Design and analysis of connecting rod for different material using ansys

ABSTRACT

In the internal combustion engine, the connecting rod connects the piston to the crank or
crankshaft. Together with the crank, they form a simple mechanism that converts
reciprocating motion into rotating motion of the piston and crankshaft. The material used
in the connecting rod should be chosen wisely because during manufacturing process it
has to undergo various production processes and subsequent heat treatment process,
which is very much important for strength and stiffness. It may be made of carbon steel,
aluminium or any other alloy. In this present work, the model is developed, designed and
analysed using ANSYS for different materials of connecting rod. The project also
analyses factors such as stress, strain, factor of safety, deformation, fatigue analysis and
working cycle while taking into consideration the difference in weight and design. The
results obtained from performed analysis can be used to modify the design of existing
connecting rod, so that better performance i.e. reduced inertia, fatigue life and
manufacturability can be obtained under varying static and dynamic conditions.

Dept. Of Mechanical Engineering, RIT, Hassan 1

 Design and analysis of connecting rod for different material using ansys

INTRODUCTION
Connecting rod interconnects the piston and the crank shaft and transmits the gas forces
from the piston to the crankshaft. Its primary function is to transmit the push and pull
from the piston pin to the crank pin and thus convert the reciprocating motion of the
piston into rotary motion of the crank. Generally connecting rods are manufactured using
carbon steel and in recent days aluminium alloys are finding its application in connecting
rod. In this work connecting rod is replaced by aluminium based composite material
reinforced with . And it also describes the fabricating and testing of
connecting rod. It consists of a long shank a small end and big end. The small end of
connecting rod is usually made in the form of an eye and is provided with a bush. It is
connected to the piston by means of piston pin. The big end of connecting rod is
connected to the crank by means of damping. Connecting rod has three main zones. The
piston pin end, the centre shank and the big end. The piston pin end is the small end, the
crank end is the big end and the centre shank is of I cross section. Connecting rod is a pin
jointed strut in which more weight is concentrated towards the big end. Connecting rod is
acted upon by gas loads and inertia loads during its operation. The forces include gas
forces due to combustion and inertia forces due to its own weight. The automobile engine
connecting rod is a high volume production, critical component. Every vehicle that uses
an internal combustion engine requires at least one connecting rod depending upon the
number of cylinders in the engine. Connecting rods for automotive applications are
typically manufactured by forging from either wrought steel or powdered metal. They
could also be cast. However, castings could have blow-holes which are detrimental from
durability and fatigue points of view. The fact that forgings produce blow-hole-free and
better rods gives them an advantage over cast rods. Between the forging processes,
powder forged or drop forged, each process has its own pros and cons. Powder metal
manufactured blanks have the advantage of being near net shape, reducing material waste.
However, the cost of the blank is high due to the high material cost and sophisticated
manufacturing techniques. With steel forging, the material is inexpensive and the rough
part manufacturing process is cost effective. In this work connecting rod is replaced by
aluminium based composite material reinforced with .
And it also describes the design and analysis of connecting rod. Generally connecting
rods are manufactured using carbon steel and in recent days aluminium alloys are used.
Dept. Of Mechanical Engineering, RIT, Hassan 2
 Design and analysis of connecting rod for different material using ansys

Durability is one of the critical importance of this component, this can be achieved by
getting the knowledge about different aspects such as production technology, materials,
performance simulation, and fatigue. When building a high performance engine, great
attention is paid to the connecting rods, eliminating stress risers by such techniques as
grinding the edges of the rod to a smooth radius, shot peening to induce compressive
surface stresses (to prevent crack initiation). Time and effort were necessary to create the
best design for a connecting rod to allow it to handle high stresses while minimizing
weight. The reduction of weight of connecting rods is important to ensure that the engine
can operate safely in higher RPM’s due to the decreased inertia held within the lighter
rods. The goal has become to remove as much material from these rods while still
maintaining their strength and integrity so as to safely perform under the conditions of
each engine.

1.1 Piston-Connecting Rod Assembly

A Connecting rod is a member which connecting between piston and crank shaft.
Material, such as structural steel, aluminium alloy, titanium, and cast iron are used. The
connecting rod package has to be custom tailored to the engine and the customer’s needs,
says Kerry Novak of Crower. The Small end of the connecting rod is connected to the
piston end using a gudgeon pin, wrist pin by press fit. Big end is connected to the crank
Dept. Of Mechanical Engineering, RIT, Hassan 3
 Design and analysis of connecting rod for different material using ansys
shaft using fasteners. Stresses on the connecting rod are always high due to the
combustion chamber pressure, inertia forces, which induces high value of stresses.
According to vegi failure of a connecting rod, usually called "throwing a rod" is one of
the most common causes for catastrophic engine failure in cars. However, failure of the
connecting rod is not common since the big automobile companies try to keep very high
factor of safety of 2 or 3 above. To provide warranty, automobile companies should have
the robust design and manufacture capability. By having all this factors in consideration,
a lot of engines fail or cease due to failure of connecting rod assembly, which leaves the
companies to consider that the connecting rod as a very high risk component. For
example connecting rod failed for GM 2014 Chevy Malibu’s, 2014 Buick Regal GS ,
2014 Chevy Impala, 2014Cadillac ATS and 2015 Porsche 911 GT3, which caused
millions of dollars to be spent on recall to replace the whole engine and redesign the
connecting rod. While designing the connecting rod, Vegi suggested that measures have
to be taken to reduce the stresses in the connecting rod. Methods, like grinding the edges
to give smooth surface and radius to prevent crack initiation, shot peening methods are
used which induces compressive surface stress to balance the weight of the connecting
rod and piston assembly to reduce the bending stress due to centrifugal action. He suggest
us to use high end equipment which zooms in the connecting rod to give minute invisible
cracks, which lead to brittle fracture in the ductile material.

Dept. Of Mechanical Engineering, RIT, Hassan 4

 Design and analysis of connecting rod for different material using ansys

1.2 Connecting Rod Materials

Forged steel is currently Eco boost Mustang material. AA is used mostly in aerospace
application; this material is used to handle high stress values. In figure 1 shows Forged
steel (FS) - A cosmetic trend has started by using Aluminium alloy as a CR member
mainly to reduce the weight, however due to engine design evolving day by day,
engineers have moved back to steel. Bryan Neelen of late model Engines (LME) explains,
the weight below the wrist pin is not a big of a concern as the weight above it. He also
says that this is one of the biggest reasons for moving back from Aluminium alloy.

Fig. 1 Connecting Rod

Aluminium 7075 (AA) - This material is used as CR to reduce the weight and it gives
cushion effect between piston head and crank shaft at higher rpm .AA CRs are generally
manufactured by using CNC machines, which has high fatigue life and stronger. AA is
used in Aircraft fittings, gears and shafts, fuse parts, meter shafts and gears, missile parts,
regulating valve parts, worm gears, keys, aircraft, aerospace and defence applications,
bike frames, all-terrain vehicle (ATV) sprockets.
The connecting rod transfers power to the crank to be turned to rotational power. A
connecting rod can be of two types H-beam or I-beam or a combination of both. They are
used respectively depending on their field of application or use. An I-beam is both light

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 Design and analysis of connecting rod for different material using ansys
Weight and strong but the type of material used limits its capacity to handle load.
Whereas H-beam can handle much more stress without bending. So they are used in high
power engines.

1.3 Reasons for Using Aluminium

Our choice of metal for this project is Aluminium 7075 alloy. This metal is preferred due
to its light weight and low cost. The chemical composition is given in the table given
below. The choice of the metal used also depends on the type of requirement and
preference. Metals such as Aluminium are lightweight and strong and also Cost less as
compared to other materials like Titanium that is stronger but much costlier. One of the
most common usages is of Steel and its alloys.

1.4 Beam Types

An I-beam is both light weight and strong but the type of material used limits its capacity
to handle load. Whereas H-beam can handle much more stress without bending. So they
are used in high power engines. A combination of both is also used in some cases.

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Dept. Of Mechanical Engineering, RIT, Hassan 7