Characterizing the noise emission of an electric powertrain using 3D sound intensity

Sound intensity mapping contributes to a comprehensive analysis of the radiated noise generated by a complex mechanical system, such as an electric powertrain. The numerical simulation of an accurate physical-based mathematical model is prohibited due to the complexity of the mechanical systems and their high computational cost. Consequently, a full data-driven three-dimensional representation is often preferred (if available) in most industrial applications. Usually, those data-driven approaches utilize measurements acquired with large sensors arrays. However, it’s also possible to capture the necessary information by performing multiple subsequent measurements synchronized by an external reference signal. In this paper, we present a novel technique using multiple 3D sound intensity probes and a three-dimensional tracking system to measure the sound radiated by an electric powertrain. Free-field data is combined with vehicle transfer functions to synthesize the sound pressure contribution to the vehicle passengers. Results reveal the dominant noise sources at different operational regimes with a high spatial resolution, enabling the design of targeted noise reduction strategies based on the captured data.