NVH testing requires measuring sound and vibration that a product produces. Typically, this means measuring at key locations where customers would perceive the noise or vibration of the product. To diagnose a noise and vibration issue, it is not enough just to record a few key operator interface locations. Other detailed measurements would also be acquired to diagnose the root cause. For example, recording the noise of washing machine alone is not enough, measuring vibration on several key internal components (motor, vents, fans, etc) is also needed to understand the problem fully.

Noise is another word for the sound or acoustic properties emitted by a product. Noise measurements are often performed for: Regulation: Products often must be below legislated noise limits to be sold. Damage: Sound waves (like from a rocket on the satellite payload) can be of such a high level they cause damage. Detection: In some military applications, sound can give away a position to an enemy. For example, a submarine must be very quiet so as not to be detected when under water. Characterized by frequency, level and quality. The human ear perceives sounds between 20 Hz and 20,000 Hz. Measurements performed with microphones.

Excessive vibration is irritating to the users of products. It can also be helpful to understand the vibration of a product to trouble shoot the sound. Vibrating surfaces act like speakers which produce sound. Motion sensed by the body mainly in the 0.5 Hz – 50 Hz frequency range. Vibration levels should be low and not disturbing. High vibration causes parts to fail over time ( Figure 3 ). Vibration levels that are too high can cause health concerns when exposed for too long. Example: Prolonged usage of a jack hammer causes “white finger” syndrome. Vibration levels are often amplified by resonant behavior of a structure. Vibration is used to understand the underlying cause of unwanted sound. Characterized by frequency, level and direction. Measurements performed with accelerometers.

Harshness pertains to the subjective impression of sound and/or vibration. Consumers want products to sound as expected. Sounds should not be annoying in nature. Examples include: Pleasing background hum of a dishwasher Refined interior noise of an automobile Solid door closing sound at a dealership Sporty sound of motorcycle Rough, grating or discordant sensations associated with the combined effect of noise and vibration should be avoided Humans can hear from 20 to 20000 Hz. Audible disturbances mainly occur in the 20 Hz – 5000 Hz frequency range

How can I measure NVH characteristics during a test?

There are three main components to a noise, vibration, and harshness measurement system: Transducers : Sensing devices that when exposed to dynamic excitation react to physical phenomena (such as sound pressure or acceleration vibrations ) and convert to analog voltage. Analog to Digital Hardware : Provides sensor signal conditioning and conversion from analog signals to digital for viewing on computers. The Siemens solution to this is in the signal conditioning and data acquisition system (SCADAS) line of hardware . Visualization and analysis software : For visualizing and further processing of acquired signals. Such as Simcenter Testlab or Simcenter Testlab Neo software. The transducers are placed on or near the object making noise or vibration. The analog signals they collect are digitized in the hardware so they can be viewed and analyzed in the software.

How can I integrate NVH testing with the digital twin?

Efficient product develop requires modelling product performance with the "digital twin". Simcenter Testlab is fully integrated with computer based simulation modelling, supporting both correlation and verification. Some examples of integration features include: Correlation of dynamic mode shapes (via Modal Assurance Criterion) Overlay of simulation and test data in the same engineering units Use of Functional Mockup Interfaces in data analysis

What if I don't see my question here?

If you have a more technical question about NVH testing and data acquisition, then please take a look at the Simcenter Community which contains technical knowledgebase articles as well as visit the Simcenter community for NVH testing .

NVH testing

Transform NVH testing productivity

NVH test engineers face the dual challenge of reducing time-to-market and development costs while ensuring quality and completeness. Limited prototype availability and testing time further complicate their work, demanding increased efficiency in product validation. In this challenging environment, they must evaluate multiple test conditions and applications while still meeting the highest standards.

Simcenter provides dedicated solutions to transform productivity of your NVH testing campaigns. Combine scalable data acquisition hardware with test measurement, processing and analysis software to make NVH tests more cost-effective. Simcenter’s intuitive and scalable NVH testing solutions enable efficient measurement, analysis, reporting and data sharing. They support a wide range of NVH activities at different stages of the development cycle, from troubleshooting to high channel count multi-physics performance testing campaigns.

Latest innovations in vehicle NVH testing

An engineer driving a car while running an NVH operational testing.

Watch webinar

What is NVH?

Noise, vibration and harshness are all characteristics passengers experience that shape their perception of quality in your vehicle. Too much of one of these, or the wrong “note” can mean negative reviews and impact future sales.

Noise

Noise refers to unwanted sounds that are perceived by the human ear. These sounds can originate from various sources within a vehicle, such as the engine, tires, road surface, and aerodynamic elements like wind and cooling fans.

Vibration

Vibration refers to the mechanical oscillations within a vehicle. Vibrations originate from sources such as the engine, road, or wind, and they are felt by passengers at the steering wheel, seat, armrests, floor, and pedals.

Harshness

Harshness refers to the subjective quality of the noise and vibration experienced in a vehicle. Unlike noise and vibration, which can be measured objectively, harshness is often evaluated qualitatively through human perception.

Simcenter for NVH testing

Simcenter integrates the entire NVH testing process from end to end.

Select...

Data acquisition

In an environment where prototypes are limited, combining multi-attribute measurements is crucial for cost-saving and meeting tight testing deadlines. Whether you need ruggedized distributed systems for in-field measurements, high channel count test-bench systems or battery-powered pocket-sized devices, our state-of-the-art hardware, combined with user-centric software or web applications, can significantly reduce testing time. Handle a variety of sensor types and multiple data rates, configure channel set-ups in no time to streamlining multiple test setups into a single multi-channel measurement session. Save costs and boost productivity of your test campaigns with our multi-attribute data acquisition solutions combined with intuitive software for efficient data collection.

A range of Simcenter SCADAS hardware systems.

Engineer using a Simcenter advanced vibration testing equipment.

Measure driving points and structural and vibroacoustic frequency response functions

Simcenter includes a comprehensive suite of advanced vibration testing equipment and acoustic monopole sources for noise and vibration testing. It seamlessly integrates with Simcenter testing solutions software, delivering a unique solution combination that exceeds current market standards for productivity, data accuracy and overall customer expectations.

Emotors

Emotors uses Simcenter NVH testing tools to excel at engineering automotive e-drives

Case Study

Creating a series of next-generation 25 to 250 kW e-drives in five years

Company:Emotors

Industry:Automotive & transportation

Location:Carrières-sous-Poissy, France

Siemens Software:Simcenter Testing Solutions

Read

Explore Simcenter NVH testing capabilities

Optimize NVH behavior at any stage of development

In order to fully understand the noise, vibration and harshness behavior of a system, engineers perform a transfer path analysis (TPA) that helps them identify and assess structure-borne and airborne energy transfer routes, from the excitation source to a given receiver location.

Transfer path analysis has historically helped engineers quantify the various sources and their paths. The goal is to figure out which ones contribute the most to the noise issues and which ones cancel each other out. Novel and classical approaches to TPA can help assess NVH performances of components and full assemblies, predict the NVH behavior at any stage of the development and even before physical prototypes are available.

Invariant component characterization

Predicting the in-vehicle noise contribution of components, such as the powertrain, tire, HVAC and steering system during early development is tremendously challenging. To avoid endless design iterations, engineers need modular technologies that leverage measured individual component models into full-vehicle noise predictions.

This is exactly the scope of component-based TPA. The process starts by characterizing the source loads independently from the receiver structure, based on acquired free velocities or blocked forces. Next, using sub-structuring techniques, engineers can study the component-level NVH performance without having to physically create the full vehicle in all its variants. Such early predictions help to avoid issues and allow a more realistic design target setting.

Learn how customers are using Simcenter for NVH testing

Horiba Mira

Automotive engineering consultancy uses Simcenter testing to assess the sound quality of electric vehicles.

Read case study

Explore Simcenter products for NVH testing

Simcenter

Simcenter SCADAS hardware

Gain productivity with a broad range of test data acquisition hardware for multiphysics measurement campaigns. Simcenter SCADAS includes portable mobile units, autonomous recorders and high-channel-count laboratory systems.

Simcenter

Simcenter Testlab Neo software

Boost productivity and insights for multidisciplinary test-based performance engineering. Simcenter Testlab Neo is the next-generation platform integrating multidisciplinary analytics and simulation models in any process flow.

NVH testing

White papers

The sound design research lab and the NVH engineers interested in composing sound find it easy to use Simcenter and combine the sound with brand philosophy and vehicle behavior.

Dr. Dong Chul Park, Research Fellow and Head of the Sound Design Lab, Hyundai Motor Group

The majority of noise- and vibration-related issues are now dealt with early in our product development process. The entire procedure is much more integrated.

Zhang Rongrong, Manager, NVH Performance Research Division, BYD Auto Company Limited

Using Simcenter Testlab VPA expanded our applications for NVH prediction by a factor of five. This has drastically increased productivity.

Philippe Mordillat, Noise, Vibration and Harshness Simulation Expert, Renault

Simcenter Testlab Transfer Path Analysis helps us to quantify noise transfer paths in a shorter time and determine whether a potential problem requires a change on our side or a modification to the body or body integration at the OEM.

Tomohiro Sudo, Assistant Project Manager NVH, DENSO

With the right input provided by our rig, virtual software such as provided by the Siemens Simcenter portfolio can now point out problem areas and come up with an improved proposal, instead of running trial and error troubleshooting campaigns.

Christian Landsberg, Global Chief Engineer NVH, ZF TRW

NVH testing

Simcenter

NVH testing

Automotive Testing Expo 2025 (May 20-22)

Transform NVH testing productivity

Latest innovations in vehicle NVH testing