A novel approach for lower frequency performance design of hydraulic engine mounts

Nonlinear damping property of the inertia track for a generic hydraulic engine mount (HEM) is identified by experimental method and simulation approach using commercial software ADINA. The experimental method and data processing technique for obtaining linear and nonlinear resistances of fluid motion in the inertia track are presented. Three kinds of HEMs with different number of inertia tracks are designed and manufactured, and their frequency response characteristics are investigated by experimental and analytical methods. The linear and nonlinear lumped parameter (LP) models for an HEM with multiple inertia tracks (MIT) are proposed. The peak frequency of the HEM’s loss angle is derived from the linear LP model and expressed in an explicit form, and the dynamic stiffness and the loss angle of an HEM are obtained from the nonlinear LP model. The calculated dynamic performances of an HEM with MITs using the proposed LP models are compared favorably with the experimental data, which validates the proposed models. The analytical methods and conclusions are instructive for the design and the tuning of the lower performance of a passive and a semi-active HEM.