823

Optimal design of engine mount rubber considering

stiffness and fatigue strength
J S Lee* and S C Kim
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University, Seodaemun-ku, Seoul, Republic of Korea

The manuscript was received on 25 August 2006 and was accepted after revision for publication on 23 March 2007.

DOI: 10.1243/09544070JAUTO433

Abstract: Engine mount rubber (EMR) is an important vehicle component to isolate the
vehicle structure from engine vibration. The paper deals with optimal design of EMR consider-
ing the material stiffness and fatigue strength of a rubber. The objective is to minimize both
the weight and the maximum stress of EMR, and to maximize the fatigue life cycle subjected
to constraints on the static stiffness of the rubber. A hyperelastic rubber model with a high
strain range is used to accommodate the non-linear behaviour of EMR in the stress and fatigue
analysis. In the context of approximate optimization, a back-propagation neural network is
used to construct global response surfaces between input design variables and output responses
of objective functions and constraints. A microgenetic algorithm (MGA) is adopted as a global
optimizer in order to consider the inherent non-linearity of analysis model as well. A multi-
objective optimization result shows improved design performances regarding the reduction in
the maximum stress and the increase in the life cycle with acceptable material stiffness.

Keywords: engine mount rubber, stiffness, fatigue life, approximate optimization, back-
propagation neural network, microgenetic algorithm

1 INTRODUCTION trade-off between static deflection and vibration

Rubber or elastomeric mounts have been used
to isolate the vehicle structure from engine and
transmission vibration [1]. A number of efforts using
improved adhesive and an extended temperature
range have also aimed to enhance vibration isolation
capabilities of rubber mounts [2]. Bonded rubber
mounts are known to provide more consistent
performance and longer life. The elastomeric mount
that is modelled by a spring and a viscous damper
shows remarkable dynamic stiffness characteristics
at higher frequency levels. A high-stiffness or high-
damping rubber mount yields a low shake at low
frequency levels, but its high-frequency performance
is poor [3]. On the other hand, a low-stiffness or low-
damping rubber yields a low noise, but it induces a
high shake at low frequency levels owing to the shock
excitation. Thus, the elastomeric mounts offer a
* Corresponding author: Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Yonsei University, 134 Shinchon-dong, Seodaemun-ku, Seoul,
120-749, Republic of Korea. email: jleej@yonsei.ac.kr
isolation. Nevertheless, rubber mounts have been
successfully used for vehicle engine mounts for
many years.
In the context of rubber mounts, it is essential is to
identify the non-linear behaviour of a rubber material
and to improve its vibration isolation performance.
The present study focuses on the performance
enhancement of engine mount rubber (EMR) by
adopting a formal design optimization approach. In
the literature, there have been a number of studies
on the engine mount system in the areas of static
and dynamic stiffness adjustment, vibration analysis,
and optimization [4–7]. The present paper explores
the design of EMR by considering the stress, stiffness,
and fatigue life cycle; the maximum stress in EMR
should be reduced under static loading, and the
number of life cycles associated with fatigue strength
should also be increased as much as possible under
the acceptable material stiffness behaviour. The
weight of the EMR could be of concern as well. Such
design requirements can be made possible via a
multiobjective optimization method.

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824
The paper deals with the shape design of EMR
by minimizing the weight and maximum stress
acting on the EMR and by maximizing the fatigue
life cycle with constraints on the static stiffness of
the rubber. This optimization problem is formulated
in a multiobjective manner in which a traditional
weighted method is employed to obtain pareto-
optimal solutions. In the context of approximate
optimization, a back-propagation neural network
(BPN) is used to generate global response surfaces
between design variables and output functions [8]. A
microgenetic algorithm (MGA) [9] can act as a global
optimizer that can accommodate the non-linearity
of the material properties and the analysis model.
The subsequent sections discuss a hyperelastic
rubber model, design formulation for optimization,
proposed design strategies of the BPN and MGA,
and finite-element-based analysis of EMR. The multi-
objective design results, including pareto-optimal
solutions, demonstrate the improvement in EMR
performance in terms of weight, stress, life cycle, and
material stiffness.
2 DESIGN OF ENGINE MOUNT RUBBER
2.1 Rubber model
Typical features of a rubber are its high recoverability
and non-linearity in terms of the stress–strain
relation. Hyperelastic constitutive models describe
the non-linear behaviour of rubber. Such models
are appropriate for characterizing filled or unfilled
vulcanized rubbers since engineering rubber tends
to contain a large amount of fillers, normally greater
than 20 per cent of the weight, which impart a signi-
ficant history-dependent softening effect. Hyperelastic
behaviour of a rubber is expressed by the strain
energy density function W in terms of strain rate and
stress that is the derivative of W with respect to a
particular strain component [10, 11]. Owing to the
non-linear nature of the stress–strain relation in
rubber, it is necessary to construct rational math-
ematical models using approximation procedures
together with standard experimental data. Recent
studies on rubber have concentrated on the modelling
of the stress–strain behaviour under multiple strain
states, the minimization of the number of fitting
parameters used in model approximation, and the
physical and practical meaning of a rubber model.
A number of rubber models have been developed
to identify the stress–strain behaviour. The Ogden–
Roxburgh [11] model is known to show a higher
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J S Lee and S C Kim
degree of accuracy since it gives good correlation
with uniaxial tension–compression test data up to
a strain of 700 per cent while the Mooney–Rivlin
model agrees with test data up to a strain of 100 per
cent. Because an engineering rubber such as EMR
produces a large deformation up to a strain of
almost 200 per cent, the Ogden-Roxburgh model is
recommended. The strain energy density function
for the Ogden-Roxburgh model can be stated as
3 m
W= ∑ n (J−a /3la +la +la −3)+4.5(J1/3−1)2
a n 1n 2n 3n
n=1 n
(1)
where a and m are experimentally determined
n n
material constants, and J is the volumetric ratio that
is a function of the principal stretch, l , l , and l .
1 2 3
If the rubber is incompressible, J becomes unity.
Thus, equation (1) is rewritten as
3 m
W= ∑ n (lan +lan +lan −3) (2)
a 1 2 3
n=1 n
For validation of a rubber model, a uniaxial tension–
compression test is conducted [12]. A dumb-bell-type
specimen is used in the uniaxial tensile test, while
a cylindrical specimen is used in the uniaxial com-
pressive test. A lubricant is used to reduce the friction
effect during the compressive test. Experimentally
obtained stress–strain values are expressed in terms
of the strain energy density function, and this
function is compared with the Ogden-Roxburgh
and the Mooney–Rivlin models. The results from
two different finite element method (FEM) rubber
models and experimental data are compared as
shown in Fig. 1, wherein the Ogden-Roxburgh model
Fig. 1 Behaviour of rubber models
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 Optimal design of engine mount rubber 825

is closer to the experimental data than the Mooney– optimization can be stated as
Rivlin model is, especially for the higher strain range.
f f f*
Therefore, the present study uses the Ogden-Roxburgh Minimize f=w 1 +w 2 +w 3 (3)
model in order to generate rubber material data 1 f* 2 f* 3 f
1 2 3
during the analysis and design of EMR.
subject to 0.9k∏k(r )∏1.1k, 0.9k∏k(s )∏1.1k
1 1
2.2 Design formulation 0.9k∏k(r )∏1.1k, 0.9k∏k(s )∏1.1k
2 2
The configuration of EMR is shown in Fig. 2; the (4)
EMR system has a rubber part and steel bracket and
is undergoing three components of loading. Design 44.0∏a ∏47.0, 35.9∏a ∏38.0
1 2
specification including the material properties of a (5)
rubber (natural rubber (NR)) is also demonstrated in
Table 1. In this problem, owing to the fixed condition 33.0∏t ∏35.0, 19.0∏t ∏20.0
1 2
of the bracket, the EMR system is assumed to be
93.0∏t ∏94.0, 84.0∏t ∏87.0
mainly loaded by F which is most critical in bending. 3 4
3
Now, the design performance associated with mass 33.5∏t ∏37.5
5
efficiency, stress, and fatigue characteristics needs to
all in millimetres. In equation (3), f is the total
be maximized. The EMR also needs to maintain the 1
surface area of EMR, f is the maximum stress in
specific stiffness properties to isolate the vibration 2
EMR, and f is the number of life cycles associated
effectively from static or dynamic engine operations. 3
with fatigue strength. The constants f * , f * , and f *
Thus, the mathematical formulation for EMR 1 2 3
are optimal objective function values by considering
a single objective function only, which is expressed
in a multiobjective fashion with a weight factor
w (i=1, 2, 3). Note that w +w +w =1. Inequality
i 1 2 3
constraints in equation (4) are imposed such that
four coordinate points (r , s ) and (r , s ) should
1 1 2 2
be located within the allowable range of the target
stiffness curve k, as shown in Fig. 3; i.e. the required
stiffness should be satisfied within ±10 per cent
allowance compared with the target stiffness. A total
of seven design variables participating in shape
design of EMR are shown in Fig. 4, and lower and
upper limits on each of the design variables are
Fig. 2 EMR configuration expressed in equation (5) as well. EMR design in
the present study summarizes that the objective is
to determine the optimal level of design variables
Table 1 Load specification and material associated with the shape of the rubber by mini-
properties mizing both the area and the maximum stress of
Static load (N) −1100
EMR and maximizing the fatigue life cycle subjected
Hardness 45 to constraints on static stiffness properties of the
Static stiffness (N/mm) rubber.
F 170
1
F 40
2
F 150
3
Durability
Load (N) 1100±1650 3 DESIGN APPROACH
Frequency (Hz) 6
Number of cycles 1.0×106
Material (NR) 3.1 Design analysis
Model Ogden–Roxburgh
Bulk modulus 2.0×104 The analysis of EMR is performed using the finite-
Moduli a a =8.47×10−6 element-based commercial packages, MSC.Marc and
n 1
a =2.16
2 MSC.Fatigue [13], for stress and fatigue calculations
a =5.14
3 respectively. The finite element mesh of EMR is
Exponent m m =0.121
n 1
m =1.82 shown in Fig. 5; the half-model is explored since the
2
m =1.06
3 rubber shape in Fig. 2 is symmetric. To assure the

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Fig. 3 Load–deflection curve in the F direction
Fig. 4 Design variables
non-linear hyperelastic rubber model, the present
study adopts ‘shell properties’ from MSC.Marc and
MSC.Fatigue since they are presented as plane strain
mechanical properties. The Ogden-Roxburgh model
in equation (3) and its corresponding material
properties in Table 1 are used in the finite element
analysis (FEA). During the analysis process, the Green–
Lagrangian strain and the second Piola–Kirchhoff
stress are computed using the total Lagrangian in
MSC.Marc and the results are successively transferred
to MSC.Fatigue to perform the fatigue analysis. For
the boundary condition between the rubber part
and the steel bracket in the EMR system, the
‘contact’ option is employed to consider two different
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J S Lee and S C Kim
3
Fig. 5 Finite element mesh of EMR
deformations between them. Another ‘contact’ option
of ‘slip’ between them could be accounted for, but
it is excluded in the present study. For the loading
case, different loads are applied for stress analysis
and fatigue analysis. The critical load of ‘loading-
enforced displacement by contact body control’ is
used in the stress analysis, while ‘repeated and
transient load’ is used in the fatigue analysis, as
shown in Fig. 5; i.e. a load-equivalent displacement
ranging from −9 to +9 mm is applied in the F
3
direction for 4 s. The EMR is successively loaded by
time-dependent stress that is larger than the specifi-
cation load value of 1100±1650 N in Table 1. Such
loading cases are displayed in Fig. 6. As a solver pro-
cedure, an updated Lagrangian is used for the large
deformation of the rubber, and the total Lagrangian
is used for the fatigue analysis.
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Fig. 6 Loading cases

3.2 Optimization strategy putationally expensive, especially when combinined

Since rubber presents high non-linearity in stress–
strain behaviour, the engineering analysis model
and its proper optimizer should accommodate the
inherent non-linearity as well. The present study
adopts an MGA as a global optimizer in this context.
A conventional genetic algorithm (GA) works with
a multiple number of designs in a population.
Handling such designs results in an increasingly
higher probability of locating a global optimum as well
as multiple local optima. A GA is also advantageous
when the design problem is represented by a
mixture of integer or discrete design variables and
continuous design variables. Nevertheless, it is com-
with finite-element-based computer aided engineer-
ing analysis tools. A conventional GA determines the
population size depending upon the string length of
chromosomes that are coded values of a set of design
variables. The main difference between a conventional
GA and MGA is in the population size. The population
size in the MGA is based on Goldberg’s [14] concept
such that an ‘evolution process is possible with small
populations to reduce the cost of fitness function
evaluation’. This implies that an MGA employs a
smaller population size for GA evolution regardless
of the number of design variables and the complexity
of design parameters [15, 16]. The overall procedure of
MGA is explained as follows.

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Step 1. Generate an initial population at random. The
population size is normally 3–5.
Step 2. Perform a conventional GA evolution until the
nominal convergence is satisfied. In the present
study, the population size is selected as 5, and
a tournament selection operator is used. The
crossover probability in the MGA is 1.0 because
of the small size of the population, while, if a con-
ventional GA is preferred, this is less than 1.0. The
nominal convergence means that the difference of
1s and/or 0s between the string positions is within
5 per cent out of the string length, thereby resulting
in convergence to a local solution.
Step 3. During the user-specified maximum number
of generations, a new population is updated; one
individual is selected by elitism; the remaining
individuals in a new population are generated
at random. It should be noted that the selection
operation adopts ‘tournament’ for activating the
diversity and ‘elitism’ for keeping the best solution.
Since the updated populations except for the
elitism are generated at random, the MGA does
not consider the mutation.
Step 4. For the convergence criterion, MGA is con-
ducted until either the user-specified maximum
number of generations is met or the design is
converged when there is no change in objective
function values for 20 consecutive generations.
In summary, the MGA enables an optimal solution
to be located because of the small size of populations,
tournament and elitism operations in selection, and
the full participation in crossover. A conventional GA
works with more heuristic parameters; for example,
the population size and the probabilities of crossover
and mutation are determined on a rule-of-thumb
basis. A conventional GA is superior for maintaining
diversity while the MGA is advantageous because of
savings in computational resource requirements [14].
However, the drawback in the use of the MGA in
design optimization is such that it still has a large
computational cost, and consequently an appropriate
meta-model is necessary to replace the expensive
finite-element-based engineering analysis.
Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been capable
of expressing a variety of non-linear response surfaces
using a number of input–output training patterns
that are selected from the entire design space in a
global manner [17, 18]. For example, it is possible for
the multilayer feedforward network to represent
highly non-linear decision surfaces using inter-
connection weights between neurons of adjacent
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J S Lee and S C Kim
layers and proper activation functions in a neuron.
Recent attention has been given to the global
approximate optimization, where a GA is used as a
global optimizer and a BPN is the tool for global
approximations [19]. Based on the significant features
of the ANN, the present study also employs BPN
models as a tool for global function approximations.
The overall design process for the computation of
stress, stiffness, and fatigue cycle, learning and training
of BPN, and MGA-based approximate optimization
is shown in Fig. 7.
4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Design results
EMR design in the present study is expressed by
seven design variables as shown in Figs 4 and 7; the
output functions as shown in equations (3) to (5).
Therefore, BPN models that have seven input layers
(i.e. design variables) need to be constructed. First,
a number of FEA data that are randomly selected
over the entire design space of equation (5) are
generated. In the study, a total of 128 FEA data are
used to train BPN models by minimizing the absolute
difference between actual FEA outputs and approxi-
mated outputs. As a consequence, a total of seven
BPN models are established to approximate each of
the output response functions. The resulting BPN
architectures are shown in Table 2, wherein each
integer value represents the number of neurons in the
input layer, multiple hidden layer(s), and the output
layer. Trained BPN models are tested to validate the
approximation accuracy using another ten FEA data
that did not participate in BPN training. Averaged
testing accuracy for each of BPN models is about 5–7
per cent in percentile error, which is deemed to be
acceptable as function approximations. Subsequently,
the MGA is used to obtain optimal solutions by con-
necting with seven well-trained BPN models. Specific
values of the control parameters in the MGA used
are shown in Table 2.
Prior to conducting the multiobjective EMR design,
it is significant to see how much the single-objective
design performance such as weight, stress, or fatigue
life cycle is improved compared with the baseline
design. Design optimization with each of the single-
objective functions is first executed, and multi-
objective optimization is then performed using all
three objective functions. The present study uses an
MGA with five individuals in a population, elitist and
tournament selections, and a crossover probability
of 1.0. In running the MGA, the results presented
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Fig. 7 Overall process for CAE analysis, BPN training, and optimization (DV’s, design variables)

Table 2 BPN architecture and MGA parameters

Number of neurons in a layer

Function for BPN meta-modelling Input layer Hidden layer(s) Output layer

Weight (objective function) 7 7 1

Stress (objective function) 7 10, 11, 13, 11, 5 1
Cycles (objective function) 7 10, 11, 11, 7 1
r (constraint) 7 7, 1 1
1
s (constraint) 7 11, 19, 9 1
1
r (constraint) 7 4, 1 1
2
s (constraint) 7 4, 1 1
2
Population size in the MGA 5
Maximum number of generations in the MGA 10 000

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830 J S Lee and S C Kim

in the paper are the best (suboptimal) solutions
obtained from five different random seed trials.
Therefore, such suboptimal designs would be repeat-
able depending on the initial population. Table 3
summarizes the optimized design results. Note
that, in particular, w =0.3, w =0.3, and w =0.4
1 2 3 2
are used in this triple-objective design case. Since
there are a total of three objectives, the averaged
weight is simply 1/3. However, the fatigue life cycle
is more important than other objectives so that its
corresponding weight is slightly higher than the
others. It is detected that each of the single-objective
designs present improved results in terms of con-
straint condition of the stiffness properties; i.e. all
three curves are located within ±10 per cent of
the target range, as shown in Fig. 8. In three of the
single-objective design results, the area and stress
are reduced and the fatigue life cycle is increased
compared with the baseline design. In the single-
objective optimization results in Table 3, two other
objective function values in parentheses are obtained
from their corresponding optimized design variables.
The optimal design for minimum area ( f ) results in
1
an increased stress and a decreased fatigue life cycle
compared with the baseline design. A similar trend
can be detected in the result of stress minimization
( f ) such that the attenuation of the stress induces
increases in the area and life cycle. In maximizing
the fatigue life cycle ( f ), a remarkable enhancement
3
is achieved with slight changes in the area and stress.
From three of the single-objective optimization
results, it is known that the variation in life cycle is
the most dominant according to the change in design
variable, and the stress is the second. This triple-
objective design solution also results in a reduced
stress and an increased life cycle with a slight
increase in area. The resulting load–deflection curve
is successfully located within the acceptable range of
material stiffness, as shown in Fig. 9. The initial and
optimized results for stress and fatigue damage are
compared in Figs 10 and 11 respectively. In particular,
the optimized fatigue life cycle is greater than 106,

Table 3 EMR optimization results

Approximate optimization using the MGA and BPN

Single objective
Triple objective
Area ( f ) Stress ( f ) Life cycle ( f ) w : w : w =0.3 : 0.3 : 0.4 Baseline
1 2 3 1 2 3
a 44.0 44.0 44.0 47.0 35.9
1
a 38.0 38.0 38.0 37.0 47.20
2
t 35.0 35.0 33.0 33.2 34.80
1
t 19.0 20.0 20.0 19.0 19.70
2
t 94.0 94.0 93.0 94.0 92.90
3
t 84.0 87.0 87.0 86.0 85.90
4
t 33.5 33.5 33.5 35.8 35.4
5
Area (mm2) 2534 (2588) (2610) 2590 2580
Stress (MPa) (14.73) 3.40 (8.53) 7.45 9.39
Number of cycles (550 800) (779 400) 2 502 000 1 550 000 723 000

Fig. 8 Constraint behaviour of static stiffness in three single-objective optimization results

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 Optimal design of engine mount rubber 831

Fig. 9 Constraint behaviour of static stiffness in a triple-objective optimization result

which satisfies the design specification in Table 1.
Since the results obtained by the MGA depend on
the initial population, another nine suboptimal
solutions are obtained with different random seed
trials, as shown in Table 4. It is seen that the solution
variations in weight and stress are smaller than that
in fatigue. Multiobjective optimization results from
the MGA are also compared with those obtained from
a conventional GA whose parameters are as follows:
the population size is 100, elitist and tournament
selection strategy is used, and probabilities for cross-
over and mutation are 0.8 and 0.02 respectively.
Optimization results with a conventional GA are
summarized in Table 5. It is noted that a con-
ventional GA and the MGA give similar solutions
for both weight and stress reduction, while the MGA
provides remarkable benefit in fatigue life cycle
design. It is important to emphasize the benefit
of the MGA in terms of computational resource
requirements. A conventional GA takes about 10 h
for each run, while the MGA requires only 30 min in
the present study. This is one of the reasons why the
MGA is efficient in practical engineering optimization
problems.

Table 4 Design solutions obtained with the microGA

Solution number a a t t t t t Weight Stress Number of cycles

1 2 1 2 3 4 5
1 47.0 37.0 33.2 19.0 94.0 86.0 35.8 2590 7.45 1 550 000
2 45.2 36.3 33.1 19.0 93.9 84.6 36.7 2611 6.54 1 300 000
3 46.5 36.3 33.6 19.0 93.7 84.5 37.2 2607 7.31 1 250 000
4 45.5 36.4 33.4 19.0 94.0 84.6 36.7 2605 6.94 1 220 000
5 45.9 37.4 33.4 19.1 93.7 84.2 37.5 2590 7.25 1 430 000
6 45.9 36.0 33.1 19.0 93.6 84.0 37.1 2569 6.99 1 390 000
7 46.5 36.0 33.0 19.3 93.9 84.6 36.7 2632 6.57 1 720 000
8 45.0 37.0 33.0 19.1 94.0 84.5 37.3 2590 6.33 1 350 000
9 46.7 36.7 33.2 19.1 94.0 84.3 36.5 2601 7.21 1 510 000
10 45.5 36.9 33.2 19.0 93.9 84.4 36.8 2588 6.90 1 280 000
Best value 2569 6.33 1 720 000
Worst value 2632 7.45 1 220 000
Mean 2598 6.95 1 400 000
Standard deviation 14.2 0.35 148 000

Table 5 Design results with a conventional GA

Solution number a a t t t t t Weight Stress Number of cycles
1 2 1 2 3 4 5
1 46.6 36.1 33.7 19.0 93.3 84.2 36.2 2605 7.62 1 233 510
2 45.4 36.9 33.3 19.0 93.9 84.3 37.1 2587 6.84 1 264 280
3 46.6 36.2 33.4 19.0 93.3 84.3 37.5 2609 7.05 1 389 970
4 46.2 36.5 33.6 19.1 93.8 84.5 37.4 2601 7.23 1 216 420
5 45.3 36.6 33.0 19.0 94.0 84.4 36.1 2600 6.65 1 375 860

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832 J S Lee and S C Kim

Fig. 10 Stress results

4.2 Pareto-optimal solutions
Pareto-optimization can be stated as the problem of
determining an optimal solution based on multiple
and possibly competing criteria. The solution to a
multiobjective problem is, as a rule, not a particular
value, but a set of values of decision variables
such that, for each element in this set, none of the
objective functions can be further increased without a
decrease in some of the remaining objective functions,
i.e. every such value of a decision variable is referred
to as a pareto-optimal value [20]. Pareto-optimal
solutions have also been termed non-dominated
solutions. This name arises from the fact that no

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 Optimal design of engine mount rubber 833

Fig. 11 Fatigue damage results

other solution is superior to them in all objectives.
In other words, the non-dominated solutions are
those solutions that cannot be improved in all
objectives simultaneously.
Now, it is necessary to identify pareto-optimal
surfaces in the context of multiobjective optimization.
Since the present study employs a traditional weighted
method, the different combinations of weight factors
(w +w +w =1) would facilitate the generation of
1 2 3
pareto-optimal solutions. Computed multiobjective
design solutions are plotted in Fig. 12, wherein each
objective function value is normalized by its maxi-
mum. Additional two-dimensional space plots for
multiobjective solutions are also presented in Figs 13
to 15 to show their results more clearly. Such pareto-
optimal solutions would be considered as design

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834 J S Lee and S C Kim

Fig. 15 Two-dimensional plots for stress and fatigue

( f , stress; f , fatigue)
Fig. 12 Contour plot for triple-objective optimal 1 2
solutions ( f , area; f , stress; f , cycle)
1 2 3 knowledge so that a designer is able to select his
or her favourable optimal design according to the
importance of the weight factor in each design
objective.

5 CLOSING REMARKS

The paper delivers multiobjective shape design

optimization of EMR considering reductions in the
maximum stress, material stiffness and fatigue
strength of the rubber. The Ogden-Roxburgh model
is known to show a higher degree of accuracy since
it gives a better correlation with uniaxial tension–
compression test data up to a strain of 700 per cent
than the Mooney–Rivlin model does. The present
study employs the Ogden-Roxburgh model in order
Fig. 13 Two-dimensional plots for area and stress to accommodate the non-linear behaviour of EMR
( f , area; f , stress)
1 2 during the stress and fatigue analysis. In the context
of approximate optimization, a BPN is used to con-
struct global response surfaces between input design
variables and output responses such as objective
functions and constraints. Also an MGA is a tool for
global optimization to account for the inherent
non-linearity of the analysis model as well. The
combination of a BPN with a GA is efficient in the
area of global approximate optimization in terms
of computational resource requirements. Compared
with the initial design, one of the multiobjective
objective design results shows design performances
of 20.4 per cent reduction in maximum stress and
113.8 per cent increase in fatigue life cycle with a
marginal 0.4 per cent increase in weight. Further
study on this subject would be more valuable if
natural frequencies or mode shapes are included in
Fig. 14 Two-dimensional plots for area and fatigue the design process of the EMR system in terms of
( f , area; f , fatigue) noise and vibration.
1 2

Proc. IMechE Vol. 221 Part D: J. Automobile Engineering JAUTO433 © IMechE 2007

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 Optimal design of engine mount rubber
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors greatly appreciate the partial support
from iDOT, Center of Innovative Design Optimization
Technology.
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