Structure-borne noise reduction in a truck cab interior using numerical techniques

A computer-aided-engineering (CAE) method is used for noise reduction in a truck cab interior. The finite element (FE) and the boundary element method (BEM) are used to characterize the acoustic field of a truck cab interior in terms of the natural frequencies and the mode shapes. Structural vibration responses of the cab are computed for excitations at the cab mounts in a frequency range from 50 to 250 Hz. Interior noise levels at the driverʹs right ear are determined using the boundary element method for excitations at the cab mounts. A panel acoustic contribution analysis (PACA) is done to determine the structural areas of the cab contributing most to the noise levels at the driverʹs right ear. Structure-borne noise is reduced in the interior of the cab by selection and placement of sound absorbing material at the appropriate locations in the cab, as determined by PACA.