A Vehicle Seat Rattle Noise Diagnosis Study Case

author Abstract. Vehicle seat rattle noise is one of the common issues in automotive. In general, BSR (Buzz Squeak and Rattle) noises are directly linked to the vehicle NVH (Noise Vibration and Harshness) performance. Most importantly, customers perceive BSR as direct indicator of vehicle build quality and durability. Diagnosing source of BSR is one critical step to solve the issue and it is still very challenging work due to the uncertainty of the impact mechanism at joints which contribute to the BSR. Generally, vehicle on road testing is used to detect the BSR and lab test is used to reconstruct the problems for further measurement and analysis. In this paper, a case of seat rattle noise study started from on road evaluation first, then the seat was installed on a vibration test bench and sound pressure and acceleration were measured in hemi anechoic lab environment. Multiple VNH testing systems, such as LMS Test Lab, Head Acoustic ArtemiS and MB Dynamics were used since each system has unique capability which is necessary for this study. MB Dynamics was used to reconstruct rattle noise condition in hemi anechoic lab environment. LMS Test Lab Wavelet transform and Head ArtemiS Relative Approch3D were adopted in measurement and analysis. Based on sound and vibration measurement, the rattle noise source was identified, confirmed and quantified. It was found that rattle noise originates from the joint of headrest assembly and seat back. The diagnosis results lead to a fairly easy solution to solve the rattle noise issue.