The success of its automotive driveline components enabled GKN Driveline do Brazil to gradually strengthen its competitive position in South American automotive markets. A key success factor is the NVH engineering of its driveline-related products for its customers’ newly developed vehicles. Powerful yet portable acquisition and analysis systems make it possible to efficiently carry out complete NVH assessment and optimization procedures at customers’ sites. The unrivalled measurement-reliability standards and data-analysis performance of LMS Pimento, the portable multichannel analyzer, firmly increased the quality and efficiency of GKN Driveline’s on-site NVH support capability.GKN Driveline is a world leader in the design and production of vehicle driveline components and systems. Its Brazilian subsidiary produces sideshafts for front-, rear- and all-wheel drive cars, and joints for propshafts of light, commercial vehicles. For each distinct vehicle type of an OEM or a series of types, GKN Driveline designs dedicated sideshafts, as shafts and joints typically need adaptation to engine family characteristics and vehicle size. On GKN Driveline do Brazil’s customer list, an impressive number of well-known automotive OEMs can be found, including Audi, DaimlerChrysler, Fiat, Ford, Honda, GM, Mazda, PSA, Toyota and Volkswagen.
Assessing NVH impact of drivelines
“The main task of our service engineers is to provide professional support to OEMs that are integrating GKN Driveline products into newly developed vehicles,” stated Rafael de Mello, who is responsible for NVH (Noise, Vibration & Harshness) at GKN Driveline Brazil. Since vehicle shipments to GKN Driveline’s test laboratory in Porto Alegre are no longer an option in today’s ever-shorter development cycles, GKN Driveline engineers go on-site with LMS Pimento. De Mello explained, “These portable multichannel analyzers enable us to identify whether integrated GKN Driveline components are causing specific NVH disturbances on full-vehicle prototypes. LMS Pimento provides analysis results that allow us to correlate the NVH performance of the full vehicle with the GKN Driveline products and to make specific suggestions for design improvements. We share the analysis information by integrating graphics in printable reports and distributing them to all parties involved.”
GKN Driveline also extensively uses LMS Pimento during vehicle production at customers, to assess the possibility of even further improving the full-vehicle NVH impact of the existing, built-in GKN Driveline configuration. LMS Pimento’s analyses make it possible to predict the improved NVH performance when replacing one or more of the integrated sideshafts or joints with newer GKN Driveline releases. LMS Pimento also manages modal measurements performed on individual vehicle components. In the FRF acquisition setup, the DAC output is used to connect to the modal shaker, while the impact hammer and accelerometers are attached to their dedicated connections.
Increasing on-site test efficiency
To maintain the professional-level customer services, GKN Driveline must carry out NVH tests and analyses with greater speed and reliability. De Mello concludes, “Tests and analyses that previously took three weeks to complete – are now executed in less than ten days! Identifying problems and analyzing data to prepare reports used to be real bottlenecks. We appreciate the many measurement channels of LMS Pimento, which practically connect to any type of sensor. Its compact size, simple user interface, advanced analysis capabilities and numerous post-processing options also increase our productivity. In addition, LMS Pimento combines operational and modal testing in one system, leading to increased measurement data compatibility and decreased expenses in our on-site test operations.”
