Friction-Induced Noise and Vibrations: Diagnosis and Prognosis

Friction-Induced noise & vibration problem, such as Squeak & Rattle, belt noise and brake noise, has been one of most challenging technical problems faced by automotive industry. For instance, in North America, up to one 100 million dollars every year are spent on noise and vibration issues in warranty work of automotive brake systems [1,2]. The prediction and control of friction-induced noise and vibrations have been considered as an elusive problem. In this article, the friction-induced noise and vibration problem is reviewed by using brake noise as an example. The time-varying, strong nonlinear and stochastic nature of the problem is emphasized. The new perspective of diagnosis and prognosis are proposed to address this problem. The framework of diagnosis and prognosis could be developed by using nonlinear signal processing, phase space reconstruction, nonlinear stochastic system identification, and statistical pattern recognition, which effectively and efficiently helps identify system, validate numerical model, predict troublesome event occurrence and estimate uncertainty.