Numerical modeling and experimental testing analysis of Assembled Rubber Metal Isolator

Abstract

In order to analyze the stiffness characteristics of Assembled Rubber Metal Isolator (ARMI) more accurately, the present work elaborates on the detailed numerical modeling and analysis process of the ARMI, considering prestressing condition. By comparing the applicability of different constitutive models, the reasonable parameters of the proposed Money-Revlon constitutive model were determined by rubber compression test and least square method. Considering the structural characteristics and complex constraints of the isolator, a step-by-step analysis method is described, based on the rigid-flexible coupling theory and the contact cutting algorithm. The full Newton-Raphson algorithm is used to simulate the mechanical behavior of elastic components in ARMI, during the whole compression-torsion deformation process, while the results are verified by theoretical calculation and practical experiments, respectively. For the assembly process, the maximum relative error between numerical results and empirical formulas is 3.97%. The derived torsional curve, under the simulated pre-stress conditions, is in good agreement with the experimental results, and the maximum error is less than 8.43%. The achieved accuracy is significantly improved, compared to the existing simulation model that does not consider the pre-compression process. The proposed approach provides an effective method for the analysis of same type vibration isolator.