Design, static structural analysis and topology optimization of a four wheeler connecting rod

Abstract

The connecting rod is a critical component of an engine. The connecting rod is very important part of an engine which connects crank to piston. It forms a basic mechanism in which reciprocating motion of piston is converted to rotary motion. In an internal combustion (IC) engine, the connecting rod plays a vital role in transferring power. The trend with connecting rods is towards lowering the weight of components. Despite its lighter weight, it should be able to tolerate higher thrust loads. This work attempts to present the structural analysis and optimization of connecting rod using finite element analysis in ANSYS 18.0. CATIA V5 software is employed to model the connecting rod, this model is then imported in ANSYS 18.0 workbench for meshing and it is analyzed with the help of finite element method. In this work effort has been made to exploit static analysis and weight reduction opportunities for the production of forged steel. Initially, static load analysis is performed on the three materials which are aluminium, grey cast iron and forged steel. Structural performance of the connecting rod model is compared on basis of deformation, von-mises stress and equivalent strain. Next, optimization is performed on the forged steel connecting rod model with some weight reduction activities. The results of weight reduction is achieved with the help of optimization. Furthermore, the simulation results revealed that the forged steel performs well in terms of static load analysis and weight reduction of 11% is achieved for forged steel connecting rod.