The Refinement of a Vehicle NVH Performance by Optimizing Sub-Frame Mounts

The main end of this research is the optimization of engine sub-frame parameters in a passenger car to reduce the transmitted vibration to vehicle cabin through DOE method. First, the full vehicle model of passenger car including all its sub-systems such as engine, suspension and steering system is modeled in ADAMS/CAR and its accuracy is validated by exerting swept sine and step input. After that, the schematic geometry of sub-frame is modeled in CAD software and transferred to ADAMS/CAR. Hence, the efficiency of the sub-frame in terms of reducing the induced vibration to vehicle cabin is examined through the various road inputs e.g. swept sine, step and random road input type (B). The results will illustrate that the sub-frame has significant effect in reduction of transmitted vibration to occupants. In order to optimize the sub-frame parameters, the sensitivity analysis is performed to derive effective parameters of sub-frame using DOE method. In this regard, the parameters which have dominant effect on transmitted vibration (the stiffness of sub-frame bushing in vertical direction) are optimized via RSM (Response Surface Method) method. The results of forced vibration analyses depict that the transmitted vibration to occupants has been reduced in optimized model comparing with the vehicle model without sub-frame, which in turn this demonstrates the efficiency of sub-frame in transmitted vibration reduction to the vehicle cabin.