Investigation into the fluid—structure interaction of a hydraulically damped rubber mount on the basis of finite element analysis

This paper investigates the working process simulation of a hydraulically damped rubber mount (HDM) based on finite element (FE) analysis of the fluid―structure interaction (FSI). The direct computing method of coupled FSI formulation in arbitrary Lagrangian― Eulerian coordinates and the mixed displacement―pressure FE formulation for the incompressible medium, rubber, are adopted. The constitutive law of rubber is determined by FE analysis of incompressible material. A proportion mesh control algorithm helps to overcome fluid mesh distortion. Comparison of the predicted and experimental static elasticities verifies the effectiveness of the presented modelling approach of an HDM. Analysis of fluid pressure― velocity fields and deformation―stress fields of rubber components under typical working conditions clarifies the working process of the HDM, which can help to evaluate the carrying capacity, to identify the chamber volumetric characteristics, and to determine the fluid field distribution and stress distribution of rubber parts for the structural design of the HDM.