Affiliations: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Department of
Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering, MWL the Marcus Wallenberg Laboratory for
sound and vibration research, Stockholm Sweden
Note: [] Corresponding author: Eskil Lindberg, KTH Royal Institute of
Technology, Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering, MWL the Marcus
Wallenberg Laboratory for sound and vibration research, Stockholm Sweden. Tel.:
+46 87 907610; E-mail: eskill@kth.se
Abstract: Classical component mode synthesis methods for reduction are usually
limited by the size and compatibility of the coupling interfaces. A component
mode synthesis approach with constrained coupling interfaces is presented for
vibro-acoustic modelling. The coupling interfaces are constrained to six
displacement degrees of freedom. These degrees of freedom represent rigid
interface translations and rotations respectively, retaining an undeformed
interface shape. This formulation is proposed for structures with coupling
between softer and stiffer substructures in which the displacement is chiefly
governed by the stiffer substructure. Such may be the case for the
rubber-bushing/linking arm assembly in a vehicle suspension system. The
presented approach has the potential to significantly reduce the modelling size
of such structures, compared with classical component mode synthesis which
would be limited by the modelling size of the interfaces. The approach also
eliminates problems of nonconforming meshes in the interfaces since only
translation directions, rotation axes and the rotation point need to be common
for the coupled substructures. Simulation results show that the approach can be
used for modelling of systems that resemble a vehicle suspension. It is shown
for a test case that adequate engineering accuracy can be achieved when the
stiffness properties of the connecting parts are within the expected range of
rubber connected to steel.
