Custom Design Multi-Axial Engine Mount Load-Cell Development for Road Load Identification and Fatigue Life Estimation

Internal combustion engines are attached on the vehicle body using engine mounts composed of two cast iron brackets and a rubber isolator connecting them. Engine mount road load identification during vehicle durability tests on proving ground is a critical task for engine mount development. Using standard multi-axial load-cell is not possible unless major design revisions on the vehicle body or engine block are done. Using wheel force transducers and vehicle dynamic simulation tools need extensive model tuning work to get accurate load information. Hence, a custom multi-axial load-cell design is preferred for the engine mount load identification of a BCar I4 engine. The developed load-cell engine mount bracket can be installed without doing any design changes on the vehicle. Design, durability analysis, instrumentation, calibration and vehicle installation of custom designed six degree of freedom multi-axial load cell have been performed. Strain and acceleration measurements have been conducted on vehicle durability test track. Data have been processed to obtain forces and moments in six degree of freedom on the engine mounts. The loading information was used for fatigue life estimation.