Squeak and rattle testing (“S&R”) is an important aspect of the automotive industry, primarily focused on identifying and mitigating undesirable noises and vibrations that can occur in vehicles. These noises, commonly referred to as squeaks and rattles, can significantly impact the perceived quality and customer satisfaction of a vehicle.
Here are some details about squeak and rattle testing in the automotive industry:
- Test Environment: Squeak and rattle testing typically takes place in a controlled laboratory environment, often referred to as a “quiet room.” This facility has specialized equipment to simulate different road conditions and reproduce various frequencies and vibrations experienced during vehicle use. Depending on the customer requirements, S&R targets may vary. Some targets require the total sound pressure level (SPL) commonly A-weighted (SPL dB(A)) to be below a specified level, some check for the Loudness levels in Sones.
- Regulatory Standards: Since, most of the standards were developed for conventional internal combustion engines, the frequency range and the levels do still cover this type of vehicle. However, with the growing number of electric vessels, structural inputs are drastically reduced and we expect to see a similar random loading requirement (road loads) but a narrower frequency range for the powertrain related inputs with lower amplitudes.
- Test Procedures: Squeak and rattle testing involves both subjective and objective evaluation methods:a. Subjective Evaluation: Test engineers listen to the unit under test during the initial runs and try to understand the behavior of the system. They listen and feel for any squeaks, rattles, or abnormal vibrations and provide feedback.b. Objective Evaluation: Objective evaluations involve using specialized equipment to measure and quantify noise and vibration levels. In our tests, Class-1 microphones are used to capture the sound data.
- Post Process: Once the data is collected, it is analyzed to determine the root causes of squeaks and rattles. In case if there are external noises, related to the shaker system, these noises are filtered out. Reports are given in detail , providing feedback for both the potential causes of noises and the filtering.
- In case if any further development is required, Novosim engineers do provide feedback for a better design on noise and vibration.
For further information, please feel free to contact info@novosim.com.