Various vehicle engine and transmission mounting arrangements have been employed throughout the years that are intended to hold such powertrain components in place in the vehicle while also providing vibration isolation between the components and the vehicle body. Often such arrangements utilize multi-piece brackets and multi-piece, symmetrical pre-loaded engine bushings (PLEB) to mount and isolate the engine from the vehicle body. These multi-piece brackets typically require several welding operations to form the finished bracket, resulting in added manufacturing expense and a potential for the welded areas to break down over time. In addition, transmission mounting arrangements often utilize one mount typically located under a central portion of the transmission. While this transmission mounting arrangement has been used over the years, one potential drawback of this arrangement is less control over cross-car transmission vibration. As a result, there is a need for a powertrain mounting arrangement with reduced manufacturing complexity and improved noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) performance.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds