Analysis of a Connecting Rod For An Internal Combustion Engine

Objective: Model a real-life connecting rod and analyze the maximum pressure in the compression step of the cycle using a CAD software and compare the results with hand calculations

For this project, I modeled the engine of a 2008 Acura MDX. I accomplished this by finding the dimensions, creating three parts, the crankshaft, piston rod and piston. After that I created an assembly to model the movement of the 6 cylinder engine.

Assumptions & Loads

For our model, we assumed the connecting rod was made of 4340 steel and we also assumed that it had a pressure of 1500 psi applied to it because the Acura MDX is a rather large suv.

Ultimate Tensile Strength - 161,000 psi

Tensile Strength - 103,000 psi

Modulus of Elasticity - 297,000 ksi

Bulk Modulus - 203,000 ksi

Shear Modulus. - 116,000 ksi

Poisson’s Ratio - .29

About 9 inches center to center.

FEM Analysis

Von Mises Stress of 39.96 KSI

Factor of Safety of 4

If you would like a copy of the CAD files please contact me via email. Wix would not allow me to upload CAD files.