Cabin Noise Reduction of Wheel Loader through the Shape Optimization of Tail-Pipe

In a wheel loader, the tail-pipe is installed at the exhaust tube of muffler for the reduction of exhaust noise and the cooling of engine room, however, the cabin noise level can be largely increased due to the tail-pipe. In this paper, to grasp and reduce the cabin noise, a series of noise and vibration tests were carried out in addition to numerical simulations. As a result, the transmission path of exhaust noise toward the cabin was exactly identified and the improved shape of tail pipe, that can reduce the cabin noise, was derived through various numerical simulations and real tests.