External tire noise: Determination of timbre parameters and unpleasantness factors, with a focus on truck tires

Marin-Cudraz, Thibaut; Parizet, Étienne; Perez, Beatriz Bragado · 2023 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1016/j.apacoust.2023.109765

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Summary

This study investigates the psychoacoustic parameters responsible for the unpleasantness of external tire noise, with a specific focus on heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). As electric vehicles reduce engine noise, tire noise has become the primary source of annoyance in urban and suburban environments. While existing regulations rely solely on A-weighted sound levels, this research aims to identify specific timbre characteristics—such as tonality and loudness—that drive noise annoyance, particularly for truck tires which differ significantly from passenger car tires. The work is part of the Leon-T project, which seeks to reduce emissions from HGV tires. The research employed a two-phase experimental design. In the first experiment, researchers recorded pass-by noise from passenger cars (C1), light trucks (C2), and heavy trucks (C3) at 70 km/h on a standardized track. These recordings were analyzed in two conditions: exterior (roadside) and interior (simulated by filtering signals to mimic attenuation through a standard residential facade). Fifty-three participants performed a free sorting task to group sounds by similarity. Hierarchical clustering and psychoacoustic analysis revealed that for interior listening conditions, loudness and tonality were the primary factors distinguishing sound groups, whereas exterior conditions involved more complex factors including roughness and sharpness. Truck tires, particularly when driven, exhibited higher tonality and loudness compared to passenger car tires. In the second experiment, the researchers synthesized artificial tire noise stimuli to isolate the effects of loudness and tonality on perceived unpleasantness. They controlled four parameters: overall sound pressure level, tonality factor (ratio of tonal to noisy amplitude), fundamental frequency, and bandwidth of tonal components. Participants evaluated the unpleasantness of these synthesized sounds. The results demonstrated that loudness and tonality contributed equivalently to the perceived unpleasantness of the noise. This finding suggests that tonality is as critical as intensity in determining how annoying tire noise is to listeners. The significance of these findings lies in their potential to inform future noise regulations. Current standards focus exclusively on sound pressure levels, ignoring spectral characteristics that heavily influence human perception. The study concludes that tonality should be considered in tire noise regulations, particularly for heavy goods vehicles, which can emit noise with a strong tonal character. By incorporating timbre parameters like tonality into regulatory frameworks, policymakers could more accurately address the subjective annoyance caused by traffic noise, leading to better noise control strategies for urban environments.

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