Thermal and Structural Analysis of Different Piston Geometries of Compression Ignition Engine

Abstract

Improvement in performance of the diesel engines is carried out by focusing on several parameters. One among these is piston which undergoes higher thermal loads and thermal stresses during its entire working cycle and duration. Therefore, it is necessary to analyse the stresses that the piston can be able to withstand and give its contribution to maximize the engine performance. In this study, four different piston shapes were considered namely, flat, dome, cup and bowl type pistons. 3D models were developed for these pistons and simulations was carried out in the ANSYS at steady state conditions using finite element method (FEM). Based on the investigations, it was observed that the maximum temperature distributed was nearly same in all the types of pistons as 1133K which appeared near the combustion area. The thermal stress and total deformation values of the piston was found to be lesser for the flat and dome types of pistons. Based on the data obtained for thermal stress, temperature distribution, heat flux and total deformation, it can be suggested that flat or dome type pistons can be considered for use in the IC engine to maximize the performance of diesel engine.