Static Structural and Thermal Analysis of Marine Engine Pistons with Different Materials

Abstract

The piston of an internal combustion engine is one of the key players in determining energy efficiency and it is constantly subjected to very high temperatures and pressure. As a result, the amount of structural and thermal stresses on a piston are very high due to its continuous reciprocating motion. In case of bad structure or material selection, the piston may fail. So, an analysis of the thermal and static structural stresses has been done considering the piston of the “Wärtsilä 32” marine diesel engine. The Wärtsilä 32 engine is one of the most commonly used and affordable marine engines that has been in production for over 30 years. It was introduced to address the market demand for a new engine in the 320 mm cylinder bore class. Since its launch in 1998, a large number of units of this engine have been sold to the marine market. The piston is designed using the SolidWorks software taking the dimensions from the resources on the internet and the analysis was carried out using ANSYS. Different materials were taken such as Stainless Steel, Gray cast iron, Aluminium alloy, and Titanium alloy in a search for better material. The best material among these materials has been suggested based on the results of the analysis.