities. Generally, this is the dominant flow-induced source at low frequencies. The transmission mechanism through the vehicle floor and underbody is a complex phenomenon as the paths to the cavity can be both airborne and structure-borne. This study is focused on the floor contribution to wind noise of different type of vehicles, whose underbody structure are largely different. Aero-Vibro-acoustic simulations are performed to clarify the transmission mechanism of the underbody wind noise and contribution. The external fluctuating pressure fields are simulated using computational fluid dynamics based on the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM). The vehicle exterior and interior vibro-acoustic coupling and transmission are simulated using subsystems modeled by the finite-element (FEM) or boundary element methods (BEM). The analysis results are discussed and a contribution analysis is proposed to identify potential improvements.