Simplified reduced-scale modelling of vehicle interior noise

The present paper gives a review of the recent research into simplified reducedscale models of automotive structures that can be used for prediction of structure-borne vehicle interior noise. The models under consideration evolve from the simplest ones to more sophisticated developments and take into account different structural dynamic and acoustic features of real vehicles. Analytical and numerical approaches to the theoretical description of such models are discussed. The comparison of the theory with the measurements on some physical reduced-scale models demonstrates that such models can be used successfully for studying interior noise in real road vehicles. One of the most important issues in this technique is to find a compromise between the minimum degree of complexity of a model and the required accuracy of description of frequency contents and noise levels in a real vehicle. It is expected that the proposed methodology will lead to the development of efficient analytical and experimental tools that could be used for prediction of vehicle interior noise on a design stage.