Open AccessDimensional structural mass optimization of forged steel connecting rod for aircraft piston engine
Author(s) -
Mahmoud Helal,
Bassem F. Felemban,
Abdullah Alharthi,
Saad J. Almalki,
Elsayed Fathallah,
Abdallah Ahmed Elsherbiny,
Hasan Eleashy
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
iop conference series. materials science and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1757-899X
pISSN - 1757-8981
DOI - 10.1088/1757-899x/1172/1/012001
Subject(s) - connecting rod , piston (optics) , structural engineering , engineering , piston rod , crankshaft , mechanical engineering , stress (linguistics) , von mises yield criterion , durability , shear stress , automotive engineering , finite element method , materials science , composite material , linguistics , philosophy , physics , wavefront , optics
The connecting rod is an important component of the engine. It conveys the kinetic energy from the piston to the crankshaft. All cars and aircraft engines contain at least one connecting rod, which differs from one motor to another in terms of length, size and shape. Hence, it is subjected to massive alternating load. This research aims to improve the connecting rod design by reducing its mass without sacrificing durability and safety especially for aircraft applications. Therefore, a static stress analysis is carried out on forged steel connecting rod using ANSYS APDL. Geometric modelling of the connecting rod was created using ANSYS APDL. Additionally, von-Mises stress and strain, principal stresses and strains, shear stress and the deflation results of the connecting rod are investigated. The results showed a great opportunity for mass weight reduction. Thus, a dimensional structural mass optimization was performed. The optimization results were promising, which reduced the mass by 55.13% (in the tensile case) and 56.7% (in the compression case) from the initial design. Therefore, the efficiency of aircraft engine can be maximized.