Enhancing Engine Mount Design through Topology Optimization for Additive Manufacturing
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The recent advancements in additive manufacturing technologies, coupled with the implementation of topology optimization techniques, are decisively redefining the framework for the design and fabrication of mechanical components. In the present study, a commercial automotive engine mount was investigated through the application of the SIMP (Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization) topology optimization algorithm, as implemented in commercial software nTop. The resulting optimized geometries exhibit a high degree of structural complexity, which can be feasibly manufactured only through additive manufacturing processes. The component was initially digitized using a structured light 3D scanner, and its structural integrity was evaluated via finite element analysis. Following this, a topology optimization study was performed, and the structural response of the optimized design was reassessed. The topology optimization process resulted in a mass reduction of approximately 30% for the engine mount bracket. Although the von Mises stresses increased by nearly 60%, the maximum displacement remained almost unchanged. To further explore lightweight design strategies, two alternative infill configurations gyroid lattice and auxetic re-entrant structures were applied to the original geometry. The gyroid structure achieved a 13% reduction in mass and a 3% decrease in internal stress but caused a 74% increase in total displacement compared with the topology-optimized model. Conversely, the auxetic reentrant design led to a 13% increase in mass, a 6.8% reduction in internal stress, and a 66% increase in total displacement. Overall, the findings clearly demonstrate the distinct mechanical behavior of the topology optimized model compared to the lattice based gyroid and auxetic configurations.
