Keywords

Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication, Applied Tribology, Automotive, Hydrodynamics, Cavitation in Hydrodynamics

Numerical Investigation of the Cavitation Damage in a High Performance Engine Conrod Big End Bearing via a Mass-Conserving Complementarity Algorithm

The aim of this work is the preliminary evaluation of the damaging effect of the cavitation in a Conrod Big End Bearing via elastohydrodynamic numerical analyses. In particular, the problem is tackled using a formulation based on the solution of the Reynolds equation, suitably recast in terms of two complementarity variables, namely the hydrodynamic pressure and the void-fraction. The EHL problem is numerically solved using a formulation based on the Finite Element Method. The object of the study is the Conrod Big End Bearing of an high performance motorbike engine. Comparative analyses involving different geometrical configurations of the crankpin/conrod assemblies are presented. A preliminary cavitation damage index is proposed, based on the variation in time of the void fraction at a certain location. The results obtained show a strong influence of the geometry of the bearing on the cavitation phenomenon. Experimental evidence qualitatively agrees with the numerical forecasts.

Authors and Company/Institution

Daniele Dini, Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
Lucia N. Mastrandrea, Matteo Giacopini and Enrico Bertocchi, Department of Engineering Enzo Ferrari, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy