Fatigue analysis of high performance race engines
Terje Rølvåg, Bjørn Olav Haugen, M. Bella, Filippo Berto
Abstract
This paper presents a multidiscipline dynamic simulation tool for fatigue testing. A non-linear finite element formulation embedding control system modeling is augmented to include fatigue analysis based on a mathematical representation of virtual brittle lacquer and strain rosettes. A new efficient method for rosette strain calculations based on super node displacements are applied and presented. These features are used to predict the hot spots and durability of a high performance race engine. Real physical testing is performed to capture all engine properties influencing the crank shaft stress distribution. The results predict the most critical failure modes during racing applications as well as the life in terms of drag laps before failure.