SOFTeN:Motor mountswith improvedfatigueresistance due to nanoadditivation. The motor support system is decisive for the behavior of the motor. vehicle, both in its dynamic behavior as well as in the transmission of The vehicle’s passenger compartment must be protected against noise and vibrations and must ensure the elastic connection between the body or frame and the engine block assembly. The working conditions of the motor mounts in the vehicle are very severe and last for the entire life of the vehicle (more than 10 years). All functions of the motor mounts are performed under the following conditions constant load conditions of the motor assembly and in conditions of high temperature reached due to the heat generated by the motor itself enclosed in a housing of limited volume. At present, almost all motor mounts are manufactured for the elastic part with elastomer mixtures, generally natural rubber. as the main polymer, due to its good mechanical and mechanical performance. of limited relaxation over time. These mixtures have a specific formulation and are differentiated from other formulations by its low sulfur content as a binding element in the crosslinking that occurs during vulcanization. This reduced sulphur content, together with other elements stabilizers, gives them a high temperature resistance for to be able to work at peaks of more than 100 ºC while maintaining its stability and performance over time, but unfortunately, because of the on the other hand, it limits the material’s performance in other properties mechanical properties, such as resilience and fatigue resistance. Among the requirements for motor mounts, the following stand out fatigue strength, but it is common for compliance with durability requirements presents technical problems due to cyclic deformation requirements are too severe for the limited size of the pieces, which are is conditioned by the available space, which is usually very limited. reduced. Therefore, the design and development of engine mounts presents significant technological challenges related to improving the fatigue resistance of natural rubber formulations, while maintaining or improving, if possible, the other desired performance for this type of component. To address these challenges, the SOFTeN project aims at developing an engine support that outperforms current products in their fatigue resistance by giving a higher number of cycles to failure for the same load condition and a higher number of cycles to failure for the same load condition. geometry, through the development of new formulations of natural rubber blends incorporating nano-particle reinforcements commercial designs, which will be applied on optimized designs by means of numerical simulation techniques for fatigue life prediction at the motor support. These optimized designs will make it possible to achieve reduced motor support compared to the current ones.
This requires the joint work of all the companies that make up the Consortium:
Challenges-Collaboration of the year 2016, of the State Research Program, Development and Innovation Oriented to the Challenges of Society, in the of the State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Technological Development. Innovation 2013-2016. Main objective: To promote technological development, innovation and quality research.
This project has been co-financed by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, as part of the State Program of Research, Development and Innovation Oriented to the Challenges of the Society, within the framework of the State Plan for Scientific and Technological Research and the Technical and Innovation 2013-2016 .
