Dynamic Simulation of Engine-Mount Systems

This paper presents a simplified method to determine the vibrational amplitude produced by a four-cylinder engine when supported by a viscoelastic foundation. The pistons, connecting rods, and crankshaft are modeled as rigid bodies connected to the foundation by standard industrial rubber mounts which are modeled with spring and damping elements whose location, orientation, and stiffness can be easily configured for specific design analysis, or optimized to reduce vibration and noise in a design. The paper is presented in a general algorithmic form, with a detailed numerical example emphasizing the three parts of the analysis: the mechanism kinematics, the shaking force and torque determination on the engine block, and the three-dimensional vibrational analysis.