FORD PUTS EMPHASIS ON NVH, REFINEMENT AND SOUND QUALITY

[biker16]

Ford media.com

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr> DEARBORN, Mich., May 28, 2002 Ford Motor Company?s research shows that its attention to powertrain refinement levels and engine sound quality is making a difference to customers.

Ford engineers have made a significant number of improvements in noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) on many of its 2002 engines, including the 5.4-liter Triton V-8® and the 3.0-liter Duratec® V-6. Ford also is focusing on NVH levels in future vehicles such as the all-new Lincoln Aviator with its 4.6-liter InTech® V-8 engine.

The awarding-winning 260-horsepower 5.4-liter Triton V-8 engine, available on the 2002 Ford F-150, is the best example. NVH enhancements to the Triton engine have led to customer satisfaction improvements on F-150 models, according to internal studies.

"NVH is one of the major customer issues with any powertrain," says John Koszewnik, chief engineer for V-Engine Engineering. "Powertrain refinement really has been the biggest single area of improvement in engine design over the past 10 years. Today's engines are quieter than ever.

Customers have come to expect a level of refinement to match the vehicle they are purchasing, whether it is a sports car with a throaty, powerful V-8 engine like the Ford Mustang, an SUV like the Ford Expedition for towing and off-roading, or a luxury vehicle that is quiet and refined, yet still powerful, such as the Lincoln Town Car, Koszewnik said.

Reducing NVH on the 5.4-liter Triton V-8 was a goal for the Powertrain engineering team for more than two years. Customer research indicated a growing demand for quiet, smooth engines, even in trucks. To reduce NVH levels, Ford engineers employed a statistical quality tool called Consumer Driven 6-Sigma and the latest in computer-aided engineering (CAE) technology.

"Our studies show that unexpected or unwanted noise from an engine is one of the top complaints received from customers," Koszewnik added. "Since the performance of an engine and customers" satisfaction with their powertrain is such a large part of their overall satisfaction with the total vehicle, making improvements there is critical.

The Improvements
Many of the 5.4-liter Triton V-8 engine's NVH enhancements come from a redesigned engine block. Engineers reinforced the engine block (reinforced areas highlighted below) and reduced overall radiated noise by 3.1 decibels. These improvements, which were driven by sophisticated CAE analysis, reduced the overall radiated noise levels significantly across the entire operating range of the engine.

"The new engine block for our 5.4-liter Triton V-8 is designed to provide the best balance of power, smoothness, and quietness," Koszewnik said. ?The key components we improved for better NVH are technologies seldom used for truck engines.

Truck customers are expecting quieter interiors and noticing engine noise in their trucks now more than ever before, he added. This has become especially apparent with the "cell-phone generation," the group of people who commonly make phone calls and work from their pickups and SUVs. Other actions taken to improve the engine include:

* A redesign of the Triton engine's acoustic top cover in the 2003 Ford Expedition, which contributed another key NVH improvement. The cover is made of two materials: polyurethane foam and nylon shell. Polyurethane foam is used to absorb the sound, and nylon shell is used as a barrier to eliminate sound outside of the engine.
* An added "valley stuffer" in the valley of the V in the engine. This not only reduces NVH levels, but also provides a significant benefit to unwanted high frequency noise at locations around the engine where the vehicle is most sensitive.
* A change in the oil pan's material from stamped metal to metal-plastic-metal, which dampens sound better.
* A redesigned air-intake resonator, adapted to the desired sound suitable for each product powered by the Triton engine. The air-intake resonator is the component that directs the air into the engine to provide power.

All of these changes make the 260-horsepower single-overhead cam (SOHC) Triton V-8 engine quieter to drivers and passengers.

All of these changes also are included on the new 2003 Expedition model equipped the 5.4-liter Triton engine. The engine is the most popular engine offered for both the F-150 and Expedition.

Ford also focused on four other high-volume vehicles and made similar improvements to engine quietness:

* Ford Ranger
* Ford F-Series Super Duty
* Ford Taurus
* And Ford Windstar

By targeting the same types of noise and making similar changes, Ford has improved customer satisfaction on four other engines in these vehicles between four and 12 percent, according to internal research. Ford's Modular Engine Family
The 5.4-liter Triton V-8 engine belongs to Ford's modular family of engines, which also includes the 4.6-liter single-overhead cam (SOHC) and dual-overhead cam (DOHC) V-8 engines and Triton 6.8-liter V-10. Each engine in the family uses similar block designs with a couple of available bore and stroke variations.

Ford's engineers differentiate each powertrain in the modular engine family by altering its characteristics,like head design, intake manifolds and exhaust systems , to suit the respective vehicle brand and segment including power and torque performance and sound quality.

The 5.4-liter V-8 engine is available in its various forms on the Ford F-150, Expedition, Excursion, Econoline, Ford SVT Lightening and the Lincoln Navigator. The power and torque specifications of the engine on the Ford F-150 and Ford Expedition are 260 horsepower @ 4,500 rpm and 350 lb-ft. of torque at 2,500 rpm, respectively. The supercharged engine on the SVT Lightening is rated at 380 horsepower at 4,750 rpm and 450 lb-ft of torque 2,500 pm.

The 5.4-liter Triton engine, named by Ward's Auto World as a 10 Best Engine for six consecutive years, is built at the Windsor Engine Plant in Ontario, Canada.

5/28/02
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[ 05-29-2002: Message edited by: biker16 ]</p>