ABSTRACT
This paper presents the design connecting rod of internal combustion engine using thetopology optimization. The objectives of this paper are to develop structural modeling,finite element analyze and the optimization of the connecting rod for robust design. Thestructure of connecting rod was modeled utilized SOLIDWORKS software. Finiteelement modeling and analysis were performed using MSC/PATRAN andMSC/NASTRAN software. Linear static analysis was carried out to obtain thestress/strain state results. The mesh convergence analysis was performed to select the best mesh for the analysis. The topology optimization technique is used to achieve theobjectives of optimization which is to reduce the weight of the connecting rod. From theFEA analysis results, TET10 predicted higher maximum stress than TET4 andmaximum principal stress captured the maximum stress. The crank end is suggested to be redesign based on the topology optimization results. The optimized connecting rod is11.7% lighter and predicted low maximum stress compare to initial design. For futureresearch, the optimization should cover on material optimization to increase the strengthof the connecting rod.
Keywords:
Topology optimization, connecting rod, finite element analysis, minimumweight, linear static method