What material do we use here?

Flexible foams.

Why is flexible foam the best material for noise reduction?

Open-cell flexible foams absorb vibrations and prevent them from bouncing off hard surfaces which “deaden” the sound. The tighter the cell structure the more effective the noise reduction, however, this is usually at the cost of adding extra weight. Here at Urofoam we've been able to strike that delicate balance between unwanted weight and density of the foam.

CASE STUDY

The Automotive Sound Deadening

When luxury British car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) were planning the build of their new F-Pace compact SUV, sound absorption and engine efficiency were both critical requirements that would contribute to the model's long term success.

Adding a new vehicle to their range would allow JLR to explore new approaches to optimising the performance of the vehicle, and during the prototyping phase of the build, they turned Urofoam for specialist help. The technical brief from JLR would have 2 main areas of focus.

Noise Reduction

All new cars are required to meet Europe-wide noise limits. These have been progressively reduced from 82 decibels (dB (A)) in 1978, to the current limit of 74 dB (A) established in 2016. Noise from engines is not only an environmental pollutant but has a significant impact on the driving experience. As a premium car brand, Jaguar Land Rover pride themselves in delivering a superior ride quality for both driver and passengers. Unnecessary engine noise would detract from the driving experience which could have resulted in negative reviews from the first tranche of buyers, having a long term impact on the perception, and ultimately sales of the vehicle.

Insulation

The second part of the brief for the F-Pace model was to insulate the engine bay. Improving the level of insulation surrounding the engine will not only help dampen excessive noise, but effective heat insulation will protect the occupants of the vehicle from high temperatures, and limit the impact of heat on the cars electronic circuitry or features such as GPS units.

A warm engine will also operate more efficiently, so ensuring an effective layer of insulation adds benefits around improved fuel economy too.

The Solution

With a demanding technical brief, the team of specialist engineers at Urofoam rose to the challenge. The result was one of the most complex shapes ever produced using flexible polyurethane (PU) foam. PU Foam offers high levels of energy absorption and excellent heat shielding capabilities while being lightweight.

We worked alongside the team of JLR engineers for 3 months, providing several prototypes from our own custom-made moulding casts prior to settling on a design and shape that would provide the optimum level of sound and heat protection for the available space.

We were delighted that the pre-production tests run by JLR on the engine bay using Urofoam's solution achieved their target, and the solution was approved for large scale manufacture in their build process.

We continue to assist JLR in their R&D projects.