Case Study: BAIC Motor Research Institute reduces car-body damping materials by 25% with Hexagon Actran

How BAIC optimized car-body damping by simulation

The customer, BAIC Motor Research Institute, faced a challenge in optimizing the damping materials used in car bodies to reduce noise and vibration. Without the means to accurately simulate how these materials would perform, their engineers relied on rules of thumb and physical prototypes, which was an inefficient and costly process. They needed a CAE method to precisely simulate NVH performance to reduce weight and control costs while ensuring vehicle comfort.

The vendor, Hexagon, provided a solution using its MSC Actran software, integrated with MSC Nastran. This solution enabled accurate simulation of damping materials and their effects, allowing BAIC to identify the most effective placement and thickness for these materials. As a result, Hexagon's solution helped BAIC reduce the amount of damping material on the floor by over 25%, cutting costs by more than RMB10 per vehicle while perfectly matching test results and maintaining the initial acoustic performance.

BAIC Motor Research Institute

Wu Lie

Director and Chief Engineer