Modelling tyre noise in finite element simulations for pass-by noise predictions

Fulfilling the current pass-by noise regulation is a challenge for the original equipment manufacturers and their suppliers. And it's not going to improve over time. Any possible ways to reduce the exterior noise can happen to be beneficial. In this context, simulations are natural alternatives to costly and long measurement campaigns to quantify the benefits of acoustic treatments. Nevertheless, modelling procedures to tackle this type of issues are far from being well-established, even though the literature is rich with studies describing the complex processes involved in the tyre-road contact. Very often, when it comes to full-vehicle modelling, tyre sources are replaced by simple sources as monopoles, thus introducing a physical simplification. This paper is concerned with the tyre noise modelling in finite element simulation in the perspective to assess the pass-by noise of a car. For that, the sound radiated by validated velocity maps from a tyre-road noise simulation model at different speeds and for different loads is compared with the noise radiated by monopoles in the close vicinity of the tyres. The aim is to define the limitation related to the use of the monopoles in order to correctly capture the relevant physics in the simulation.