Editorial: NVH tests help satisfy customers
Dan Romanchik, Technical Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 8/1/2003
A girlfriend once had a car with a rattle behind the dashboard that was so annoying that I swore I'd never buy one of those models, even though it was reliable. That one, seemingly minor, annoyance turned me off to the manufacturer.
I'm not the only one who rates cars this way. Many consumers take into account the noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) characteristics of vehicles when deciding what to buy. Cars that have a rattle are more likely to have poor reputations than cars that are quiet.
That's why NVH testing is so important. Fixing problems before vehicles reach consumers is essential to doing well in the quality surveys and, ultimately, to selling a lot of cars and trucks.
Fortunately, NVH test engineers seem up to the challenge. At this year's SAE Noise and Vibration Conference (May 6–8, 2003; Traverse City, MI), I got a glimpse at the work going on in NVH testing. In the session on new NVH test facilities, presenters described facilities ranging from a small chamber used to measure the sound absorption of new materials to large chambers at Ford's Advanced Engineering Center that can accommodate complete vehicles.
By building these facilities, suppliers and manufacturers show they're making the investment needed to compete in the market. With the help of these chambers, they'll produce quieter cars and, in the process, hang on to existing customers and attract new ones.
Contact Dan Romanchik at editor@aatr.net .
