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Road tests on a pickup truck have been conducted to determine the acoustic loads on the back panel surfaces of the vehicle. Surface mounted pressure transducers arrays are used to measure both the turbulent flow pressures and the acoustic pressures. These measurements are used to determine the spatial excitation parameters used in an SEA model of the transmission loss through the back panel surfaces. Comparisons are made between tests on different road surfaces and at different speeds to identify the relative contributions of acoustic and wind noise.

The transmission of turbulent flow pressures through panels to the interior noise depends on the spatial matching of the pressure and vibration fields. Since the exterior pressure field on a moving vehicle includes both turbulent pressure and acoustic pressure, both need to be factored into a noise transmission loss calculation. However, these two exterior pressure fields have very different spatial patterns. This is further complicated when the exterior flow is separated from the surface due to an obstruction. This study uses wind tunnel and road tests to measure and model the wind noise transmission loss through the side glass of a vehicle. The results are seen to be very different from the traditional sound transmission loss curves for an acoustic pressure source.