High-Cycle Fatigue of a Reciprocating Piston Engine
Application ID: 17155
In a reciprocating piston engine, the connecting rods are subjected to high cyclic stresses that increase with engine speed. Because failure of a critical component can lead to failure of the engine, fatigue life is an important consideration in the design of these components. In this example, the connecting rods are identified as critical components, and their fatigue life is predicted using the Basquin high-cycle fatigue criterion.
The example is based on the Three-Cylinder Reciprocating Engine model from the Multibody Dynamics Module. The critical component is modeled as flexible, while the remaining components are modeled as rigid and connected using joints. This approach significantly reduces the model size while maintaining force equilibrium in the assembly.
This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products:
however, additional products may be required to completely define and model it. Furthermore, this example may also be defined and modeled using components from the following product combinations:
The combination of COMSOL® products required to model your application depends on several factors and may include boundary conditions, material properties, physics interfaces, and part libraries. Particular functionality may be common to several products. To determine the right combination of products for your modeling needs, review the Grille des Spécifications and make use of a free evaluation license. The COMSOL Sales and Support teams are available for answering any questions you may have regarding this.
