Engineering On The Edge

Cabin noise in a new car can be jarring. Most new vehicles provide a pretty quiet ride, but even miniscule leaks can greatly increase the volume levels inside a car.

Engineers at Ford recently used an elliptical acoustic mirror to help reduce noise in the Ford Escape, and make changes to the vehicle’s shape early in the design phase. These mirrors look a bit like a satellite dish with an attached microphone, and can be used to measure noises on the surface of the vehicle and in the airflow; Ford used them to locate areas where noise penetrated the interior of the vehicle.

While these types of acoustic mirrors are regularly used by European luxury brand designers, Ford claims it is one of the first domestic brands to leverage the technology. Using data gathered during the noise tests, the design team made changes to the mirrors and A-pillar of the vehicle during the clay model phase. Tests were conducted at the Ford Aeroacoustic Wind Tunnel in Germany.

“We previously didn’t have this tool available. Essentially we were able to optimize the shape earlier. In noise and vibration, the basic idea is you have noise sources outside the vehicle and you have the path. The path could be through the glass, door or insulation. Now we’re able to optimize the shape early on, reduce the exterior source and create a quieter interior.” — Peter Kleesattel, interior quietness development engineer, Ford.

According to the company, wind noise performance on the Escape was optimized through more than 160 hours of testing and engineering.

Source: Ford