Engine Mount Bracket Design Consideration for Impact Load Requirement 2022-01-0758

The primary function of an engine mounting bracket is to support the powertrain system in all road conditions without any failure. The mount has to withstand different road conditions and driving maneuvers which exert loads on it. Also, it is challenging to change the mounting locations and types after the engine is built; hence it is paramount to verify the mounting brackets against all abuse loads in the design stage. The Car manufacturers ensure engine mount bracket design meets CAE's (Computer-aided engineering) static and fatigue load cases. The CAE is performed using digital RLD (Road load data) loads. The design checks cumulative strain or stress against specified service life requirements during break and fatigue FOS (Factor of safety) calculations. However, it is difficult to simulate the material's fracture toughness to estimate the effect of the impact load on the mounting bracket.

The energy absorption ability of the engine mount brackets is mainly influenced by two variables, the material and the design. Though a bracket is a sound in design for static and fatigue load cases, there is a chance of failure due to less fracture resistance.

This paper represents the estimation of impact loads on the engine mount bracket through simulation and testing of variables like impact mass and drop height on bracket failure location. The test is carried out on the Izod Impact tester, and the complete analysis is presented in this paper for a robust engine mount bracket design.