C. Yilmaz,1 G. M. Hulbert,1 and N.

Kikuchi1

Reducing Tire-Induced Noise and

Vibration2

REFERENCE: Yilmaz, C., Hulbert, G. M., and Kikuchi, N., ‘‘Reducing Tire-Induced Noise
and Vibration,’’ Tire Science and Technology, TSTCA, Vol. 34, No. 2, April – June 2006, pp.
135-147.

ABSTRACT: Tire-induced noise and vibration spans a wide range of frequencies, depending
on, among other attributes, tread design, road surface, and vehicle speed. Vehicle designers are
faced with the daunting task of minimizing this broad frequency of energy. The design of
suspension systems must take into account the need to have a well-tuned frequency response.
In this paper, a new approach toward minimizing tire-induced noise and vibration is
presented. The methodology is based upon a new perspective of employing antiresonance, as
opposed to damping phenomena, to effectively tune systems for practical performance. The
mechanical structure of the system is amenable to cost-effective manufacture and can be
packaged in different configurations. We present the fundamental approach toward the design
and give several example configurations.
KEY WORDS: noise and vibration isolation, passive suspension design, antiresonance

Introduction

Tire-induced noise and vibration is one of the major sources of noise and
vibration in automobiles at highway driving speeds. There are various causes
for the noise and vibration generated by the tire/road interaction, e.g., road
surface roughness, tread impacts. Moreover, these vibrations can be amplified
due to both tire and suspension component resonances. As a result of these
various sources at different frequencies, tire-induced noise and vibration spans a
wide range of frequencies.
There are two main paths that transmit tire-induced noise and vibration into
the vehicle cabin. The first path is the structure-borne path in which the noise
and vibration are transmitted via the suspension system. The second path is the
air-borne path in which the noise is radiated to the atmosphere, which then
excites the exterior body panels, and consequently engenders noise in the ve-
hicle cabin. However, the structure-borne path usually is the dominant source of
noise and vibration in the vehicle cabin 关1兴. Consequently, this path is the focus
of this paper.
In automotive suspension systems, vibration isolation generally is achieved
by passive means. There are active suspension systems, but these systems prin-

1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2250 G. G. Brown, Ann Arbor,
Michigan 48109-2125.
2
Presented at the twenty fourth annual meeting of the Tire Society, Akron, Ohio, September 20–21,
2005.

135
136 TIRE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

FIG. 1 — 2-DOF quarter-car model. ms is the sprung mass, mus is the unsprung mass, ks is the
suspension spring stiffness, cs is the damping coefficient of the damper, ktr is the tire stiffness (tire
damping is neglected), x2 is the displacement of ms, x1 is the displacement of mus, and y is the
displacement due to road surface roughness.

cipally are used for controlling low-frequency body modes 关2兴. Essentially,
passive suspension design is a pole 共resonance frequency兲 placement problem in
which the mass, stiffness, and damping of suspension components are adjusted
to obtain the desired frequency response 关3–5兴.
In this paper, a new approach is introduced to minimize tire-induced noise
and vibration. The methodology is based upon using an antiresonance phenom-
enon. Antiresonance has been utilized in automotive hydraulic engine mounts
共HEMs兲 for improved vibration isolation and damping characteristics which
cannot be attained by rubber mounts 关6–9兴. It has also been used in the aero-
space industry for isolating helicopter rotor systems 关10–13兴. The aim of the
present work is to utilize antiresonance in passive suspension systems to reduce
high-frequency tire-induced noise and vibration.

Degree-of-Freedom Quarter-Car Model

In order to demonstrate the benefits of antiresonance phenomenon in pas-

sive suspension systems, first consider a 2-degree-of-freedom 共2-DOF兲 quarter-
car model with lumped parameters. According to the standard 2-DOF quarter-
car model depicted in Fig. 1, there are two resonance modes of a car, which are
generally denoted as bounce and wheel hop. The motion of the sprung mass, ms,
can be obtained from the equations of motion
 YILMAZ ET AL. ON REDUCING TIRE-INDUCED NOISE 137

FIG. 2 — Transmissibility plot of the 2-DOF quarter-car model for ms = 454 kg, mus = 45.4 kg,
ktr = 176 kN/ m, ks = 22 kN/ m, cs = 2.2 kN s / m.

msẍ2 + cs共ẋ2 − ẋ1兲 + ks共x2 − x1兲 = 0,

musẍ1 + cs共ẋ1 − ẋ2兲 + ks共x1 − x2兲 + ktr共x1 − y兲 = 0. 共1兲

Furthermore, transmissibility, T, is defined as the ratio of the output dis-
placement amplitude to input displacement amplitude in harmonic base excita-
tion. Here, the input is y, and the output is x2:
X2
x1 = X1ei␻t, x2 = X2ei␻t, y = Yei␻t Þ T = . 共2兲
Y
The frequencies of the resonance modes depend upon the suspension pa-
rameters. As an example, assume the following set of parameters: ms = 454 kg,
mus = 45.4 kg, ktr = 176 kN/ m, ks = 22 kN/ m, cs = 2.2 kN s / m. According to
these parameters, mus / ms = 0.1, ktr / ks = 8. Furthermore, by solving Eq. 共1兲, one
can find that the two damped natural frequencies are at 1.02 and 9.50 Hz with
imaginary parts 0.316 and 3.93, respectively. Hence, damping ratio, ␨, for the
fundamental frequency 共bounce mode兲 can be calculated as
0.316/ 冑共0.316兲2 + 共1.02兲2 ⬵ 0.3. The two resonance frequencies being around 1
and 10 Hz, and ␨ = 0.3 are typical for a standard automobile 关3兴. Figure 2 shows
the transmissibility as a function of the excitation frequency. It can be seen that
due to the adequate level of damping, resonance peaks are not high. Further-
more, there is very good isolation at high frequencies 共⬎100 Hz兲. However, this
138 TIRE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

is not the case for actual suspension systems 关1,5兴. There are various internal
resonances at high frequencies and the 2-DOF model is not capable of capturing
these internal resonances.

A 4-Degree-of-Freedom Quarter-Car Model with Two Internal Resonance

Modes

In a real suspension system, there are various resonance frequencies and

vibration isolation becomes poor around these frequencies. Tire resonances are
one of the major internal resonance modes. Depending on the size, pressure, and
material compound, a tire has several resonance modes at various frequency
ranges. The aim is to reduce the transmission of tire resonances that are present
in a certain frequency range. For this purpose, the standard 2-DOF quarter-car
model will be modified to display some internal resonance modes. Then, an
antiresonant system will be integrated to the suspension system in order to
decrease the effect of the resonance frequencies in the desired frequency range.
For simplicity, only vertical motions will be considered. However, the param-
eters will be chosen such that the tire resonances will coincide with the range of
resonance frequencies of actual automobile tires. A very simple system that can
display the effect of tire resonances can be seen in Fig. 3.
In Fig. 3, the tire is modeled with two vertical internal resonance modes. In
order to generate these two resonance modes, 4% of the unsprung mass is
distributed over ktr to form a mass-spring chain. Note that the overall stiffness
of the tire is again ktr. In Fig. 1, it was assumed that there was no damping in the
tire. However, in this case, there are internal resonance modes, and in the
absence of damping the resonance peaks generated by the tire will be un-
bounded. In order to circumvent this, let us introduce structural damping in the
tire via replacing ktr by ktr ⫻ 共1 + ␥i兲, where ␥ is the loss factor and i = 冑−1. The
loss factor, ␥, depends on the material compound used in the tire. For the
examples in this paper, let us choose ␥ as 0.1. Finally, the motion of the sprung
mass, ms, can be determined from the following equations of motion:

msẍ4 + cs共ẋ4 − ẋ3兲 + ks共x4 − x3兲 = 0,

0.96musẍ3 + cs共ẋ3 − ẋ4兲 + ks共x3 − x4兲 + 3ktr共x3 − x2兲 = 0,

0.02musẍ2 + 3ktr共2x2 − x3 − x1兲 = 0,

0.02musẍ1 + 3ktr共2x1 − x2 − y兲 = 0. 共3兲

For this model, T = X4 / Y, where X4 is the output displacement amplitude
 YILMAZ ET AL. ON REDUCING TIRE-INDUCED NOISE 139

FIG. 3 — 4-DOF quarter-car model. ms is the sprung mass, mus is the unsprung mass, ks is the
suspension spring stiffness, cs is the damping coefficient of the damper, ktr is the tire stiffness with
loss factor ␥, x4 is the displacement of ms, and y is the displacement due to road surface roughness.

and Y is the input displacement amplitude. Figure 4 shows the transmissibility

plot of this system.
It can be seen in Fig. 4 that the two internal resonance frequencies are
separated; consequently it is not easy to cancel them. Furthermore, these reso-
nance frequencies coincide with the range of natural frequencies of an automo-
bile tire 关1兴. A more detailed tire model with several degrees of freedom could
be used. Moreover, a different loss factor that would change the amount of
resonant peaks could be selected, but the aim is to reduce the resonant peaks in
a certain frequency range through utilization of antiresonance phenomenon and
this simple model is sufficient for that purpose.

Antiresonant Vibration Isolator

In automotive hydraulic engine mounts or rotor isolation systems of heli-

copters, antiresonance is generated by amplifying the motion of a small mass.
This amplification can be fluidic as in HEMs or it can be mechanical in lever-
140 TIRE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

FIG. 4 — Transmissibility plot of the 4-DOF quarter-car model for ms = 454 kg, mus = 45.4 kg,
ktr = 176(1 + 0.1i)kN/ m, ks = 22 kN/ m, cs = 2.2 kN s / m.

type rotor isolation systems. For simplicity, a mechanical lever will be used in
modeling the antiresonant vibration isolator. Figure 5 displays the lumped pa-
rameter model of an undamped antiresonant vibration isolator.
Assume that the lever rod is massless and rigid; the spring is linear, mass-
less, and undamped. Then, the system is SDOF. Moreover, assume that the
oscillations are small. Then, linear theory is applicable, generating the equation
for z in terms of x and y as
z = ␣x − 共␣ − 1兲y, where ␣ = l1/12 ⬎ 1, 共4兲
resulting in the equation of motion

FIG. 5 — Base excited lever-type antiresonant vibration isolator. y is the displacement of the base,
x is the displacement of the load, z is the displacement of the isolator mass, k is the mount stiffness,
m is the mass of the load, mis is the isolator mass, l1 is the length of the lever, and l2 is the distance
between two pivot points.
 YILMAZ ET AL. ON REDUCING TIRE-INDUCED NOISE 141

共1 + ␮␣2兲ẍ + ␻20x = 关␮␣共␣ − 1兲兴ÿ + ␻20y, where ␻0 = 冑k/m, ␮ = mis/m.

共5兲
It is important to notice that the effective mass of the system can be much
larger than m, provided that the lever ratio ␣ is large enough. Moreover, the
inertial forcing term also increases with the lever ratio. Thus, with a small mass,
mis, one can generate large inertia forces provided the lever ratio is large
enough.
The right-hand side of Eq. 共5兲 can be equal to zero when the excitation
frequency is equal to

␻z =
␻0
冑␮␣共␣ − 1兲 = 冑 k
mis␣共␣ − 1兲
. 共6兲

Note that the antiresonance frequency 共zero兲 is independent of m. Moreover, the

resonance frequency 共pole兲 of the system is at

␻p =
␻0
冑1 + ␮␣2 = 冑 k
m + mis␣2
. 共7兲

Then, transmissibility is obtained as

共1 − ␻2/␻z2兲
T= . 共8兲
共1 − ␻2/␻2p兲
As an example, let us compare a lever-type antiresonant vibration isolator
with an equivalent SDOF mass-spring system. The SDOF mass-spring system is
obtained by removing the lever from the antiresonant vibration isolator. Accord-
ing to Eq. 共8兲, at large frequencies transmissibility approaches a constant value
␻2p ␮␣共␣ − 1兲
T共⬁兲 = = . 共9兲
␻z2 1 + ␮␣2
Let ␮ = 0.001 and ␣ = 11.1 such that transmissibility at large frequencies be-
comes 0.1. Moreover, transmissibility of a SDOF mass-spring system is
1
T= . 共10兲
共1 − ␻2/␻20兲
Figure 6 shows the transmissibility plots of the two systems.
It can be shown that the lever-type antiresonant vibration isolator has better
isolation for 0.97⬍ r ⬍ 4.3. Moreover, the lever-type antiresonant vibration iso-
lator has at least two times or better isolation for 1.9⬍ r ⬍ 3.7. The improvement
that can be obtained by using this system as a part of a passive suspension
system now can be studied.
142 TIRE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

FIG. 6 — Transmissibility plots of lever-type antiresonant vibration isolator (solid line) and SDOF
mass spring (dashed line) where r = ␻ / ␻0.

Antiresonant Suspension Model

The antiresonant vibration isolator described in the previous section is

placed in series with the 4-DOF quarter-car model. Figure 7 shows the 5-DOF
antiresonant quarter-car model.
The motion of the sprung mass, ms, can be obtained from the following
equations of motion:
共ms + ␣2mis兲ẍ5 − ␣共␣ − 1兲misẍ4 + kis共x5 − x4兲 = 0,

共␣ − 1兲2misẍ4 − ␣共␣ − 1兲misẍ5 + kis共x4 − x5兲 + cs共ẋ4 − ẋ3兲 + ks共x4 − x3兲 = 0,

0.96musẍ3 + cs共ẋ3 − ẋ4兲 + ks共x3 − x4兲 + 3ktr共x3 − x2兲 = 0,

0.02musẍ2 + 3ktr共2x2 − x3 − x1兲 = 0,

0.02musẍ1 + 3ktr共2x1 − x2 − y兲 = 0. 共11兲

For this case T = X5 / Y, where X5 is the output displacement amplitude and
Y is the input displacement amplitude. Note that ␣ is the lever ratio as in the
previous section.
Our aim in this section is to demonstrate the benefits of the antiresonance
generated by the isolator. For this purpose, numerical examples will be given. In
 YILMAZ ET AL. ON REDUCING TIRE-INDUCED NOISE 143

FIG. 7 — 5-DOF quarter-car model. ms is the sprung mass, mus is the unsprung mass, mis is the
isolator mass, ks is the suspension spring stiffness, cs is the damping coefficient of the damper, ktr is
the tire stiffness with loss factor ␥, kis is the isolator stiffness, x5 is the displacement of ms, and y is
the displacement due to road surface roughness.

order to make fair comparisons among the various examples, the overall system
stiffness will be held constant. First of all, let us denote the stiffness ratio kis / ks
as ␤. In the 4-DOF quarter-car model, ks was equal to 22 kN/ m. In the 5-DOF
antiresonant quarter-car model, let ks = 共1 + 共1 / ␤兲兲 ⫻ 22 kN/ m, kis = 共1 + ␤兲
⫻ 22 kN/ m so that 1 / 共共1 / ks兲 + 共1 / kis兲兲 = 22 kN/ m while kis / ks = ␤. As a result,
both systems have the same overall stiffness. Furthermore, let cs = 关1 + 共1 / ␤兲兴
⫻ 2.2 kN. s / m so that the increase in ks is commensurately balanced with an
increase in cs.
In the first example, we try to cancel the first internal resonance frequency
of the tire by placing the antiresonance frequency at that frequency. For this
case, ␣ = 3.3, mis = 0.5 kg, and kis / ks = 100. Different sets of mis and ␣ could be
used to place the antiresonance frequency; however, these values are chosen
such that the lever ratio, ␣, and the isolator mass, mis, are not large. In this case,
ks = 1.01⫻ 22 kN/ m, kis = 101⫻ 22 kN/ m, cs = 1.01⫻ 2.2 kN s / m, and the other
parameters 共ms, mus, ktr兲 are the same as before. Figure 8 displays the transmis-
sibility plots of the two systems. It can be seen that the first internal resonance
frequency is canceled. Furthermore, one can see that the resonance peak is not
only removed, but there is also a notch in its place. Hence, a higher resonance
peak could also be canceled with the antiresonance frequency.
144 TIRE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

FIG. 8 — Transmissibility plots of the 4-DOF quarter-car model (solid line) and the 5-DOF anti-
resonant quarter-car model (dashed line) for ␣ = 3.3, mis = 0.5 kg, and kis / ks = 100.

As a second example, we want to cancel the second internal resonance

frequency of the tire; to this end, ␣ = 2.17, mis = 0.5 kg and kis / ks = 100. Figure 9

FIG. 9 — Transmissibility plots of the 4-DOF quarter-car model (solid line) and the 5-DOF anti-
resonant quarter-car model (dashed line) for ␣ = 2.17, mis = 0.5 kg, and kis / ks = 100.
 YILMAZ ET AL. ON REDUCING TIRE-INDUCED NOISE 145

FIG. 10 — Transmissibility plots of the 4-DOF quarter-car model (solid line) and the 5-DOF anti-
resonant quarter-car model (dashed line) for ␣ = 1.35, mis = 0.5 kg, and kis / ks = 10.

displays the transmissibility plots of the 4-DOF quarter-car model and the
5-DOF antiresonant quarter-car model. It can be seen that the second internal
resonance frequency is canceled.
We can try to decrease the effect of both resonance frequencies by choosing
␣ between 2.17 and 3.3. However, the resonance frequencies will not be can-
celed; only the peaks will be reduced. In order to increase the effect of the
antiresonance frequency in decreasing both peaks, the ratio kis / ks must be de-
creased. The antiresonance frequency is placed in the middle of the two reso-
nance frequencies by choosing ␣ = 1.35, mis = 0.5 kg, and kis / ks = 10. In this case,
ks = 1.1⫻ 22 kN/ m, kis = 11⫻ 22 kN/ m, cs = 1.1⫻ 2.2 kN s / m, and the other pa-
rameters are the same as before. Figure 10 displays the transmissibility plots of
the 4-DOF quarter-car model and the 5-DOF antiresonant quarter-car model. It
can be seen that both resonance peaks are considerably lowered. However, due
to decreasing the kis / ks ratio, the low-frequency response slightly deteriorated
共around 10 Hz兲.
The kis / ks ratio can be decreased even further to achieve better high-
frequency isolation. For example, we let ␣ = 2.3, mis = 0.05 kg, and kis / ks = 4.
Notice that a smaller mis is used in this case. Consequently, the value of ␣ is
increased, but this value is easily realizable. In this case, ks = 1.25⫻ 22 kN/ m,
kis = 5 ⫻ 22 kN/ m, cs = 1.25⫻ 2.2 kN s / m, and the other parameters are the same
as before. Figure 11 displays the transmissibility plots of the 4-DOF quarter-car
model and the 5-DOF antiresonant quarter-car model. It can be seen that both
146 TIRE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

FIG. 11 — Transmissibility plots of the 4-DOF quarter-car model (solid line) and the 5-DOF anti-
resonant quarter-car model (dashed line) for ␣ = 2.3, mis = 0.05 kg, and kis / ks = 4.

resonance peaks are further lowered. However, due to decreasing the kis / ks
ratio, the low-frequency response deteriorated more 共both peaks around 1 and
10 Hz have increased兲.
One can extend the use of antiresonance to higher degree-of-freedom sus-
pension models. In these cases, the antiresonance frequency can be placed in the
frequency range of the most problematic resonances. Moreover, by adjusting the
suspension parameters, optimum designs that achieve high-frequency isolation
with good low-frequency response can be obtained.
Construction of antiresonant suspension systems would be similar to regu-
lar passive suspension systems except for the antiresonant isolator stage and
some dimensional changes to accommodate it. Since small lever ratios and
masses are utilized in the antiresonant stage, it would not occupy a large space.
The antiresonant stage can be realized by systems having hydraulic leverage as
in the case of HEMs or mechanical leverage as in the case of helicopter rotor
isolators. Since these systems are inherently simple compared to active suspen-
sion systems, they promise to be much more cost effective.

Conclusion

It has been shown that antiresonance phenomenon significantly improved

the isolation characteristics of passive suspension systems. In all the examples,
 YILMAZ ET AL. ON REDUCING TIRE-INDUCED NOISE 147

small isolator masses and easily realizable lever ratios are utilized. Furthermore,
stiffness is not compromised to achieve isolation.
It has been demonstrated that one can place an antiresonance frequency on
any of the internal resonance frequencies of the tire to cancel it. If the stiffness
of the antiresonant stage is high compared to the rest of the suspension system,
then there is negligible change in the low-frequency response. Furthermore, by
decreasing the relative stiffness of the antiresonant stage, one can improve the
high-frequency isolation characteristics. However, this improvement comes
with a decreasing low-frequency performance. Therefore, one should select the
optimum stiffness ratio that both satisfy low-frequency performance require-
ments and high-frequency isolation requirements.

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