Sound & vibration control for a single-cylinder gasoline engine based on parameter optimization of timing-chain system

In order to promote the idling noise quality of a single-cylinder gasoline engine, this paper addresses sound source identification and noise control research. The noise was identified by the application of subjective evaluation, acoustic spectrum and sound intensity analysis. It was found that the noise was caused by the anomalous dynamic performance of the timing system under idling conditions. Furthermore, sound and vibration characteristics of timing system were improved by design methodology research of key components. A multi-body dynamic model was established to characterize dynamic characteristics of the timing system under idling conditions. The key factor of producing noise was that the fluctuation of contact force between the chain and guide and transverse displacement of the chain were much higher than those of the allowable design limit. For the lowest design alternation and manufacturing costs, the work analyzed six timing system improvement schemes obtained by cross combination of tensioner blade line and guide strip radian parameters. After that, the optimal design scheme which could improve dynamic performance parameters of the timing system was derived. The design scheme was conducted with a acoustic test of engine to derive the following results. The noise level of a single-cylinder engine under idling conditions decreased by 3 dB(A). The abnormal noise of the original engine was eliminated under subjective evaluation. The sound quality under other working conditions had no apparent deterioration. Research shows that guide and tensioner blade line optimization design could improve dynamic performance of the timing chain system to eliminate abnormal noise, thereby significantly improving the acoustic characteristic of a single-cylinder engine.