Hub of the problem

In October, researchers at Cambridge University will begin a project that aims to develop improved techniques for modelling, and ultimately reducing, vehicle cabin noise.

One of the chief causes of this is vibrations passing from the tyres to the suspension and then into the vehicle’s structure. Traditionally, engineers have tried to reduce the vibrations by improving tyre or suspension design.

But Will Graham, who is leading the project at Cambridge’s engineering department, feels that these efforts have repeatedly overlooked the high-frequency vibrations generated through the wheel hubs. He believes that addressing this problem is the key to reducing cabin noise.

Graham’s team has received just over a quarter of million pounds of EPSRC funding to model the high-frequency vibration generated through the hubs.

‘Car manufacturers are more interested in the dynamically unsteady response of the tyre and car at low frequencies from a handling point of view. But that frequency is from 10Hz–100Hz at most,’ said Graham. ‘When you are talking noise it is in the range of 100Hz up to 1kHz. That is the region that hasn’t received successful modelling by car makers.’