Research on the Optimization of an Aircraft Engine Mount System for Enhanced Vibration Isolation

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Authors: Michael Odhiambo Ouma, Hui Demg, Caijun Xue
Cited by: 1

Abstract

Modern high-bypass turbofan engines often operate near their structural natural frequencies, posing significant challenges for vibration isolation in aircraft engine mount systems. This study presents a comprehensive modal optimization framework to enhance vibration isolation performance by maximizing the separation between excitation and natural frequencies. A dynamic model of a typical single-aisle airliner engine mount system is formulated. Modal analysis is conducted via finite element modeling in Abaqus, extracting 20 modes and identifying dominant modes based on effective mass criteria. To avoid resonance within the excitation range of 72–336 Hz, a genetic algorithm is employed in MATLAB R2023a (9.14) to optimize key geometric parameters, including mount thicknesses and thrust link dimensions. The optimized configuration achieves a 16.84% increase in minimum frequency separation and a 21.51% reduction in vibration transmissibility. The results demonstrate the efficacy of combining modal analysis with evolutionary algorithms in designing advanced engine mounting systems for improved vibration isolation in next-generation aircraft.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Vehicle Noise and Vibration Control Aeroelasticity and Vibration Control Acoustic Wave Phenomena Research

Publication details

Publisher
Open Engineering Inc
Publication date
3 January 2026
Document type
Preprint