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March 10, 2020

An engine mount is a foundation that connects the engine with the main body or frame of the aircraft. It serves various purposes, like connecting the engine with the fuselage, suppressing the vibrations of the engine and distributing them safely to the whole aircraft structure for a smooth flight. An engine mount is a precision-based metal structure that’s highly sturdy, as it has to balance the weight of the engine during different torque requirements. Normally an engine mount is created in the shape of a web which is simple to look at but has to have high endurance and be very strong.

Steel Chrome Molybdenum and Chromoly Tubular Steel are the main materials used to build most standard engine mounts. While the materials are the same, an aircraft has its own individual dimensions, engine capacities, dynamics, and other similar factors that demand the mounts be built specifically based on each aircraft. This means that the engine mounts are different in their shapes and sizes but their material and compositions are very similar.

The three most common types of aircraft engine mounts are highlighted below:

Conical Engine Mounts

Conical mounts are the simplest as they offer easy installation and maintenance or repairs space. There are four points where the engine is connected with the mount making the grip more sturdy. However, conical mounts are less effective when it comes to high powered engine vibrations. These types of engine mounts were normally used in the traditional aircraft or perhaps less heavy airplanes. Conical mounts are mostly used in passenger aircrafts as they best suit their maintenance and repairs process.

Dynafocal Engine Mounts

Dynafocal mounts are way stronger than the average conical mounts, as they are highly capable of suppressing the engine vibrations and maintain the flow of the force created by torque. These mounts are designed based on gravity points that in the aircraft which can vary from one plane to another. The structure itself is built in a ring shape, increasing the strength of the structure but limiting the access for installation and repairs. This is the reason that these engine mounts are considered to be more costly, especially for commercial aircraft.

Bed Mounts

The last one of the three kinds of mounts is the bed mount. Mostly used with diesel and Rotax engines, these offer their own set of features. The shape of the bed mount is the diverging effect of both conical and dynafocal mounts. The aircraft engine is installed above the mount as the name suggests, offering an even higher structural strength and engine connectivity. Bed mounts are installed under a crankcase which also becomes a differentiating factor of the three mounts. A bed mount also has four fastening points that stabilize the engine more securely.

Acorn Welding is an aircraft engine mount specialist based in Edmonton, Alberta. Visit our website for more information or call us for personalized customer care.