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The acoustic cavity inside the tire-wheel assembly is known to contribute to audible noise in the passenger compartment of some vehicles. Traditionally, the source of this noise issue has been viewed as only response from the acoustic resonance of the air cavity inside the tire-wheel assembly. This paper demonstrates that coupling between the cavity resonance and a structural resonance of the wheel can amplify the response and result in higher noise levels in the passenger compartment. Laboratory measurements show that vehicle interior noise generated when coupling occurs between the cavity resonance and a structural resonance of the wheel is significantly higher than when the coupling is eliminated. This phenomenon is demonstrated by comparing vehicle noise levels which result from two different wheel designs: one that has a structural resonance very near the acoustic resonance and one that does not.

Since road roughness is an important source of vehicle vibration, a system model for NVH analysis requires a tire model which accurately predicts spindle response to road input. Most tire models currently used in the auto industry do not meet this requirement, because they are based on static stiffness of the tire and do not produce realistic response to input at the patch. This paper investigates a new modal tire model with patch input capability as a component within a vehicle system model. Comparisons are also presented between the behavior of the new tire model and a conventional spring model. To validate the performance of the tire model for NVH analysis, simulated vehicle responses to bump input are compared to chassis roll test results. Good correlation between the model prediction and the chassis roll measurements is observed.