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A 2200 cc engine head for marine applications has been analysed and optimized by means of decoupled CFD and FEM simulations in order to assess the fatigue strength of the component. The fluid distribution within the cooling jacket was extensively analysed and improved in previous works, in order to enhance the performance of the coolant galleries. A simplified methodology was then proposed in order to estimate the thermo-mechanical behaviour of the head under actual engine operation [1, 2]. As a consequence of the many complex phenomena involved, an improved approach is presented in this paper, capable of a better characterization of the fatigue strength of the engine head under both high-cycle and low-cycle fatigue loadings. The improved methodology is once again based on a decoupled CFD and FEM analysis, with relevant improvements added to both simulation realms.

The paper presents a numerical activity directed at the analysis and optimization of internal combustion engine water cooling jackets, with particular emphasis on the fatigue-strength assessment and improvement. In the paper, full 3D-CFD and FEM analyses of conjugate heat transfer and load cycle under actual engine operation of a single bank of a current production V6 turbocharged diesel engine are reported. A highly detailed model of the engine, made up of both the coolant galleries and the surrounding metal components, i.e., the engine head, the engine block, the gasket, the valve guides and valve seats, is used on both sides of the simulation process to accurately capture the influence of the cooling system layout under thermal and load conditions as close as possible to actual engine operations.

This paper presents a numerical methodology for studying the effect of boiling on the structural behavior of high-performance internal combustion engines. Boiling occurs when the portion of engine coolant in contact with hot walls reaches high temperatures and vapor bubbles form. While incipient vaporization of the coolant can promote additional cooling, excessive vapor can act as an insulator and lead to potentially dangerous high temperatures in the engine. Boiling is typically analyzed using Computational Fluid Dynamic Analyses, which are usually computationally intensive. In this study, the authors propose a Finite Element methodology that combines semi-empirical formulations, less demanding than Computational Fluid Dynamic models, with thermal Finite Element simulations to detect and manage boiling. Two different empirical formulations for boiling were employed, proposed by Garro and Chen respectively, and their results were compared.