Multi-objective optimisation of heat transfer and structural strength of aero-piston air-cooled engine cylinder based on orthogonal test

Abstract

Owing to their compact and lightweight structure, air-cooled aviation piston engines are used in general aviation, agriculture, and military fields. To address the kind of engine thermal load problem, this study used a horizontal four-cylinder four-stroke aviation piston air-cooled gasoline engine as the research object. Tested the engine cylinder temperature and pressure under calibrated power conditions, built a one-dimensional simulation model and a fluid–structure interaction simulation model. Four main structural parameters—fin thickness, fin spacing, fin length, and cylinder wall thickness—were considered as factors. Each factors have five levels to construct orthogonal tests to analyse their influence on the cylinder heat transfer and structural strength performance. A range analysis of the orthogonal test showed that the fin thickness had the most significant influence on the thermal stress, while the fin length most significantly influenced the temperature and cylinder hole deformation. A comprehensive frequency analysis method combining intuitive and range analyses is used to determine the optimal combination scheme, and the heat transfer and strength performance of the engine cylinder before and after optimization is compared. The results indicated that the fin thickness and length had the most influence on cylinder performance. After optimisation, the temperature decreased by 3.3 % from 198.3 ℃ to 191.8 ℃, while the thermal stress decreased by 21.9 % from 100.5 MPa to 78.5 MPa. In addition, the cylinder hole deformation decreased by 11 %, from 0.273 mm to 0.243 mm. These research results can provide a reference for the design and optimisation of heat fins of air-cooled aviation piston engines.