Experimental Thermal Analysis of Diesel Engine Piston and Cylinder Wall

Knowledge of piston and cylinder wall temperature is necessary to estimate the thermal stresses at different points; this gives an idea to the designer to take care of weaker cross section area. Along with that, this temperature also allows the calculation of heat losses through piston and cylinder wall. The proposed methodology has been successfully applied to a water-cooled four-stroke direct-injection diesel engine and it allows the estimation of the piston and cylinder wall temperature. The methodology described here combines numerical simulations based on FEM models and experimental procedures based on the use of thermocouples. Purposes of this investigation are to measure the distortion in the piston, temperature, and radial thermal stresses after thermal loading. To check the validity of the heat transfer model, measure the temperature through direct measurement using thermocouple wire at several points on the piston and cylinder wall. In order to prevent thermocouple wire entanglement, a suitable pathway was designed. Appropriate averaged thermal boundary conditions such as heat transfer coefficients were set on different surfaces for FE model. The study includes the effects of the thermal conductivity of the material of piston, piston rings, and combustion chamber wall. Results show variation of temperature, stresses, and deformation at various points on the piston.