Lab test software helps Audi meet deadlines

LMS has announced that Audi successfully deployed LMS Test.Lab for NVH testing and engineering to meet increasingly tight deadlines in new car development programs.

LMS, the engineering innovation company, has announced that Audi successfully deployed LMS Test.Lab for NVH testing and engineering to meet increasingly tight deadlines in new car development programs.

Superior NVH quality is said to be a top priority in Audi's strategy of brand differentiation, and the company is a longstanding user of LMS testing systems to ensure new models comply with specific sound profiles.

After an extensive evaluation, Audi decided to migrate to the LMS Test.Lab software suite and to deploy the new testing system for more than 50 users.

The implementation is comprised of multiple NVH testing systems for lab and field testing based on the LMS SCADAS III data acquisition front end.

According to Kay Schammer, Noise and Vibration Testing Engineer at Audi, one of the primary benefits of the deployment was the increased testing productivity provided by LMS Test.Lab for the diverse range of NVH testing assignments.

"This implementation strengthens our capability in handling the increasing workload and complexity for NVH engineering work in developing the distinct sound packages for Audi vehicles," explains Schammer.

"In a typical vehicle test program, we only have a car for a short time slot.

Instrumenting the vehicle with accelerometers and microphones requires a lot of time, and only half a day often remains for running tests, gathering data and analyzing results," says Schammer.

"At this stage, time is critical.

Tests must be performed quickly and reliably.

There is no room for error and no time for repeating tests.

LMS Test.Lab has proven to be a perfect fit for addressing this challenge" Schammer notes that all data acquisition, analysis and reporting tasks are tightly integrated in LMS Test.Lab, which performs acoustic, vibration, structural and rotating machinery tests on a single unified platform.

A user-friendly graphical interface has prompts and automated features for fast setup and data analysis.

"As tests are being run, on-line monitoring lets users clearly see results in real time on colour-coded maps, comparative plots, waterfall diagrams and other displays," explains Schammer.

"In this way, engineers can immediately determine if measurements are valid and quickly identify where further study of problems may be warranted." One particularly valuable tool noted by Schammer is the LMS PolyMAX modal parameter estimation solution that highlights noise resonances as coloured spikes on amplitude versus frequency diagrams.

Automation of this task saves time by enabling engineers to define resonant frequencies in a few minutes instead of spending hours laboriously interpreting data.

This capability also provides more consistent analysis of results that otherwise could vary depending on the operator.

Report generation is another highly useful time-saving feature, allowing engineers to quickly prepare reports with embedded animations of ODS results and other "live" data.

These reports can then be shared with others, who can manipulate views and interact with the images, even without having LMS Test.Lab on their systems.

"The increased productivity provided by LMS Test.Lab enables us to complete testing operations with higher efficiency than is otherwise possible," says Schammer.

"Improvements in handling increasingly complex tests within tight schedules are critical in helping us maintain our sound quality standards and meet key milestones in the development of the expanding range of new vehicle models at Audi.".

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