International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering

Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 3, Issue 2, February 2013)

Prediction of Fatigue Life of Crank Shaft using S-N Approach

Mahesh L. Raotole 1, Prof. D. B. Sadaphale2 , Prof. J. R.Chaudhari3
1

M.E. Student, 2Guide and Assistant Professor, 3Head of Department, S.S.B.Ts College of Engineering Bambhori, Jalgaon (M.S.), North Maharashtra University, Jalgaon, India. In first step is to find pressure in the combustion chamber by varying crankshaft angle using GetData Graph Digitizer software. It is seen in this analysis forces get its peak value at crank angle around 3550 during one cycle. After obtaining the forces on the crankshaft using program developed in MATLAB software, the stresses are found and the life of crankshaft is predicted using ANSYS software.

Abstract The main objective of this study is to get the life estimation of crankshaft using finite element method. Therefore, this study consists of three major sections : (1) dynamic load analysis, (2) FEM and stress analysis, (3) prediction of fatigue life for crankshaft. In this study a dynamic simulation is conducted on forged steel crankshaft from single cylinder four stroke engines. Finite element analysis is performed to obtain the variation of stress magnitude at critical locations. The dynamic force analysis is carried out analytically using MATLAB program. This load is then applied to the FE model in ANSYS, and boundary conditions are applied according to the engine mounting conditions. The analysis is carried out for different engine speeds and at different ratio of fillet radius to diameter of crank pin. As a result, critical location on the crankshaft is obtained. The main objective of this project work is to investigate the fatigue life of crankshaft under complex loading conditions. Due to the repeated bending and twisting, crankshaft fails, as cracks form in fillet area. Hence, fatigue plays an important role in crankshaft development. Accurate prediction of fatigue life is very important to insure safety of components and its reliability. The S-N approach is used to predict the fatigue life of crankshaft. Keywords Ansys, Crankshaft, Dynamic Loading, Fatigue Failure, Matlab.

Figure 1. Crankshaft with Main Journals that Support the Crankshaft in the Engine Block. Crankpin Journals are Offset from the Crankshaft Centerline

II. DYNAMIC LOAD ANALYSIS OF THE CRANKSHAFT The main objective of this study is to obtain accurate magnitude of the loading on crankshaft that consists of bending and torsion. An analytical approach is used on the basis of a single degree of freedom slider crank mechanism. To find forces acting on the crankshaft, it is necessary to find the forces acting on piston. These forces are time dependent and vary with crank angle. Generally it can be obtained by doing experiments and the results are in terms of graph. Therefore finding the forces at particular crank angle is difficult. Hence GetData graph digitizer software is used for determining the values of forces acting on piston. The identified values are used in analytical calculations to determine forces acting on the crankshaft. A program is developed in MATLAB software to obtain the force distribution for performing analytical calculations. Determination of Gas Forces Get Data software is used for determining the gas forces acting on the crankshaft. It converts the graphical data into digital format. Hence, it is possible to obtain the values at any point on the curve. Any arbitrary point can be selected on the graph. Corresponding values of parameter along X and Y axis are obtained. Results from this software can be saved in excel format. Thus it is very easy to use this data as per the functional requirement. 447

I. INTRODUCTION
Crankshaft is a large component with a complex geometry in the engine, which converts the reciprocating displacement of the piston to a rotary motion. Since the crankshaft experiences a large number of fluctuating / cyclic load cycles during its service life, fatigue performance and durability of this component has to be considered in the design process due to fatigue failure. This study is conducted on a single cylinder four stroke cycle engine. A crankshaft with different fillet radius at crankpin is studied. The finite element analysis is performed on crankshaft using ANSYS software. Stresses from these analyses were used to predict the fatigue life of the crankshaft. Figure 1 shows a typical picture of a crankshaft and the nomenclature used to define its different parts. Three methods which are used to predict fatigue life include stress life(S-N), strain Life (E-N) and Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM). In this project study, S-N approach is used to predict fatigue life for forged steel crankshaft. This method can be helpful to test fatigue life but only disadvantage is that plasticity effect is not considered and provides poor accuracy for low cycle fatigue.

International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering

Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 3, Issue 2, February 2013) Minimum and maximum values of the volume of the engine are obtained using GetData software as shown in Figure 2 using the P-V diagram shown below. Table I shows the value of minimum and maximum volume of the engine.

Figure 3. Pressure Versus Crankshaft Angle Diagram [1]

Figure 2. Obtained Vmin and Vmax using GetData Software Table I Values Of Volume at Minimum and Maximum

Volume Vmaximum Vminimum

Unit in cm3 545.64 85.12

A. Finite Element Modeling Finite element modelling of any solid component consists of geometry generation, applying material properties, meshing the component, defining the boundary constraints, and applying the proper load type. These steps will lead to the stresses and displacements in the component. In this study, similar analysis procedure is performed for forged steel crankshafts. B. Generation Of The Geometry Of Crankshafts According to the drawing, the dimensions of crankshaft, solid model is generated using SOLIDWORKS, modeling software. Figure 4 shows the solid model of the forged steel crankshaft. The forged steel crankshaft weight measured on a weighing scale is 3.80 kg. The difference between the generated models and the actual crankshaft is about 2%, for the forged steel crankshaft. Material properties used for model is tabulated in Table II.

Values of Vmin and Vmax are used to obtain the swept volume of the engine using the equation below. V swept= Vmax - Vmin Swept volume can be written as V swept = R2S Where, R is radius of piston and S is stroke length of the engine. Therefore the volume of the engine is changing with respect to . Hence using position analysis, relation between volume and crank angle is derived. From the P-V diagram values of pressure at volumes are obtained. Using these relations values of pressures are obtained for different crank angles. The points captured to obtain the values of pressure and these values are plotted in the form of pressure versus crank angle as shown in Figure 3. The graph is verified from published literature [1]. III. STRESS ANALYSIS OF CRANKSHAFT USING FINITE ELEMENT METHOD This topic discusses geometry generation used for finite element analysis. Mesh generation and its convergence are discussed. Using proper boundary conditions and type of loading are important since they strongly affect the results of the finite element analysis. Appropriate boundary conditions and loading situation are identified and discussed.

Figure 4. Generated Geometry Of The Forged Steel Crankshaft

C. Mesh Generation FE analysis is performed on crankshaft for the dynamic load analysis. In this section, meshing for dynamic FEA is presented for the forged steel crankshafts. Quadratic tetrahedral elements are used to mesh the crankshaft finite element geometry. Tetrahedral elements are used for meshing the imported complex geometries to the ANSYS WORKBENCH software.

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International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering

Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 3, Issue 2, February 2013) In the ANSYS software time is considered to be independent function as default. Therefore, crank angle is converted into time and the loads are applied at these time. In this way, dynamic finite analysis is performed for forged steel crankshaft and results are obtained and explained below. Finding The Critical Location FE analysis is performed on the forged steel crankshaft at 2800 rpm engine speed. The fillet area experiences the highest stresses during service life of the crankshaft. Therefore, six points on the fillets are selected and labeled in Figure 6 for forged steel crankshaft. Locations 1 and 6 are located on the boundary conditions. For the loading condition, where the load direction is towards the center of the crankshaft, locations 1 and 6 are located far from the boundary conditions. This loading condition is the only loading condition used at the time of maximum bending load, because at this time the torsional load is zero. Therefore, load at this moment will give the maximum stress at these locations. Von mises stresses at different location are obtained. In that Table III shows von mises stresses at location 2 at 2800 rpm engine speed at different angle by ansys workbench software for forged steel crankshaft.
Table III Von Mises Stresses at Location 2 for Forged Steel Crankshaft at 2800 rpm

Figure 5. Meshed Geometry Of The Forged Steel Crankshaft With 123,880 Elements Table II Material Properties for Forged Steel Crankshaft

Figure 6. Von Mises Stress at Locations 1 through 6 for Forged Steel Crankshaft. Note That the Convergence is Achieved at all Locations with 119,337 Elements. This Corresponds to A Global Element Size of 5.08 mm and a Local Mesh Size of 0.762 mm

Using linear tetrahedral elements results in a rigid model with less accuracy, whereas using quadratic tetrahedral elements increases the accuracy and lessens the rigidity of the geometry. In order to mesh the geometry with this element type, the mapped meshing feature of ANSYS WORKBENCH software is used. D. Finite Element Analysis Results And Discussion In the present work, there are two approaches for applying the loads on the crankshaft. One of the approaches used for FE analysis is to run the model over 720 at different angle.

Effect Of Fillet Radius The maximum von Mises stress is obtained at location 2 of the crankshaft. Therefore, considering different fillet radius to crankpin diameter ratio von mises stresses are obtained at location 2. Figure 7. show comparison plots of von Mises stress at location 2 at different r/d ratio for forged steel crankshaft. From this figure it is seen that, as r/d ratio increases von mises stresses at location 2 decreases. Since stress range and mean stress are the main controlling parameters for calculating fatigue life of the component, these parameters have to be calculated.

449

International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering

Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 3, Issue 2, February 2013)

Figure 7. Comparison of Von Mises Stresses at Different r/d ratio at Location 2

Figure 8. Typical S-N Curves

IV. FATIGUE BEHAVIOR AND LIFE PREDICTIONS This topic explains the prediction of fatigue life for forged steel crankshaft. Results coming from previous discussion are used to obtain life estimation of crankshaft. S-N curve approach and calculated equivalent alternating stresses are used to obtain fatigue life of crankshaft. Fatigue analysis of crankshaft is carried out in ANSYS WB software. A. S-N Method Used To Predict Fatigue Life Due to the long-life and elastic loading conditions on an engine crankshaft, the stress-life (S-N) approach to life estimation is commonly used. That is high cycle fatigue method is used. S-N diagram plots nominal stress amplitude S versus cycles to failure N. S-N test data are usually displayed on a log-log plot. Stress Life deals with relatively high numbers of cycles and therefore addresses High Cycle Fatigue (HCF), greater than 105 cycles inclusive of infinite life. The S-N curve gives the cycles to failure for a completely reversed uniaxial stress state. Materials have a fatigue limit or endurance limit which represents a stress level below which the material does not fail and can be cycled infinitely. If the applied stress level is below the endurance limit of the material, the structure is said to have an infinite life. A typical S-N curve corresponding to this type of material is shown Curve A in Figure 8 Many non-ferrous metals and alloys, do not exhibit well-defined endurance limits. These materials instead display a continuously decreasing S-N response, similar to Curve B in Figure 8 In such cases fatigue strength for a given number of cycles must be specified. An effective endurance limit for these materials is sometimes defined as the stress that causes failure at 1x108 or 5x108 loading cycles. In engineering data of ANSYS workbench software S-N curve and table for stress-life is available and used for the fatigue analysis of forged steel crankshaft. Figure 8 show the S-N curve for structural steel and Table IV shows the tabulated data of alternating stress S and number of cycles N to fail. 450

Calculation of crankshaft strength consists initially in determining the nominal alternating stresses and mean stresses. These factors result in an equivalent alternating stress (uni-axial stress). Equivalent alternating stress is then compared with the fatigue strength of the selected crankshaft material i.e. S-N curve for selected material. This comparison will predict the fatigue life of crankshaft in terms of number of cycles to fail. Equivalent equation is obtained as given below.

Where equ is equivalent alternating stress, a m is alternating stress, [max min] / 2 is alternating stress, [max + min] / 2

x is yield stress for soderberg criteria and ultimate stress for goodman,gerber criteria. n = 1 for soderberg and goodman criteria and 2 for gerber criteria Sample Calculation for r/d = 0.06 [7]

Max value of stress = max = 165 Mpa Min value of stress = min = -25 Mpa Mean stress = m = 70 Mpa Alternating stress = a = 95 Mpa Yield stress = x = 250 Mpa From soderberg criteria , n=1

=131.94 Mpa

International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering

Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 3, Issue 2, February 2013) B. Verification Of Results Results from ANSYS software are verified by the equation taken below from a standard book [7].
Table IV Fatigue Life for Forged Steel Crankshaft at Location 2 at different r/d ratio

Figure 9. Comparison of Equivalent Alternating Stress to the S- N Curve of the Material to Find Fatigue Life of Component

The value of maximum stress is 165 MPa, minimum stress -25 MPa, mean stress 70MPa, alternating stress 95 MPa and yield stress 250 MPa for the selected material and value of n is considered 1 because of the soderberg criteria. Substituting these values in above equation equivalent alternating stresses are calculated and is around 131 MPa.

Figure 11 fatigue life of crankshaft in numbers of cycle

Equivalent alternating stress obtained from software is 131 MPa. It is between the stress value 138 MPa at 100000 numbers of cycles to fail and 114 MPa at 2*100000 numbers of cycles to fail. Therefore, fatigue
5 5

life of crankshaft must be in between 10 and 2*10 numbers of cycles to fail. By using Typical S-N Curve for the same 131 MPa fatigue life of crankshaft 1.47*100000 numbers of cycles theoretically & results from ANSYS WB software fatigue life of crankshaft is
5

1.55*10 % v a r i a t i o n i s 5 . 4 4 2 1 % this result is

5

acceptable because obtained value is between the 10

5

and 2*10 numbers of cycles to fail shown in Table V.

Figure 10 Equivalent Alternating Stress at Location 2

Equivalent alternating stress obtained from software is 131MPa. It is between the stress value 138 MPa at 100000 numbers of cycles to fail and 114 MPa at 2*100000 numbers of cycles to fail. Therefore, fatigue life of crankshaft must be in between 105 and 2*105 numbers of cycles to fail. Results from ANSYS WB software fatigue life of crankshaft is 1.55*105. This result is acceptable because obtained value is between the 105 and 2*105 numbers of cycles to fail. In this way, results from the software are verified. Therefore, fatigue life of forged steel crankshaft obtained for different fillet radius r to crank pin diameter d ratio and it is shown below. It is seen from the table, fatigue life of crankshaft increases with the increase in r/d ratio. Similarly, the calculation for r/d = 0.02, 0.08 and software calculation results as given in the following Table IV. 451

Table V Comparision of Fatigue Life for Forged Steel Crank Shaft by Theoretically & by Software Solution Showing % error

International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering

Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 3, Issue 2, February 2013) V. CONCLUSION There are two different load sources in an engine; inertia and combustion. These two load source cause both bending and torsional load on the crankshaft. The bending maximum load occurs at the crank angle of 355 degrees for this specific engine and the torsional load is zero at this angle. The maximum torsional load occurs at the crank angle 315 degrees. FEM analysis is very efficient and simple method for achieving stresses at different loading condition according to forces applied to the crankshaft from the dynamic analysis.The use of numerical method such as Finite Element Method now a day commonly used to gives detail information about structure or component. Critical (i.e. failure) locations on the crankshaft geometry are all located on the fillet areas because of high stress gradients in these locations. The failure in the crankshaft initiated at the fillet region of the crankpin, and fatigue is the dominant mechanism of failure. APPENDIX A Analytical Approach to Dynamic Force Analysis for the Crankshaft (Slider Crank Four Bar Linkage).

Where

The complete dynamic force analysis of a reciprocating engine mechanism can be considerably simplified by a summation of individual effects of gas forces and inertia forces. Forces acting on the crankshaft due to gas force in X and Y direction: (Fcx)G = -P (Fcx)G = P x tan Subscript G denotes, due to gas force. To find forces acting on the crankshaft due to inertia force, Consider acceleration of piston and lumped mass model as shown in Figure A.2

Figure A.2 Lumped mass model

Figure A.1 Parametric representation of the crankshaft, connecting rod, and piston assembly

The following analysis is required in order to obtain the load history applied to crankshaft bearings. These calculations are based on the single degree of freedom mechanism shown in Figure A.1. The linear velocity and acceleration of piston are given by:
(1)

Differentiating equation (1) with respect to time gives the acceleration of piston.
(2)

Where = angular velocity of crank L1 = Radius of Crank

Let m1, m2, m3 represent the masses of crank, connecting rod and piston respectively and mc, mb represent the masses of connecting lumped at cank pin B and wrist pin C respectively. Now, Forces acting on the crankshaft in X and Y direction considering effect of inertia force due to piston: (Fcx) p = -m3 x p (Fcy) p = m3 x p x tan Subscript P denotes, due to inertia of piston force Forces acting on the crankshaft in X and Y direction considering effect of inertia force due to lumped mass of connecting rod at wrist pin C: (Fcx) c = -mc x p (Fcy) c = mc x p x tan Subscript C denotes, due to inertia of lumped mass of connecting rod at wrist pin. Forces acting on the crankshaft in X and Y direction considering effect of inertia force due to lumped mass of connecting rod at crank pin B: (Fcx) B = -mb x L1 x 2 x cos (Fcy) B = mb x L1 x 2 x sin Subscript C denotes, due to inertia of lumped mass of connecting rod at wrist pin. The total bearing loads can now be obtained by a summation of the individual effects of gas forces and inertia forces in X and Y direction: 452

International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering

Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 3, Issue 2, February 2013) Fcx = -m3 x p - mc x p - mb x L1 x 2 x cos - P Fcy = m3 x p x tan + mc x p x tan + mb x L1 x 2 x sin +P tan Fcx and Fcy are expressed in the global coordinate system, which is not rotating with the crankshaft. Forces expressed in a coordinate system attached to the crankshaft, better explain the loading history applied to the crankshaft. These forces are given by: Fx = Fcx x cos + Fcy x sin Fy = Fcy cos - Fcx sin These equations have been used in a MATLAB program, detailed in Appendix B, in order to obtain the forces acting on the crankshaft for different angles of the crankshaft. APPENDIX B MATLAB program used in dynamic force analysis of the slider crank mechanism developed using equations from Appendix A. clc clear %mc = input('Enter Mass of Crankshaft in kg:'); mc = 3.80; %mp = input('Enter Mass of Piston in kg:'); mp = 0.417; %mr = input('Enter Mass of Connecting Rod in kg:'); mr = 0.283; %N = input('Enter Speed of Crankshaft in rpm:'); N = 2000; %l1 = input('Enter Radius of Crankshaft in m:'); l1 = .037; %l2 = input('Enter Length of Connecting Rod in m:'); l2 = .120; %rp = input('Enter Radius of Piston in m:'); rp = .045; %lg = input('Distance of C.G. of Connecting Rod from crank end in m:'); lg = .0286; w = 2*pi*N/60; n=l2/l1; A1=1; A2 = (1/(2*n))+(1/(8*n^3))+(15/(256*n^5))+(35/(1024*n^7)); A4 = (-1/(16*n^3))+(-3/(64*n^5)); A6 = (3/(256*n^5))+(15/(1024*n^7)); m2b = (lg/l2)*mr; m2a = ((l2-lg)/l2)*mr; theta=[0:15:720]; 453 %theta= theta*pi/180; pressure = xlsread('load.xlsx'); load = pressure*10^5*pi*rp^2; fiy = asind((l1/l2)*sind(theta)); vp = - (w*l1*[A1*sind(theta)+A2*sind(2*theta)+ A4*sind(4*theta)+A6*sin(6*thet a)]); ap = -(w^2*l1*(A1*cosd(theta)+2*A2*cosd(2*theta)+ 4*A4*cosd(4*theta)+6*A6*co sd(6*theta))); Fcx = -(m2a*l1*w^2*cosd(theta)-(m2b+mp)*ap-(load)'); Fcy = - (m2a*l1*w^2*sind(theta)+m2b*ap.*tand(fiy)+ mp*ap.*tand(fiy)+(load)'.*t and(fiy)); Fx = Fcx.*cosd(theta)+Fcy.*sind(theta); Fy = Fcy.*cosd(theta)-Fcx.*sind(theta); Fres3 = sqrt(abs(Fcx.^2)+abs(Fcy.^2)); Fres4 = sqrt(abs(Fy.^2)+abs(Fx.^2)); figure(1) plot(theta,pressure'); title('Gas Forces with respect to Theta'); xlabel('Theta in Degree'); ylabel('Gas Forces in N'); figure(2) plot(theta,vp); title('Velocity of piston'); xlabel('Theta in degree'); ylabel('velocity of piston in m/s'); figure(3) plot(theta,ap); title('Acceleration of Piston'); xlabel('Theta in Degree'); ylabel('Acceleration of Piston in m/s2'); figure(4) plot(theta,Fcx,theta,Fcy,theta,Fres3); title('Forces Acting on Crankshaft in X-direction and Ydirection'); xlabel('Theta in Degree'); ylabel('Forces in N'); figure(5) plot(theta,Fx,theta,Fy,theta,Fres4); title('Forces Acting on The Crankshaft in Rotating Coordinate System'); xlabel('Theta in Degree'); ylabel('Forces in N');

International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering

Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 3, Issue 2, February 2013) REFERENCES
[1 ] Farzin H. Montazersadgh and Ali Fatemi, Stress Analysis and Optimization of Crankshafts Subject to Dynamic Loading, A project report submitted to the Forging Industry Educational Research Foundation (FIERF) and American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) in 2007. [2 ] R.M. Metkar, V.K. Sunnapwar and S.D. Hiwase, A fatigue analysis and life estimation of crankshaft - a review, International Journal of Mechanical and Materials Engineering (IJMME), Vol.6 (2011), No.3, 425-430. [3 ] W.Y. Chien, J. Pan, D. Close, S. Hob. Fatigue analysis of crankshaft sections under bending with consideration of residual stress, International Journal of Fatigue 27 (2005) : 119. [4 ] F.S. Silva, Analysis of vehicle crankshaft failure, Engineering Failure Analysis 10 (2003): 605616. [5 ] Spiteri, P. V., Lee, Y. L., and Segar, R., An Exploration of Failure Modes in Rolled, Ductile, Cast Iron Crankshafts Using a Resonant Bending Testing Rig, SAE Technical Paper No. 2005-01-1906. [6 ] Jensen, E. J., Crankshaft Strength Through Laboratory Testing, SAE Technical Paper No. 700526, in 1970. [7 ] Henry, J., Topolsky, J., and Abramczuk, M., Crankshaft Durability Prediction, SAE Technical Paper No. 920087, in 1992. [8 ] Borges, A. C., Oliveira, L. C., and Neto, P. S. Stress distribution in a crankshaft using a geometrically restricted Finite Element Model, SAE Technical Paper No. 2002-01-2183. [9 ] Jonathan Williams, Zoroufi, M. and Fatemi, A., Durability Comparison and Life Predictions of Competing Manufacturing Processes: An Experimental Study of Steering Knuckle,
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[10 ] Sean Mckelvey and Ali Fatemi, Effect Of Forging Surface On Fatigue Behavoir Of Steels: A Review, The University Of Toledotoledo,Ohio. [11 ] J.S.Rao and R. V. Dukkipati, Mechanism and machine theory, Second edition new age international Pvt. Ltd. Publishers, Year 2004. [12 ] William Orthwein, Machine Component Design, Jaico Publishing House (Pvt.) Ltd., in 2004. [13 ] R. S. Khurmi, A Text Book of Machine Design, Eurasia Publishing House (Pvt.) Ltd., in 2009.

AUTHOR PROFILE
Mr. Mahesh L. Raotole received his BE degree in Mechanical Engineering from S.S.V.P.S. College of Engineering Dhule, North Maharashtra University, Jalgaon in 1998. Now he is pursuing his ME in Machine Design from SSBT`s College of Engineering Bambhori, North Maharashtra University, Jalgaon. Recently he is working as Sr. Lecturer in Mechanical Department in Smt.S.S.Patil Institute of Technology Chopda Dist : Jalgaon (MS) India, He has 14 years teaching experience, including two years of experience in the field of CAD/CAM in Kinetic Communication Ltd. Pune, also with Tata Auto Components Pune and Lear Seating Corporation Thane in Plastic, Interior and Seat Design.

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Forging Industry Technical Conference, in 2004.

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