Modelling neutral gear rattle for a light commercial vehicle

Acoustic levels have a significant influence on the ride comfort of road vehicles. Among the others, gear rattling noise is a significant problem faced by the car industry. Automotive powertrains are XQGHU LQYHVWLJDWLRQ to UHGXFH and isolate the torsional vibrations responsible for gear rattling. This work addresses WKH problem of reducing gear rattle while the engine is idling. The DLP LV WR UHGXFH WKH UDWWOH LQGH[ by introducing the pre-damper clutch plate instead of a conventional clutch plate that uses torsional vibration springs. A MDWODE/Simulink model is developed to estimate the effect of spring stiffness on the rattle index of the system. The output of the model is validated experimentally and the accuracy of the Simulink model is reported. The rattle index was successfully decreased with the help of a pre-damped clutch plate, and the model is found to be accurate enough to estimate the rattle index. Copyright © 2019 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.