Estimation of the combustion-related noise transfer matrix of a multi-cylinder diesel engine

In the present paper, a procedure for estimating an engine-platform-dependent transfer matrix that relates in-cylinder pressures to radiated noise resulting from processes associated with the combustion process is described. A knowledge of that transfer matrix allows the combustion-related component of the noise radiated by a diesel engine to be estimated from a knowledge of cylinder pressure signals. The procedure makes use of multi-input/multi-output (MIMO) system modeling concepts in conjunction with cross-spectral measurements. To date, the empirical prediction of diesel engine combustion noise has usually been achieved by combining a cylinder pressure with a single, smooth structural attenuation function (e.g., the Lucas combustion noise meter) regardless of the specifications of the engine. In comparison, the procedure described in the present work provides the structural attenuation characteristics of a particular engine in the form of a transfer matrix, thus allowing accurate prediction by accounting fully for inter-cylinder correlation, cylinder-to-cylinder variation and the detailed characteristics of an engine structure. The procedure was applied to a six-cylinder diesel engine, and the various aspects of the new procedure are described.