Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

James F Beck

Thomas Mathai

Hassan Dakhlallah

Nigel King

Nagari Achar

A system for securing a powertrain component to a body structure of a vehicle may include first and second mounts each having a base and a first elastomeric barrier secured to and extending from the base defining an air filled chamber, and a connector coupling the air filled chambers, the connector sized to provide an associated air volume that reduces stiffness of the first elastomeric barrier at an excitation frequency corresponding to a target engine speed. The air filled chambers may be hermetically sealed and pressurized above atmospheric pressure. The system may include a fluid-filled switchable mount having a decoupler air pocket selectively coupled to a vacuum source or atmosphere with an expander integrated with the mount or as a separate component coupled between the decoupler air pocket and the vacuum source. The expander may be implemented as a Helmholtz resonator or may include an in-line expansion chamber.

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Milford, MI, United States of America

James F Beck