Abstract
The objectives of this study were to investigate the effectiveness of rubber as an engine mount of walking-type cultivators and to determine its optimal spring constant and damping coefficient using a dynamic simulation of the engine mount system. Four different types of rubber mounts were tested to determine their spring constants and damping coefficients, and the best type was selected for the isolation of the engine vibrations transmitted to the handle. The total vibration levels transmitted to the handle when the rubber mounts weren't installed were 17.52 $m/s^2$. The total vibration levels transmitted to the handle when the rubber mounts were installed were 10.69 $m/s^2$ for Stripe 1, 11.33$m/s^2$ for Stripe 2, 10.92$m/s^2$ for Stripe 3 and 14.19$m/s^2$ for Hive, respectively, resulting in an average of $30\%$ reduction when compared with that without the engine mount. A dynamic model of the cultivator's engine-mount system and its simulation program were developed and verified. A method was proposed to determine the optimal spring constant and damping coefficient of the engine-mount system. It was found from the simulation that a spring constant of 4,100 kN/m and the largest damping coefficient were the most effective for the vibration isolation.
