Characteristics of NVH

Audible Range of Automotive Sounds



Automobiles have a full range of sounds

Low speed Drones, very low pitch and can be felt but hardly heard.  Brake Squeal, High pitch sound that can be heard but hardly felt.


Noises
There are many noises that occur in an Automobile.  The 4 main noises that a technician needs to be able to identify are;


Droning  Beat  Road Noise  Brake Squeal



Droning


A discomfort in the ear caused by sudden changes in atmospheric pressure. The three types of droning are:
  

Low speed Droning Middle speed Droning High speed Droning

All speeds of droning consist of a nonnondirectional, low pitched, and long duration noise. Low speed Droning; is hard to hear and feels like pressure in the ears. High speed Droning; a humming noise that is uncomfortable to the ears.

Droning can occur while accelerating or decelerating, or through various engine or vehicle speeds.

It is important for a technician to pinpoint the vehicle speed and/or engine speed in which the NVH concern occurs.

Likely Causes of Droning

Bending resonance of exhaust pipes.  Resonance of auxiliary equipment.  Bending resonance of drive shaft.  Resonance of suspension links.  Transmission of engine vibration.  Transmission of exhaust noise.  Transmission of intake air noise.


Beat
 

Must have 2 sources. The sensation of a beat sound is most noticed when the Frequency difference is 1 to 6 Hz. If two frequencies are more than 6 Hz apart, there sounds are distinguishable from each other.

Likely Causes of a Beat

Engine and Air Conditioning Compressor.  Engine and Power Steering Hydraulic Pump  Engine and vibration of the drive shaft  Tire non-uniformity non

Road Noise


The impact between the road surface and tires cause the tries to vibrate. This vibration is transmitted to the suspension and body. The resonance characteristic of the passenger compartment amplifies the road noise.

Brake Squeal
The most common NVH Noise Concern.  Drum Brakes; emit a lower pitched noise that gets louder with increased brake pedal pressure.  Disc Brakes; generally a high pitched squeal that occurs with light pedal pressure.


Likely Causes of Brake Squeal

Worn Brake Linings  Non-uniform thickness of brake disc of Nondrum  Excessive run out  Contamination of friction surfaces  Damaged brake linings


Vibrations


The main characteristics of vibrations are:

Ride Comfort  Shake  Shimmy  Brake Shudder


Ride Comfort


When un sprung components start to resonate with sprung components. Pitching Rolling Bouncing

Shake


Vibrations felt in the steering wheel, seat, or floor. Two types of shake are:
 

Vertical Lateral

Generally has a frequency between 10 to 30 Hz.

Vertical Shake; a severe vertical vibration of the seat, body, or steering wheel. A trembling engine hood or rear view mirror may also be a symptom. Lateral Shake; a severe side to side Shake; vibration of the seats, body, or steering wheel. The shake of the drivers waist may also be a symptom.

 

Possible Causes of a Shake

Roughness of the road  Tire imbalance  Non-uniform tires Non Bent or out or roundness of wheels  Driveline  Engine


Shimmy
Vibration that causes the steering wheel to oscillate.  Typically has a frequency between 5 and 15 Hz.  The two main types of shimmy are:


Low speed shimmy  High speed shimmy



Low speed shimmy; when the steering shimmy; wheel begins to vibrate when driving over a bump at low speeds. (Bump Steer) High speed shimmy; when the steering shimmy; wheel vibrates on smooth roads at highway speeds.


Typically occurs within a limited speed range.

Main Causes of a Shimmy

   

Roughness of road Tire Imbalance NonNon-uniform tires Bent or out of roundness of the wheel

Brake Shudder
Causes the instrument panel, steering wheel, and sometimes the entire body to vibrate vertically and back and forth.  Peaks at 40 to 50 mph and has a frequency of 5 to 30 Hz.  The major sources of shudder are:


Brake rotor run out  Non-uniform thickness Non

Certain operating conditions can greatly affect these vibrations:

Extended periods where the vehicle is not in operation.  Brake disc surface irregularities caused by foreign substances (saltwater, antifreeze, etc)  Deformation of brake drum cause by poor installation.


Harshness
Many customers use the word harshness to describe ride comfort concerns.  Occurs when a vehicle vibrates when moving across road joints, projections, depressions or stepped paved road surfaces.  Typically has a vibration of 30 to 60 Hz.


The level of the vibration or harshness changes with suspension and bushing design and type.