Theoretical Analysis of Stress and Design of

Piston Head using CATIA & ANSYS

The term project report submitted in partial fulfillment

Of the required degree of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY

OF

WEST BENGAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

in
Mechanical Engineering
By

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Under the supervision of

Prof. DILIP KUMAR SONAR

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT, KOLAGHAT

(Affiliated of West Bengal University of Technology)

Purba Medinipur-721171, West Bengal, India

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 DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT, KOLAGHAT

(Affiliated of West Bengal University of Technology)

Purba Medinipur-721171, West Bengal, India

CERTIFCATE BY THE BOARD OF EXAMINERS

This is to certify that the project work entitled “Theoritical Analysis of Stress and
Design Of Piston Head using CATIA & ANSYS” submitted by xxxxxxx to the
department of Mechanical Engineering of College of Engineering and Management,
Kolaghat has been examined and evaluated.
The term project work has been prepared as per the regulation of West Bengal
University of Technology and qualified to be accepted in partial fulfillment of the
requirement for the degree of B.Tech.

-----------------------------------

Project Coordinator

Board of examiners

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 DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT, KOLAGHAT

(Affiliated of West Bengal University of Technology)

Purba Medinipur-721171, West Bengal, India

CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL
This is to certify that the project work entitled “Theoritical Analysis of Stress
and Design of a Piston Head using CATIA & ANSYS” submitted by xxxxxx to the
department of Mechanical Engineering of College of Engineering and
Management, Kolaghat has been examined and evaluated.

The term project work has been prepared as per the regulation of West
Bengal University of Technology and qualified to be accepted in partial
fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of technology.

Supervisor

(Prof. Dilip Kumar Sonar)

Asst. Professor, Dept of ME

Countersigned by

(Prof. Dipak Kumar Mondal)

HOD of ME

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
It gives me great pleasure to find an opportunity to express my deep and sencere
gratitude to our project guide Prof. Dilip Kumar Sonar. I do very respectfully recollect
his constant encouragement, kind attention and keen interest throughout the course of
my work. I am highly indebted to him for the way he modeled and structured our work
with his valuable tips and suggestions that he accorded to me in every respect of my
work.
I am extremely grateful to the department of MECHANICAL ENGINEERING,
CEMK for extending all facilities of our department. I humbly extended my sense of
gratitude to other faculty member, laboratory staff, library staff and the administration
of the institute for providing me their valuable help and time with a congenital working
environment.
Last but not the least; I would like to convey my heartiest thanks to my friend and
guide Mr.Shraveen Vasudevan who has helped me with his valuable suggestions,
encouragement and endless support during my project work.

xxxxxxxxxxx

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 CONTENTS

1. ABSTRACTx

2. INTRODUCTION

3. LITERATURE REVIEW

4. PROPOSED WORK

5. THEROTICAL ANALYSIS

6. FORMULATION OF PROBLEM

7. RESULT AND DISCUSSIONx

8. REFERENCE

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 ABSTRACT

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 INTRODUCTION
Engine pistons are one of the most complex components among all automotive and other
industry field components. The engine can be called the heart of a vehicle and the piston may
be considered the most important part of an engine. There are lots of research works
proposing, for engine pistons, new geometries, materials and manufacturing techniques, and
this evolution has undergone with a continuous improvement over the last decades and
required thorough examination of the smallest details. Notwithstanding all these studies, there
are a huge number of damaged pistons. Damage mechanisms have different origins and are
mainly wear, temperature, and fatigue related. But more than wear and fatigue, damage of
the piston is mainly due to stress development, namely- Thermal stress, Mechanical stress. .
This paper describes the stress distribution on piston of internal combustion engine by using
FEA. The FEA is performed by CAD and CAE software. The main objectives are to
investigate and analyze the thermal stress and mechanical stress distribution of piston at the
real engine condition during combustion process. The paper describes the FEA technique to
predict the higher stress and critical region on the component.With using CATIAV5 software
the structural model of a piston will be developed. Using ANSYS V14.5 software, simulation
and stress analysis is performed.

PISTON:

A piston is a component of reciprocating IC-engines. It is the moving

component that is contained by a cylinder and is made gas-tight by piston rings. In an engine,
its purpose is to transfer force from expanding gas in the cylinder to the crankshaft via a
piston rod. In engine, transfer of heat takes place due to difference in temperature and from
higher temperature to lower temperature. Thus, there is heat transfer to the gases during
intakes stroke and the first part of the compression stroke, but the during combustion and
expansion processes the heat transfer take place from the gases to the walls. So the piston
crown, piston ring and the piston skirt should have enough stiffness which can endure the
pressure and the friction between contacting surfaces. In addition, as an important part in
engine, the working condition of piston is directly.

Piston in an IC engine must possess the following characteristics:

 Strength to resist gas pressure.
 Must have minimum weight.
 Must be able to reciprocate with minimum noise.
 Must have sufficient bearing area to prevent wear.
 Must seal the gas from top and oil from the bottom.
 Must disperse the heat generated during combustion.
 Must have good resistance to distortion under heavy forces and heavy temperature.

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 Model of BBC Dome Piston Schematic of Engine PartsL

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LITERATURE REVIEW
 Paper1: LINEAR STATIC STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF OPTIMIZED PISTON
FOR BIO-FUEL USING ANSYS by
CH. VENKATA RAJAM -Mechanical Engineering Department, CVSR College of Engineering, Ghatkesar,
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
P. V. K. MURTHY- JayaPrakash Narayan Educational Sciety Group of Institutions, Mahabubnagar, Andhra
Pradesh, India
M. V. S. MURALI KRISHNA- Mechanical Engineering Department, Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of
Technology, Gandipet, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India.

 Paper2: Design Analysis and Optimization of Piston using CATIA

and ANSYS by
CH. VENKATA RAJAM -Mechanical Engineering Department, CVSR College of Engineering, Ghatkesar,
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
P. V. K. MURTHY- JayaPrakash Narayan Educational Sciety Group of Institutions, Mahabubnagar, Andhra
Pradesh, India
M. V. S. MURALI KRISHNA- Mechanical Engineering Department, Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of
Technology, Gandipet, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India.
G. M. PRASADA RAO- Mechanical Engineering Department, Vathsalya Institute of Science and
Technology, Bhongir, Nalgonda Dist., India

 Paper3: AN ANALYSIS TO THERMAL LOAD AND MECHANICAL LOAD

COUPLING OF A GASOLINE ENGINE PISTON by

HONGYUAN ZHANG-School of Automobile and Traffic, Shenyang Ligong University, Shenyang 110159,
Liaoning, China.

ZHAOXUN LIN-General Assemble Workshop, Shanghai GM (Shenyang) Norsom Motors Co., Ltd. (SGM-
NORSOM),Shenyang 110044, Liaoning, China.

DAWEI XU- School of Automobile and Traffic, Shenyang Ligong University, Shenyang 110159, Liaoning,
China.

 Paper4: Design a four-cylinder Internal Combustion Engine by

Student: Radoslav Plamenov Georgieve

Tutors: Dr. Pedro Villanueva Roldan Dk.

 Paper5: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

AND TECHNOLOGY (IJMET)- DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF I.C. ENGINE
PISTON AND PISTON-RING USING CATIA AND ANSYS SOFTWARE by

Isam Jasim Jaber and Ajeet Kumar Rai- Mechanical Engineering Department, SSET, SHIATS-
DU Allahabad.

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Paper6: Journal of Engineering Research and Applications www.ijera.com ISSN : 2248-9622,
Vol. 4, Issue 3( Version 1),Simulation of Thermal-Mechanical Strength for
Marine Engine Piston Using FEA by

Elijah Musango Munyao, Jiang Guo He, Yang Zhiyuan, Zou Xiang Yi -
Merchant Marine College - Shanghai Maritime University Shanghai- China.

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 THEORITICAL BACKGROUND
Material selection : Aluminium Alloy:
Pistons are commonly made of aluminum alloy .Generally in this material aluminum
is the main component in addition to main component aluminum it consists of copper 4-
5%,ferrous -1.3%,silicon- 16-18%, magnesium- 0.45-65%, zinc- 1.5% and nickel- 0.1%
aluminium alloy is used for excellent and lightweight thermal conductivity. Thermal
conductivity is the ability of a material to conduct and transfer heat. Aluminum expands when
heated, and proper clearance must be provided to maintain free piston movement in the
cylinder bore. Piston material was assumed to be aluminum alloy which is homogenous,
isotropic and linear elastic with a Poisson’s ratio of 0.33 .

Material properties of Aluminium Alloy

Density(Kg/m3) 2770
Poisson’s Ratio 0.33
Young's Modulus(Pa) 7.10E+10
Tensile Ultimate Strength(Pa) 3.10E+08
Tensile Yield Strength(Pa) 2.80E+08
Compressive Yield Strength(Pa) 2.80E+08

Calculations :
Analytical Design :
mp = mass of the piston (Kg)
V = volume of the piston (mm3)
th = thickness of piston head (mm)
D = cylinder bore (mm)
pmax = maximum gas pressure or explosion pressure (MPa)
σt = allowable tensile strength (MPa)
σut = ultimate tensile strength (MPa)
F.O.S = Factor of Safety = 2.25
K = thermal conductivity =174.15(W/m K)
Tc = temperature at the centre of the piston head (K)
Te = temperature at the edge of the piston head (K)
HCV = Higher Calorific Value of fuel(KJ/Kg) = 47000 KJ/Kg (petrol)

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BP = brake power of the engine per cylinder (KW) =4KW
m = mass of fuel used per brake power per second (Kg/KW s)=0.25/3600 (Kg/KW s)
C = ratio of heat absorbed by the piston to the total heat developed in the cylinder = 5% or
0.05
b = radial thickness of ring (mm)
Pw = allowable radial pressure on cylinder wall (N/mm2) = 0.042 MPa
h2 = axial thickness of piston ring (mm)
t1 = thickness of piston barrel at the top end (mm)
t2 = thickness of piston barrel at the open end (mm)
do = outer diameter of piston pin (mm)

Engine Specifications:
Engine make: Kirloskar
Bore Diameter: 80mm
Stroke Length: 110mm.

Calculation of Dimensions Of Piston For Analysis:

Thickness of Piston Head (th) : The piston thickness of piston head calculated using the
following Grashoff’s formula,

tH =D (3p)/ (16t) in mm
P= maximum pressure in N/mm²=8 N/mm²
D= cylinder bore/outside diameter of the piston in mm= 80mm.
t=permissible tensile stress for the material of the piston.
= σt =280/2.25=124.4 MPa.
tH= 8.9mm.

Heat Flow through the Piston Head (H)

The heat flow through the piston head is calculated using the formula
H = 12.56*tH * K * (Tc-Te) Kj/sec
Where
K=thermal conductivity of material which is 174.15W/mk
Tc = temperature at center of piston head in °C.
Te = temperature at edges of piston head in °C.

(Tc-Te)=75°C for aluminium alloy.

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On the basis of the heat dissipation, the thickness of the piston head is given by:

th = [ C x HCV x m x BP] x 10^6 /12.56 x K (Tc – Te)

=0.05 x 47000 x 0.25 x 4 x 10^6/ 12.56 x 174.15 x 75 x 3600
=3.98mm.
Comparing both the dimensions, for design purpose we will be considering the maximum
thickness, hence required thickness of piston head is 8.9mm.
Radial Thickness of Ring (t1)/ (b):
t1 = D3pw/t
Where,
D = cylinder bore in mm=80mm.
Pw= pressure of fuel on cylinder wall in N/mm². Its value is limited from 0.025N/mm²
to 0.042N/mm². Here I considered 0.042N/mm² while calculating the value.

t= 124.4Mpa for aluminium alloy.

(t1)/ (b): 3mm.
Axial Thickness of Ring (h2)
The thickness of the rings may be taken as
h2 = 0.7t1 to t1
=0.7* t1=2.1mm.
Minimum axial thickness (h2)
= D/( 10*nr )
Where nr = number of rings=4 rings.
Width of the top land (b1)
The width of the top land varies from
b1 = tH to 1.2 tH
=1.2 tH = 1.2*8.9=10.68mm.
Width of other lands (b2):
Width of other ring lands varies from
b2 = 0.75h2 to h2
=0.75*2.1=1.575mm.
Maximum Thickness of Barrel at the top end (t3):
t3 = 0.03*D + b + 4.5 mm
Where
b = Radial depth of piston ring groove.

t3=0.03*80+3+4.9=10.3mm.
Thickness of piston barrel at the open end (t4):
t4= (0.25 t1 )=0.25*10.3=2.575mm

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Piston pin diameter (do):
do:0.03D=24mm.

Theoretical Stress Calculation:

The piston crown is designed for bending by maximum gas forces Pzmax as uniformly loaded
round plate freely supported by a cylinder. The stress acting in MPa on piston crown:

Where ,
Mb = (1/3) Pzmax ri3 is the bending moment, MN m;

Wb = (1/3) ri2 is the moment of resistance to bending of a flat crown, m3;

Pzmax = Pz, is the maximum combustion pressure, MPa;=5Mpa

ri = [D / 2 - (s + t1 + dt)] is the crown inner radius, m.;
Where,
Thickness of the sealing part s = 0.05D= 0.05*80=4mm.
Radial clearance between piston ring and channel : 0.0008m
Radial thickness of ring (t1) =3mm.
Therefore,
ri=[0.08/2-(0.004+0.003+0.0008)]=0.0322m

Thickness of piston crown (0.08 to 0.1)*D= 0.085*80=7mm.

b= 5*[(0.0322/0.007)^2] Mpa= 105.8Mpa.

Hence required theoretical stress obtained from calculation is 105.8Mpa.
For the design to be failsafe, the obtained value of theoretical stress must be less
than the allowable stress. Allowable stress calculated previously was 124.4Mpa,
which is greater than the obtained stress (105.8Mpa). Hence the design is safe.
Obtained stress (105.8Mpa) < Allowable stress(124.4Mpa)

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 CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORK
I have finished all the analytical calculations required to be done in this project.
My future works designing the piston based on the dimensions obtained in the
first par of my project using CATIAV5. Then I will be importing the IGES files of
my CAD designs in the ANSYS software and carry on the stress analysis to
analyze the results and compare them with the theoretically obtained values.

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 REFERENCE
1. LINEAR STATIC STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF OPTIMIZED PISTON FOR BIO-
FUEL USING ANSYS by
CH. VENKATA RAJAM -Mechanical Engineering Department, CVSR College of Engineering, Ghatkesar,
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
P. V. K. MURTHY- JayaPrakash Narayan Educational Sciety Group of Institutions, Mahabubnagar, Andhra
Pradesh, India
M. V. S. MURALI KRISHNA- Mechanical Engineering Department, Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of
Technology, Gandipet, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India.
2. Design Analysis and Optimization of Piston using CATIA and ANSYS by
CH. VENKATA RAJAM -Mechanical Engineering Department, CVSR College of Engineering, Ghatkesar,
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
P. V. K. MURTHY- JayaPrakash Narayan Educational Sciety Group of Institutions, Mahabubnagar, Andhra
Pradesh, India
M. V. S. MURALI KRISHNA- Mechanical Engineering Department, Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of
Technology, Gandipet, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India.
G. M. PRASADA RAO- Mechanical Engineering Department, Vathsalya Institute of Science and
Technology, Bhongir, Nalgonda Dist., India
AN ANALYSIS TO THERMAL LOAD AND MECHANICAL LOAD COUPLING OF A
3.
GASOLINE ENGINE PISTON by

HONGYUAN ZHANG-School of Automobile and Traffic, Shenyang Ligong University, Shenyang 110159,
Liaoning, China.

ZHAOXUN LIN-General Assemble Workshop, Shanghai GM (Shenyang) Norsom Motors Co., Ltd. (SGM-
NORSOM),Shenyang 110044, Liaoning, China.

DAWEI XU- School of Automobile and Traffic, Shenyang Ligong University, Shenyang 110159, Liaoning,
China.
4. Design a four-cylinder Internal Combustion Engine by

Student: Radoslav Plamenov Georgieve

Tutors: Dr. Pedro Villanueva Roldan Dk.

5.INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AND
TECHNOLOGY (IJMET)- DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF I.C. ENGINE PISTON AND
PISTON-RING USING CATIA AND ANSYS SOFTWARE by

Isam Jasim Jaber and Ajeet Kumar Rai- Mechanical Engineering Department, SSET, SHIATS-
DU Allahabad.
6. Journal of Engineering Research and Applications www.ijera.com ISSN : 2248-9622, Vol. 4, Issue
3( Version 1),Simulation of Thermal-Mechanical Strength for Marine
Engine Piston Using FEA by

Elijah Musango Munyao, Jiang Guo He, Yang Zhiyuan, Zou Xiang Yi -
Merchant Marine College - Shanghai Maritime University Shanghai- China.

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