2011

The application of power-based transfer path analysis

to passenger car structure-borne noise
X Han*, Y-J Guo, Y-E Zhao, and Z-Q Lin
Auto-Body Technical Center, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, Peoples
Republic of China

The manuscript was received on 18 October 2007 and was accepted after revision for publication on 10 July 2008.

DOI: 10.1243/09544070JAUTO750

Abstract: Structure-borne noise in a passenger car is usually transmitted through multiple

and/or multi-dimensional paths. Therefore, identification and control of these transfer paths
are effective measures for noise reduction. A power-based transfer path analysis methodology
is proposed for this purpose. First, the power flow of each transfer path is estimated with an
equivalent-uncoupled-system method based on linear network theory and the Thevenin
equivalent theorem. Next, the correlation between the power flow of each transfer path and the
sound pressure in the passenger compartment is established; then the contribution of each
transfer path is ranked; meanwhile the dominant paths and their key parameters are identified
through the equations of power flow calculation. Finally, these key parameters can be analysed
and then improved to reduce the structure-borne noise. An illustration of this methodology is
given with a passenger car model containing a power plant, three mounts, a compliant car
body, and an enclosed acoustic cavity. It is demonstrated that the methodology is effective to
analyse and control the structure-borne noise transfer paths.

Keywords: structure-borne noise, transfer path analysis, power flow

1 INTRODUCTION ture-borne noise is thus transmitted via these

Structure-borne noise reduction in a passenger car is
a challenge for vehicle design engineers. Structure-
borne noise is generated by the vibration of auto-
body panels. One of the primary excitation sources
in a passenger car is the powerplant. The vibrational
energy generated from the power plant is first
transmitted through the mounts, which are used to
reduce the transmission of unwanted vibration from
the power plant to the passenger compartment.
Structure-borne noise can be attenuated by decreas-
ing the vibrational energy of auto-body panels. In
such a vehicle system, the mounting subsystems
form multiple and/or multi-dimensional transfer
paths of structural vibration between the power
plant and passenger compartment, and the struc-
*Corresponding author: Auto-Body Technical Center, School of
Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800#,
Dongchuan Road, Minhang District, Shanghai, 200240, Peoples
Republic of China. email: xhan@sjtu.edu.cn; hanxu.sun@gmail.
com
structural paths. In order to control the structure-
borne noise transmission, it is necessary to explore
the effects of viscoelastic mounts and the complex
dynamic interactions among the mounts and con-
tiguous structures. Because of potential coupling
phenomena existing among these structural compo-
nents, it is not easy to quantify the contribution of
each transfer path to the structure-borne noise and
to identify dominant transfer paths, especially at low
and middle frequencies.
The traditional method of transfer path analysis
[15] mainly involves force and velocity transmissi-
bility and related concepts. Because of the complex-
ity of transfer paths, a statistical method has been
developed to improve the efficiency of test and
identification [6]. This method is widely used in the
automobile industry and plays an important role
in attenuating vibration and noise levels through
simulation and experimental analysis [3, 4]. How-
ever, the method is mainly suitable for unidirec-
tional motions although it has been extended to
multi-dimensional systems [7, 8]. For a multi-

JAUTO750 F IMechE 2008 Proc. IMechE Vol. 222 Part D: J. Automobile Engineering

Downloaded from pid.sagepub.com at UNIV OF ILLINOIS URBANA on March 16, 2015

2012 X Han, Y-J Guo, Y-E Zhao, and Z-Q Lin
dimensional problem, the units of translational and
rotational quantities are not compatible, and the
directions of them are different. Thus, the concept of
vibration power has been introduced to assess
vibration transmission to the receivers. Application
of power flow in transfer path analysis may inher-
ently include information on both force and velocity,
and it also accords with the concept of energy
transmission. For a problem of multiple and multi-
dimensional transfer paths, the vibration or sound
transmission performance via each direction at each
path can be characterized with the same scalar
quantity of power flow, which is convenient for
ranking the contribution of each transfer path and
identification of dominant paths.
Research on power flow started about 30 years ago.
Pinnington and White [9] investigated the power
flow from a vibrating machine via the isolators to
the receiving structures, and Pinnington [10] em-
ployed the vibrational power flow techniques as a
method to quantify the effectiveness of vibration
isolators. Pan et al. [11] developed an analytical
model for the analysis of total power flow through
multiple elastic mounts to a flexible supporting
panel. Kim and co-workers [1217] studied vibration
isolation and structure-borne noise transmission via
multiple/multi-dimensional transfer paths. They
presented a continuous system model [12] for iso-
lators and an experimental identification method
[13] of multi-dimensional characteristics of vibration
isolators. They did much experimental work to
examine the correlation between the power-based
multi-dimensional vibration isolation and sound
radiation over a broad frequency range [14, 15],
and gave an illustration of the power-based quanti-
fication method of structure-borne noise transfer
paths via a simplified vehicle system [16, 17]. Lee
[18] identified the dominant vibration transfer path
by experimentally measuring the multi-dimensional
vibrational power flow through each isolator and
obtained a 5 dB reduction in sound pressure level in
a vehicle by modifying the body structure accord-
ingly.
To the present authors knowledge, the present
research on power-based transfer path analysis
mentioned above involves basic theories and simple
applications to quantify the effectiveness of vibra-
tion isolation. Few studies mention a practical meth-
od or employ the related theories to engineering
projects on structure-borne noise transmission con-
trol. Therefore, a systematic power-based transfer
path analysis methodology is proposed for these pur-
poses in this paper. The methodology can be used
Proc. IMechE Vol. 222 Part D: J. Automobile Engineering
Downloaded from pid.sagepub.com at UNIV OF ILLINOIS URBANA on March 16, 2015
not only on real experimental systems in the veh-
icle prototype and production stages but also on
digital models in early stages of vehicle design. A
formulation of power flow calculation is first derived
for a linear and time-invariant system through sim-
plifying the coupling between the source, isola-
tors, and receiving structure based on the Thevenin
equivalent theorem. This formulation can be em-
ployed to estimate the power flow through each
structural path. Then, because of the close correla-
tion between the total power flow to the compliant
car body and the total sound pressure response at a
specific point in the passenger compartment, the
partial contributions to the total power flow, as well
as the total sound pressure, can be ranked and the
dominant path(s) identified. Further, key parame-
ters that have significant effect on the power flow
through the dominant path(s) can be discovered from
the power flow calculation formulations. Finally,
the key parameters of dominant transfer paths are
tuned by modifying the dynamic parameters and
body structure to attenuate vibration and structure-
borne noise levels in the passenger car.
2 THEORY OF POWER FLOW
2.1 Power flow calculation
The power is the rate at which work is done, and is
given by the relationship
p~fv 1
where f and v are the instantaneous values of force
and velocity respectively at a point. However, for
a vibrating structure the time-averaged complex
power flow through a connected point is more than
the instantaneous value. When the force and velocity
are harmonic, it is given by [19]
2p=v
 1

v 1 1 1
P~ fv dt~ Re F V ~ Re FV 2
2p 0 2 2
where v is the radial frequency and * denotes the
complex conjugate. The time-dependent harmonic
force and velocity are expressed as f 5 F ejvt and
v 5 V ejvt respectively.
According to equation (1) or (2), the power flow
can be obtained given the force and velocity at the
connected points. For conveniently identifying the
key parameters and instructing the structural im-
provement to control the power flow, an alternative
method is presented, which is suitable for experi-
JAUTO750 F IMechE 2008
 The application of power-based transfer path analysis 2013

mental measure and simulation analysis. Based on

linear network theory and the Thevenin equivalent Pin ~
theorem, a general vibrating system can be assumed  n 2   
1 V   n  Fjm
to have two components: source subsystem and sf i
 n . o  n . o2 Re Hr
2  n  m  Fin
receiver subsystem, as shown in Fig. 1. The force and  Hs Fj Fin z Hrn Fjm Fin 
velocity at the connected point, say n, are given by
6
Vn where the superscripts n and m denote different
F n ~ n sf n 3
Hs zHr connected points, and the subscripts i and j denote
different dimensions. Then an effective point mobi-
lity is introduced to address the coupling between
Vsfn Hrn these connected points and multi-dimensional com-
V n~ 4
Hsn zHrn ponents of motion and is expressed as [2023]

where Hsn and Hrn are the mobilities of the source X

N
Fim X6 Fn
nn j
HiinnS ~Hiinn z Hiimn z H
subsystem and receiver subsystem respectively, and m~1,m=n
Fin j~1,j=i ji Fin
Vsfn is the free velocity of vibrating output n of
the source subsystem without connection to the rec- X
N X
6 Fjm
z Hjimn 7
eiver subsystem. The free velocity is defined as the m~1,m=n j~1,j=i
Fin
velocity at the vibrating output when the machine
is run under normal operating conditions but with- Substituting equation (7) into equation (6), the
out connection to any external structures [20, 21]. transmitted power flow through any connected
The free velocity is difficult to obtain with a theor- point via any component of motion can be expressed
etical analysis but can be measured directly from as
an experiment or simulation [21]. Substituting equa-
 n 2

tions (3) and (4) into equation (2), the power flow 1 V 
sf i
at the single unidirectional connected point n can Pin ~  nnS
2 Re Hr,ii 8
2  nnS nnS 
be expressed as Hs,ii zHr,ii 

1
 1 V n 2
 With equations (7) and (8), the general vibrating
n n n1 sf n1
P ~ Re F V ~  2 Re Hr 5
2 2 H n zH n  system with multiple connected points and multi-
s r
dimensional components of motion as shown in
Fig. 2(a) can be transformed to paralleled indi-
However, the source subsystem and receiver sub-
vidual subsystems with a single connected point
system are mostly connected at many points, and
and a unidirectional component of motion, as
multi-dimensional components of motion should
shown in Fig. 2(b). The power flow input of each
be taken into account. To apply to multi-point-
individual subsystem is determined by equation
connected systems, the transmitted power flow tran-
(8). The total power flow transmitted into the
sformed from equation (5) can be rewritten as [20]
receiver subsystem is the sum of the individual
subsystems, i.e. all connected points and compo-
nents of motion, and can be obtained from the
equation

X
N X
6
P~ Pin 9
n~1 i~1

Equations (6) to (9) have taken into account the full

Fig. 1 Schematic diagram of a vibrating system
coupling in the vibrating system. When assuming
weak coupling and cancellation through superpos-
ition (upon assuming the linear system) i.e. the
magnitudes of each point cross-mobility, transfer
mobility, and force ratio are smaller than the point
mobility, or each mobility and force ratio has

JAUTO750 F IMechE 2008 Proc. IMechE Vol. 222 Part D: J. Automobile Engineering

Downloaded from pid.sagepub.com at UNIV OF ILLINOIS URBANA on March 16, 2015

2014 X Han, Y-J Guo, Y-E Zhao, and Z-Q Lin

consists of the components of the position vector

from the mass centre G, including hnx , hny , and hnz .
[H G] is the mobility matrix of the mass centre and it
consists of the mass and moment inertia of the
source structure; these are given by


n I
0
T
~ 11a
Rn
I

2 3
0 {hnz hny
6 {hnx 7
Rn
~4 hnz 0 5 11b
{hny hnx 0

Fig. 2 Schematic diagram of (a) a vibration system "  #

with multiple connected points and (b) its  G
 HvG 0
H ~   12a
equivalent paralleled individual vibrating sub- 0 HwG
systems

different phase the effective point mobility can be 


  1 1 1
simplified to a certain degree. HvG ~diag 12b
jmv jmv jmv

2.2 Mobility functions and structural parameters 2 3{1

Im,xx {Im,xy {Im,xz
  1 6
For a general vibrating system, when the source is Hw ~G
4 {Im,xy Im,yy {Im,yz 7
5 12c
connected to the receiver structure with a number of jv
{Im,xz {Im,yz Im,zz
isolators, the transmitted power flow is dependent
on the structural characteristics of the source,
An isolator has stiffness and damp characteristics
receiver, and isolators and on the excitation of the
as shown in Fig. 3, whose mass distribution is
source. The excitation of the source is usually hard to
usually ignored. Its mobility in the direction i can
control in real engineering designs. Therefore, for
be given as
the purpose of controlling the transmitted power
flow, the structural characteristics of the source, 
ki
receiver, and isolator should be well designed. Mobi- HII,i ~1 ci z 13
jv
lity functions can be used to describe the charac-
teristics of the structural vibration and noise input,
For the connected point n between an isolator and
and they are dependent on the structural parame-
the receiver as the vibrating output of any source
ters of the components of a vibrating system.
subsystem, its mobility in the direction i can be
Power machines, such as an engine, motor, or
pump, can be usually modelled as a rigid body with
mass and moment inertia. Then the point mobility
matrix of vibrating output n of the source structure
can be determined from the moment inertia proper-
ties and the geometric information of the source
structure. According to the rigid body motion theory
and with respect to the mass centre G, the point
mobility matrix can be conveniently expressed as
[13]
 n   T  G  
HSS ~ T n H T n 10

where [T n] is the transformation matrix and is in

conjunction with a rotation matrix [Rn] which Fig. 3 Schematic diagram of an isolator

Proc. IMechE Vol. 222 Part D: J. Automobile Engineering JAUTO750 F IMechE 2008

Downloaded from pid.sagepub.com at UNIV OF ILLINOIS URBANA on March 16, 2015

 The application of power-based transfer path analysis
obtained from the mobility of the source vibrating
output n and the connected isolator n, which are in
series according to
n n n
Hs,i ~HSS,i zHII,i
For the same connected point n as the input of the
corresponding receiver subsystem, its point mobility
in the direction i is a function of the structural
parameters, such as the panel thickness d, according
to
n
Hr,i n
~HRR,i v,t, . . .
Substituting equations (10) to (15) into equation (5),
the relationship between the transmitted power flow
and the structural parameters is obtained. Further, it
can be extended to multi-point-connected systems
in a straightforward manner by the effective point
mobilities expressed as equation (7).
3 REDUCTION IN INTERIOR STRUCTURE-
BORNE NOISE
In this study, a passenger car system is used to
illustrate the developed methodology of power-
based transfer path analysis. In this concrete case,
the aim is to estimate the contribution of different
transfer paths to the total transmitted power flow for
interior structure-borne sound pressure reduction. It
is noted that all relative data, including the mobil-
ities, sound pressure response, interfacial force, and
velocity, are calculated with the commercial finite
element method code MSC.NASTRAN on digital
models instead of real experimental measurements.
Then, the power flow calculation is carried out using
the mathematical software MATLAB according to the
equations mentioned above based on the data
obtained from simulation calculations. At the same
time, these equations can be helpful to identify the
key parameters and to provide instructions about
automotive structural improvement.
3.1 Simulation model
The simulation model of the passenger car consists
of a power plant, three mounts, a compliant car
body, and an enclosed acoustic cavity. The power
flow is generated originally from the power plant
vibration and transmitted into the passenger com-
partment through the three mounts.
JAUTO750 F IMechE 2008
Downloaded from pid.sagepub.com at UNIV OF ILLINOIS URBANA on March 16, 2015
2015
Table 1 Power plant parameters
Mass centre location
(mm) Moment of inertia (kg mm2)
Mass
(kg) XC YC ZC Im,xx Im,yy Im,zz
14 6 6
157.0 96.0 249.3 2256.1 13.05610 3.80610 7.806106
The power plant includes an I4 engine, a clutch,
and a transmission. It is modelled as a rigid body
with its mass, moment inertia characteristics, and
main geometry information: a point mass element
with the power plants whole mass and moment of
15 inertia defined at the mass centre of the power plant,
and three rigid beam elements connecting each
vibrating output and the mass centre. The para-
meters of the power plant are measured experimen-
tally and listed in Table 1. The three rubber mounts
are modelled by three generalized springdamper
elements. These elements have the frequency-de-
pendent complex-valued dynamic stiffness of the
mounts measured by experiments, which is shown
in Fig. 4.
The compliant car body consists of many steel
panels and is modelled with about 440 000 shell
elements. The enclosed acoustic cavity consists of
about 200 000 fluid elements with bulk properties of
air. The material properties and physical quantities
such as Youngs modulus E, Poissons ratio m, mass
density r, and acoustic speed v0 are listed in Table 2.
The fluidstructure coupling interface between the
acoustic cavity and structural body panels is auto-
matically identified by the finite element program.
The structuralacoustic coupling simulation model
with the finite element method is shown in Fig. 5.
For simulating the structure-borne sound pressure
response caused by the vibration of the power plant,
a harmonic unit force excitation in the z direction
and torque excitation around the y axis are applied
at the mass centre G of the power plant. The whole
simulation model is in a free state. The sound
pressure response at the location of the drivers right
ear (DRE) in the passenger compartment is chosen
to evaluate the structure-borne noise. The analysis
frequency range is defined as 20200 Hz since this
frequency range covers the typical running fre-
quency range of the power plant. The sound pressure
level at the DRE is shown in Fig. 6.
3.2 Transmitted power flow estimation
The interior structure-borne noise has a close
relationship with the transmitted power flow over
a broad frequency range [14, 15]. The vibrational
Proc. IMechE Vol. 222 Part D: J. Automobile Engineering
2016 X Han, Y-J Guo, Y-E Zhao, and Z-Q Lin

Fig. 4 Dynamic stiffness of the rubber mounts: (a) magnitude; (b) phase

energy of the power plant is transmitted to the body be calculated with equation (7) and these obtained
panels through the three mounts as shown in Fig. 7. mobilities. The final components which need to
In Fig. 7, left, right, and centre mounts are denoted be considered are the free velocities at the vibrat-
as LP, RP, and CP respectively. The transmitted ing outputs of the source subsystem. In this study,
power flow through each mount is along three the free velocity is calculated from simulation; the
translational directions. The total power flow trans- source subsystem which consists of the power
mitted to the body panels is the sum of the power plant and three mounts is computationally analysed
flow through all the three mounts in the three
translational directions.
The total power flow is calculated using both the
original and the alternative methods. The results
from each are compared to evaluate the alternative
methods further. The force and velocity information,
point and transfer mobilities, and the free velocities
at the vibrating outputs of the source subsystem
need to be obtained analytically, computationally,
or experimentally. In this case, these results are
obtained directly from the frequency response
analysis with the simulation model. The effective
mobilities at all connected points between each
mount and car body can be calculated with equation
(7) based on the obtained point and transfer mo-
bilities.
For the original method, the transmitted power
flow is calculated with equation (2) by the force and
velocity at the three connected points on the car
body. For the alternative method, the point and
transfer mobilities can also be obtained from sim-
ulation results. Moreover, the effective mobilities can

Table 2 Material properties and physical quantities

Material E (MPa) m r (kg/mm3) v0 (mm/s)
26
Fig. 5 Finite element model of a passenger car: (a)
Steel 210 000 0.3 7.80610 auto-body structure model; (b) interior acoustic
Air 1.2961029 343 000
cavity model

Proc. IMechE Vol. 222 Part D: J. Automobile Engineering JAUTO750 F IMechE 2008

Downloaded from pid.sagepub.com at UNIV OF ILLINOIS URBANA on March 16, 2015

 The application of power-based transfer path analysis
Fig. 6 Sound pressure level spectrum at DRE (refer-
ence, 20 mPa)
under the same excitation as mentioned above and
without connection to the car body, and then the
three translational velocities at the vibrating output
of each mount are extracted from the simulation
results. Further, the transmitted power flow can be
estimated via equations (8) and (9) with the alter-
native method. The comparison of the total power
flow calculated with the two methods is shown in
Fig. 8. It can be seen that the calculation result from
the alternative method agrees well with that of the
original method; the trends are the same while the
magnitude deviation is small throughout the whole
frequency range, which indicates that the alternative
method of power flow calculation can be further
employed to analyse the structure-borne sound
transmission through coupled multiple and/or multi-
dimensional transfer paths.
In order to rank all the transfer paths, the power
components of the total transmitted power flow
should also be analysed. The calculated power flow
Fig. 7 Map of the transmitted power flow of a car
simulation model
JAUTO750 F IMechE 2008
Downloaded from pid.sagepub.com at UNIV OF ILLINOIS URBANA on March 16, 2015
2017
Fig. 8 Comparison of total power flow calculated with
the original and the alternative methods
transmitted through the three mounts respectively
is shown in Fig. 9(a). It is obvious that the centre
mount CP is dominant in most of the frequency
range except for several peak frequencies. It can
also be seen that the left mount LP is not only the
weakest but also has nearly a half of the negative
power values, which indicates reverse power flow
between the source subsystem and auto-body struc-
ture subsystem. Figures 9(b) to (d) show the three
translational components (i.e. the x, y, and z direc-
tions) of the power flow through the left, right, and
centre mounts respectively. The power flow spectra
show that, for the left mount, none of the three
components of the power flow has obvious dom-
inance over the other two but, for the right and
centre mounts, the component in the z direction of
the power flow is obviously dominant, and the other
two components have large negative power values.
Thus, the contribution of each mount and each
component of the power flow through each mount
to the total transmitted power flow is identified and
ranked clearly.
3.3 Identification of dominant paths and key
parameters
From the sound pressure response as shown in
Fig. 6, the dominant peaks of the spectrum of in-
terior sound pressure level occur collectively in the
small frequency range 174177 Hz. It is shown in
Fig. 8 that the total transmitted power flow also has
several peaks in this frequency range. Considering
the correlation between the sound pressure response
and the total transmitted power flow, it can be
assumed that the dominant peaks of the interior
Proc. IMechE Vol. 222 Part D: J. Automobile Engineering
2018 X Han, Y-J Guo, Y-E Zhao, and Z-Q Lin

Fig. 9 Power flow through the three mounts: (a) comparison of the calculated power flow through
the three mounts; (b)(d) translational components of power flow through (b) the left, (c)
the right, and (d) the centre mounts. Negative power values are not shown here

sound pressure level have a close relationship with
the corresponding peaks of the total transmitted
power flow. From Fig. 9, it is seen that all the three
mounts have positive contributions to the total
transmitted power flow in this small frequency
range. The right and centre mounts have more
significant contributions than the left mount, and
the components in the z direction through the right
and centre mounts are mostly dominant.
The power flow of the dominant component
through the dominant path is expressed by equation
(8), and it can be equivalently considered as an
uncoupled transfer path. As shown in Fig. 10, the
equivalent uncoupled vibrating system is a single-
point-connected unidirectional system; the source is
an ideal invariable velocity source, and the mobility
consists of effective point mobilities of the source
subsystem and the body structure subsystem in
series.
Furthermore, the key structural parameters, which
have significant effects on the power flow trans-
mitted through the equivalent path, can be identified
from equation (7) and relative mobility functions
such as equations (10) to (15). It is known from the
power flow estimation equation, i.e. equation (8),
that the free velocity is not easy to control; there-
fore it is possible to determine the effective point
mobilities of the source and receiver subsystem,
which express the inherent structural performance,
to change them by the structural parameters and
geometric configuration. In this case, the z compo-
nents of the power flow through the right and centre

Proc. IMechE Vol. 222 Part D: J. Automobile Engineering JAUTO750 F IMechE 2008

Downloaded from pid.sagepub.com at UNIV OF ILLINOIS URBANA on March 16, 2015

 The application of power-based transfer path analysis 2019

Fig. 10 Schematic diagram of a single-point-connected unidirectional system. Pin and Ptr

denote the power flow input of the whole vibrating system and the power flow
transmitted into the receiver structure respectively

mounts are of primary concern. Therefore, the corres-
ponding effective point mobilities of the source
and receiver subsystem for the two equivalent
systems are compared in Fig. 11. It is manifest that,
for both the two equivalent systems, the effective
point mobility of the source subsystem is dominant
over the broad frequency range, and both are equally
dominant in the small range 174177 Hz.
The calculation of the effective point mobility of
the source subsystem mainly involves the point and
transfer mobilities between the outputs of the power
plant and the mobilities of each mount. The point
and transfer mobilities of the power plant are
determined by the relative distance from the outputs
to the mass centre of the power plant, which follow
rigid body motion theory; thus they can be obtained
by equations (10) to (12). The mobility of each
mount, which is the important part of the effective
point mobility, is determined by the complex-valued
dynamic stiffness of the mount which consists of the
stiffness and damping properties.
The effective point mobilities at the right and
centre connected points on the car body structure
are nearly as dominant as the effective point
mobilities of the source subsystems in the small
frequency range corresponding to the sound pres-
sure peaks. By the mobility theory, this small
frequency range is beyond the mass- and stiffness-
controlled regions and lies in the resonance-con-
trolled region. Therefore, the natural modes of the
car body structure in and near this small frequency
range become possible influencing factors. More-
over, the geometric configuration and material per-
formances of car body panels, conjunction among
these panels, and so on, which have an effect on the
natural modes, are the potential factors.
3.4 Structural modification
Once the key parameters of the dominant transfer
paths were identified, effective measures can be
taken to reduce the interior structure-borne noise,

Fig. 11 Comparison of the effective point mobilities of the source and receiver subsystems for
the equivalent systems corresponding to (a) the z direction through the right mount and
(b) the z direction through the centre mount

JAUTO750 F IMechE 2008 Proc. IMechE Vol. 222 Part D: J. Automobile Engineering

Downloaded from pid.sagepub.com at UNIV OF ILLINOIS URBANA on March 16, 2015

2020 X Han, Y-J Guo, Y-E Zhao, and Z-Q Lin

Fig. 13 Comparison of power transmissibility with the

use of both kinds of mount

cation of the alternative mounts decreases the power

Fig. 12 Complex-valued dynamic stiffness of both
kinds of mount: (a) magnitude; (b) phase
flow transmitted to the body structure except at
several lower frequencies. The interior sound pres-
sure level spectra using the alternative mounts and
the original rubber mounts are shown in Fig. 14 for
comparison purposes. It can be seen that the
alternative mounts can help to reduce the peaks in
the interesting frequency range by over 10 dB(A),
while producing slightly higher sound pressure levels
at lower frequencies. Based on this comparison, it
can be concluded that the alternative mounts per-
form better in structure-borne noise reduction.
Additionally, the body structural modification is a
feasible measure to decrease the effective mobilities
of the body structure. Since the interesting frequen-
cies are in the high-frequency range, the charac-
teristics of mobilities are mainly governed by the

especially the sound pressure peaks. Possible effec-

tive measures include structural modifications of the
power plant, the mounts, and the car body.
One possible measure is to change the inertial
parameters and mounted position of the power
plant. However, real conditions in the engine cabin
mostly make a change in the power plant limited.
Another possible measure is to employ alternative
mounts to decrease the mobilities of the source
subsystem. The alternative mounts are novel hy-
draulically damped rubber mounts with inertia
tracks. These mounts have a higher frequency-
dependent complex-valued dynamic stiffness (as
shown in Fig. 12) than the original rubber mounts.
The power transmissibility across the alternative
mount compared with that of the rubber mount is Fig. 14 Comparison of sound pressure level spectra
shown in Fig. 13. This figure illustrates that appli- with the use of both kinds of mount

Proc. IMechE Vol. 222 Part D: J. Automobile Engineering JAUTO750 F IMechE 2008

Downloaded from pid.sagepub.com at UNIV OF ILLINOIS URBANA on March 16, 2015

 The application of power-based transfer path analysis
Fig. 15 Schematic diagram of auto-body structural
modification
structural modes. Therefore, related modes in the
frequency range of concern should be analysed. The
mode shapes are mostly expressed as local distor-
tions, and vibrational magnitude near the connected
points has significance on power flow through the
connected points. In order to attenuate vibrational
magnitude near the right connected point, two small
stiffeners are placed on the area with obvious local
distortion near the connected point as shown in
Fig. 15. The stiffeners change the local stiffness of
the body structure, i.e. improve the mobilities of
the body structure. Figure 16 illustrates the result-
ing change in the effective point mobility in the z
direction at the connected point between the right
mount and body structure. From the comparison of
the sound pressure level spectra as shown in Fig. 17,
it can be seen that the peaks in the interesting
frequency range decrease up to 10 dB(A), and the
Fig. 16 Comparison of effective point mobility in the z
direction at the connected point between the
right mount and auto-body structure with the
local modified car system
JAUTO750 F IMechE 2008
Downloaded from pid.sagepub.com at UNIV OF ILLINOIS URBANA on March 16, 2015
2021
Fig. 17 Comparison of sound pressure level spectra
with the local modified car system
sound pressure level at other frequencies except
50 Hz, 51 Hz, and 184 Hz has no significant change.
4 CONCLUSION
A systematic methodology for the reduction on
structure-borne noise transmission using power-
based transfer path analysis is presented. The
methodology is applied to a passenger car where
the interior sound pressure level is related to the
power flow transmitted from the power plant. An
equivalent-uncoupled-system method based on the
Thevenin equivalent theorem is verified again and
used to solve the dynamic complex interaction and
coupling phenomena among the structural compo-
nents. The contributions of multiple and multi-
dimensional paths to the interior structure-borne
noise are quantified. The contributions of each
transfer path to the total power flow, as well as to
the total sound pressure, are ranked. Meanwhile, the
dominant paths and their key parameters, such as
the mobilities of source, isolators, and body struc-
ture, can be identified via the power flow estimation
equations for an equivalent single-point-connected
unidirectional vibrating system and effective point
mobility expressions. Finally, several modifications
on the vehicle model have been investigated, i.e.
improving the mobilities of mounts and body struc-
ture. These modifications have yielded reductions
with over 10 dB(A) at the major interior structure-
borne sound pressure peaks.
Additionally, in the methodology, the effective
point mobility is one of the key factors that in
practice is difficult to quantify, especially when all
Proc. IMechE Vol. 222 Part D: J. Automobile Engineering
2022 X Han, Y-J Guo, Y-E Zhao, and Z-Q Lin
connected points and all components of motion are
considered. The effective point mobility needs to be
simplified according to the intermediate structural
configuration and symmetric behaviour. Further-
more, after identifying the key parameters, an
effective optimization method can be employed to
obtain a set of optimum structural parameters for
the interior noise, vibration, and harshness refine-
ment of a passenger car.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors would like to acknowledge financial
support from the National High Technology Re-
search and Development Program of China (863
Program) 2006AA04Z126.
REFERENCES
1 Transfer path analysis. The qualification and
quantification of vibro-acoustic transfer paths.
LMS Application Cases, LMS International, Leuven,
Belgium, 1995.
2 Plunt, J. Strategy for transfer path analysis (TPA)
applied to vibro-acoustic systems at medium and
high frequencies. In Proceedings of the Inter-
national Conference on Noise and vibration engi-
neering (ISMA 23), Leuven, Belgium, 1618 Septem-
ber 1998, pp. 16 (Katholicke Universiteit Leuven,
Leuven).
3 Dong, B., Duncan, A., Goetchius, G. M., and
Gogate, S. Process to achieve NVH goals: subsys-
tem targets via digital prototype simulations. SAE
paper 1999-01-1692, 1999.
4 Gogate, S. D. and Duncan, A. E. Digital prototype
simulations to achieve vehicle level NVH targets in
the presence of uncertainties. SAE paper 2001-01-
1529, 2001.
5 Magalhaes, M., Arruda, F., and Filho, J. A. S.
Driveline structure-borne vibration and noise path
analysis of an AWD vehicle using finite elements.
SAE paper 2003-01-3641, 2003.
6 Browne, M. and Pawlowski, R. Statistical identifi-
cation and analysis of vehicle noise transfer paths.
SAE paper 2005-01-2511, 2005.
7 Swanson, D. A., Miller, L. R., and Norris, M. A.
Multidimensional mount effectiveness for vibra-
tion isolation. J. Aircr., 1994, 31(1), 188196.
8 Maia, N. M. M., Silva, J. M. M., and Ribeiro, A. M.
R. The transmissibility concept in multi-degree-of-
freedom systems. Mech. Systems Signal Processing,
2001, 15(1), 129137.
9 Pinnington, R. J. and White, R. G. Power flow
through machine isolators to resonant and non-
resonant beams. J. Sound Vibr., 1981, 75(2), 179
197.
Proc. IMechE Vol. 222 Part D: J. Automobile Engineering
Downloaded from pid.sagepub.com at UNIV OF ILLINOIS URBANA on March 16, 2015
10 Pinnington, R. J. Vibrational power transmission
to a seating of a vibration isolated motor. J. Sound
Vibr., 1987, 118(3), 515530.
11 Pan, J., Pan, J., and Hansen, C. H. Total power flow
from a vibrating rigid body to a thin panel through
multiple elastic mounts. J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 1992,
92(2, Part 1), 895907.
12 Kim, S. and Singh, R. Vibration transmission
through an isolator modelled by continuous sys-
tem theory. J. Sound Vibr., 2001, 248(5), 925953.
13 Kim, S. and Singh, R. Multi-dimensional character-
ization of vibration isolators over a wide range of
frequencies. J. Sound Vibr., 2001, 245(5), 877913.
14 Singh, R. and Kim, S. Examination of multi-
dimensional vibration isolation measures and their
correlation to sound radiation over a broad
frequency range. J. Sound Vibr., 2003, 262(3), 419
455.
15 Kim, S. and Singh, R. Structure-borne noise
measures and their correlation to sound radiation
over a broad range of frequencies. SAE paper 2003-
01-1450, 2003.
16 Kim, S., Inoue, A., and Singh, R. Experimental
study of structure-borne noise transfer paths over
the mid-frequency regime. SAE paper 2005-01-
2338, 2005.
17 Singh, R. and Kim, S. Prediction of structure-borne
noise transmission through multiple/multi-dimen-
sional transfer paths. In Proceedings of the Inter-
national Congress on Noise and Vibration: Emer-
ging Methods (NOVEM 2005), Saint Raphael,
France, 1821 April 2005, pp. 116.
18 Lee, S. K. Identification of a vibration transmission
path in a vehicle by measuring vibrational power
flow. Proc. Instn Mech. Engrs, Part D: J. Automobile
Engineering, 2004, 218(2), 167175.
19 Goyder, H. G. D. and White, R. G. Vibrational
power flow from machines into built-up structures.
Part I: introduction and approximate analyses of
beam and plate-like foundations. J. Sound Vibr.,
1980, 68(1), 5975.
20 Petersson, B. A. T. and Gibbs, B. M. Use of the
source descriptor concept in studies of multi-point
and multi-directional vibrational sources. J. Sound
Vibr., 1993, 168(1), 157176.
21 Fulford, R. A. and Gibbs, B. M. Structure-borne
sound power and source characterization in multi-
point-connected systems. Part II: about mobility
functions and free velocities. J. Sound Vibr., 1999,
220(2), 203224.
22 Fulford, R. A. and Gibbs, B. M. Structure-borne
sound power and source characterization in multi-
point-connected systems. Part I: case studies for
assumed force distributions. J. Sound Vibr., 1997,
204(4), 659677.
23 Fulford, R. A. and Gibbs, B. M. Structure-borne
sound power and source characterization in multi-
point-connected systems. Part III: force ratio
estimates. J. Sound Vibr., 1999, 225(2), 239282.
JAUTO750 F IMechE 2008
 The application of power-based transfer path analysis 2023

APPENDIX [Hsn ] source subsystem mobility matrix at

point n
Notation [I ] unit matrix
Im moment of inertia of the source
ci damping coefficient of an isolator
structure
d times, panel thickness
ki stiffness of an isolator
E Youngs modulus
m mass of the source structure
f instantaneous force
p instantaneous power flow
F complex force
P time-averaged power flow
Fn complex force at point n
Pn time-averaged power flow at point n
Fin complex force at point n and in Pin time-averaged power flow at point n
direction i and in direction i
{Fjm =Fin } complex force ratio vector Pin time-averaged input power flow
hni components of the position vector of Ptr time-averaged transmitted power flow
point n from the mass centre G [R] rotation matrix
Hijmn mobility from point m in direction i [T ] transformation matrix
to point n in direction j v instantaneous velocity
HiinnS effective point mobility at point n in v0 acoustic speed
direction i V complex velocity
Hrn receiver subsystem mobility at point Vn complex velocity at point n
n Vin complex velocity at point n and in
Hsn source subsystem mobility at point n direction i
n
HII,i mobility of an isolator connected Vsfn free velocity of the source vibrating
with point n in direction i output before contacting the receiver
n
HRR,i mobility of the receiver structure at subsystem
point n in direction i
n
HSS,i mobility of the source structure vi-
brating output n in direction i m Poissons ratio
[Hrn ] receiver subsystem mobility matrix at r mass density
point n v radial frequency

JAUTO750 F IMechE 2008 Proc. IMechE Vol. 222 Part D: J. Automobile Engineering

Downloaded from pid.sagepub.com at UNIV OF ILLINOIS URBANA on March 16, 2015