VI-grade has opened SimCenter Millbrook, an advanced vehicle development and driving simulation centre dedicated to NVH applications. The centre, now available for rentals and technology display, is located at Millbrook Proving Ground in the UK.
SimCenter Millbrook features a Static NVH Simulator based on a Bentley Continental GT full vehicle, completely instrumented for detailed and immersive NVH investigation. The simulator creates an interactive driving experience of a vehicle’s interior NVH, bringing sound and vibration data into the real world, so it can be experienced by engineers and test drivers. The system leverages NVH simulator and software technology and expertise developed by Brüel & Kjær, which is now part of the VI-grade family.
Also onsite is an exemplar of VI-grade’s Desktop NVH Simulator, equipped with a steering wheel and pedals so that drivers can interact with a vehicle design and experience its sound in real-time. Highly accurate vehicle sound is played through headphones or speakers, allowing drivers to experience the sound of a vehicle throughout all of the dynamic aspects of driving, like changing gears and accelerating, or changing from smooth to coarse to rough road surfaces. This immersive context for sound evaluations helps engineers and non-experts select appropriate sounds and compare alternative designs. Software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop capabilities enable integration with other vehicle systems, such as vehicle performance models and active sound design solutions.
“As early adopters and key developers of the NVH Simulator, Hottinger Brüel & Kjær (HBK) Engineering Services have been able to apply this technology in many development projects, from reducing OEM development time and costs, to aiding engineers in the decision making process and improving the driving experience of their customers” stated Gabriella Cerrato, director of engineering services, HBK. “As the automotive industry moves into a new era, with electrification bringing new NVH challenges, the NVH simulator is more critical than ever before”.
