Avon's engine mounts cut vibration 90%

By Tony Lewin, Automotive News Europe

The Jaguar XJ 2.7D is the first production car to use Avon Vibramount technology. The technology internally generates pressure waves that exactly counter engine movements to eliminate vibration and noise.

The 110mm engine mounts use closed-loop electronic feedback to cut nine-tenths of engine vibration.

UK-based Avon Automotive has worked on active engine mounts since the late 1990s. It is developing new applications with other automakers, said business development engineer Mike Lines.

The 110mm mounts have an accelerometer and amplifier to power the speaker at frequencies up to 200 Hz.

How it works

Active engine mounts use the principle that two waves out of phase relative to each other effectively cancel each other.

Each mount has an internalized loudspeaker mechanism. Working in a glycol fluid similar to antifreeze at frequencies up to 200 Hz, the speaker diaphragm moves up to 0.2mm to counteract the movements of the engine.

From Automotive News Europe