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 under investigation to reduce and isolate the torsional vibrations responsible f or g ear rattling. T his work addresses the problem of reducing gear rattle while the engine is idling. The aim is to reduce the rattle index by introducing the pre-damper clutch plate instead of a conventional clutch plate that uses torsional vibration springs. A Matlab/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.