Thermal Stress Analysis of a SI Engine Piston

In internal combustion engines chemical energy is converted in to work which is the prime mover in most vehicles. An internal combustion engine consists of many different parts, among which piston at its heart is subjected to a combination of thermal and mechanical loads from a number of different sources. In this study the non-uniform temperature distribution within the piston of a four stroke SI engine of a locally manufactured car called "Pride" is calculated using a three-zone model coupled with ANSYS.8 commerical FEM code and then the thermal stresses due to this non-uniform temperature distribution are analyzed through ANSYS.8. The three-zone code used Woschni´s heat transfer model and is capable of modeling the closed engine cycle i.e. from IVC to EVO. In addition, for a better estimate the piston crown temperature is assumed to be different from that of the cylinder wall.

Keywords:

Temperature distribution , Thermal stress , piston , Heat transfer , Finite element