Magnetic Actuators for Active Powertrain Vibration Control

The new fuel efficiency and emission standards have forced OEMs to put emphasis on different strategies such as engine downsizing, cylinder deactivation… Unfortunately these new technologies may lead to increased powertrain vibrations generated by the engine and transmitted to the chassis and the car cabin, such that their reduction or elimination has become a key topic for the automotive industry. The use of active engine mounts, acting directly on the fluid of an hydromount, or active vibration dampers, acting as an inertial mass-spring system, are very effective solutions, particularly when using electromagnetic based actuators. Nevertheless, all electromagnetic actuators technologies are not equals and the choice of such actuators must be considered carefully by taking into account the full performances and the overall cost of the solutions. This paper presents an electromagnetic actuator technology, that can be considered as the best tradeoff between performances and cost. Comparisons with existing solutions currently proposed by automotive suppliers will also be shown.