CAE in Automotive Engine Mount Development

The desire for more quiet and comfortable cars from consumers requires better engineering in the process of engine mount development. The fact that no physical vehicle exists at the time when the project launches, the design guidance relying on computer-aided engineering is essential. This paper discusses an engine mount development approach relying on computer-aided engineering with the assumption that the initial powertrain data, which include the powertrain mass, mass center, mass moment of inertia and engine power, are available. The mount placement strategy is discussed after the torque roll axis is introduced. To achieve the decoupled vibration modes for the mounting system, the computer simulated powertrain rigid body modal analysis is employed. As a result, the mount linear portion of the load-deflection curve is determined while the nonlinear portion is chosen by static analysis, whose constraint is the maximum powertrain roll angle under the condition of the maximum torque input. Also, the reaction forces in the three orthogonal directions are able to be estimated under the various loading conditions which reflect the vehicle driving conditions. Finally, finite element analysis is employed in the designs of the metallic and rubber components to meet the durability and performance requirements.