International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)

ISSN: 2278-0181
Vol. 2 Issue 7, July - 2013

“Structural Analysis of Engine Cooling System for

Passenger Car Vehicle”
Gaikwad Vikrant C.*, Dr. Sawant Suresh M. **, Mr. K. Parmeshwar***

*Research Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, RIT Sakharale 415414, Sangli, Maharashtra, India

**Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, RIT Sakharale 415414, Sangli, Maharashtra, India

***Engine Cooling Head, Behr India limited, Pune-410501, Maharastra, India

ABSTRACT cooling component etc. or some other kind of excitation

such as a base excitation etc. In essence all these loads are
Engine cooling systems for vehicles are used for dynamic, including the self-weight of the structure because
cooling the engine fluids. The cooling system normally at some point in time these loads were not there. The
consists of following components: radiator, expansion distinction is made between the dynamic and the static
tank, cooling fan, fan drive, and shroud. The mounting analysis on the basis of whether the applied action has
structure for this system must be designed to withstand enough acceleration in comparison to the structure's natural
the loads that will be imposed by the vehicle operation frequency.
which consists of stresses such as those caused by linear
static and dynamic loading. Automotive industries 2. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
perform various tests on vehicles in the end-user
environment to reduce failures; these investigations are 2.1 Structural analysis
carried out on the design using finite element method
(FEM). Finite element methods are being used routinely Structural analysis mainly consists of two types
to analyze for structural behaviour. Modelling is done 2.1.1. Static Analysis
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CATIA software, meshing is carried out with
HYPERMESH software and solution is acquired using If a load is applied sufficiently slowly, the inertia
NASTRAN solver. For linear static analysis, Force was forces (Newton's second law of motion) can be ignored and
applied on the assembly using „g‟ criterion, where g is the analysis can be simplified as static analysis. Statics
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the acceleration due to gravity and for linear dynamic deals with the effect of forces on bodies at rest.
analysis with forced vibration have used the frequency 2.1.2. Dynamic analysis
response along with enforced motion. The different
Structural dynamics, therefore, is a type of
analysis of vehicle condition it is observed that design is
structural analysis which covers the behaviour of structures
safe for linear static and linear dynamic analysis. But
subjected to dynamic (actions having high acceleration)
for linear static even if the design is safe that might
loading. A dynamic analysis is also related to the inertia
failure during linear dynamic analysis.
forces developed by a structure when it is excited by means
of dynamic loads applied suddenly (e.g., wind blasts,
Keyword- Finite element analysis (FEA), Mounting
explosion, earthquake, base excitation).
points, and Structural analysis.
A dynamic load is one which changes with time
1. INTRODUCTION fairly quickly in comparison to the structure's natural
Modern automotive internal combustion engines frequency .If it varies quickly (relative to the structure's
generate a huge amount of heat. Approximately 1/3 of the ability to respond), the response must be determined with a
heat in combustion is converted into power to drive the dynamic analysis. First, dynamic loads are applied as a
vehicle and its accessories. Another 1/3 of the heat is function of time. Second, this time-varying load application
carried off into the atmosphere through the exhaust system. induces time-varying response (forces and stresses).
The remaining 1/3 must be removed from the engine by the Dynamic Analysis is basically two types
cooling system. Engine cooling system helps in dissipating
this heat to the surrounding and keeps the temperature of 2.1.2.1. Free Vibration
the body under acceptable valve. Radiator, charge air
cooler, fan, shroud are essential parts of an engine cooling If a system, after an initial disturbance, is left to
system. vibrate on its own, the ensuring vibration is known as free
Structural analysis is mainly concerned with vibration. It is also called as real eigenvalue analysis or
finding out the behaviour of a structure when subjected to modal analysis (undamped free vibrations). Modal analysis
some action. This action can be in the form of load due to is used to determine the basic dynamic characteristics of a
the weight of things such as due to the mass of engine structure. The results of a modal analysis indicate the

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 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
Vol. 2 Issue 7, July - 2013
frequencies and shapes at which a structure naturally tends 2.2.1.2 Vibration Due To Engine Unbalance
to vibrate. Although the results of a modal analysis are not
based on a specific loading, they can be used to predict the The engine is one of the main sources of vibration
effects of applying various dynamic loads. transmitted to the vehicle chassis, which is attributed to its
unbalance forces transmitted to the vehicle. Without
2.1.2.2 Forced Vibration isolation, these forces could cause rapid fatigue of vehicle
component and discomfort for the occupant. The
If a system is subjected to an external force (often, a reciprocating parts of the engine may cause vibration of an
repeating type of force), the resulting vibration is knows as automobile due to the periodic disturbances.
forced vibration.
Forced vibration analysis again is of two types [1]. 2.2.1.3 Vibration Due To Fan

 Frequency response The reciprocating parts may cause vibration of an

Frequency response analysis is an efficient automobile due to the periodic disturbances.
method for finding the steady-state response to sinusoidal
excitation. In frequency response analysis, the loading is a 2.3 Frequency Response of Vibrating Systems
sine wave for which the frequency is specified. Linear
frequency response analysis is steady-state response of Frequency response is the steady-state solution of
linear structures to loads that vary as a function of equations of motion, when the system is harmonically
frequency. excited. Steady-state response refers to a constant
amplitude oscillation, after the effect of initial conditions
 Transient response dies out. A harmonic excitation is any combination of
sinusoidal functions that applies on a vibrating system. If
Transient response analysis is the most general the system is linear, then a harmonic excitation generates a
method of computing the response to time-varying loads. harmonic response with frequency-dependent amplitude. In
The loading in a transient analysis can be of an arbitrary frequency response analysis, we are looking for the steady-
nature, but is explicitly defined (i.e., known) at every point state amplitude of oscillation as a function of the excitation
in time. The time-varying (transient) loading can also frequency. In frequency response analysis the excitation is
include nonlinear effects that are a function of explicitly defined in the frequency domain. All of the
displacement or velocity. Linear transient response analysis applied forces are known at each forcing frequency. Forces
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is response of linear structures to loads that vary as a can be in the form of applied forces and/or enforced
function of time. motions (displacements, velocities, or accelerations) [3][5].
Enforced motion specifies the displacements, velocities,
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2.2 Vehicle Dynamics and/or accelerations at a set of grid points for frequency
and transient response. Enforced motion is used when
Vibration is an avoidable phenomenon in vehicle motion is specified instead of or in conjunction with
dynamics. Most of the optimization methods for vehicle applied loads.
suspensions and vehicle vibrating components are based on There are four types of one-DOF harmonically
frequency responses [2]. excited systems are Base excitation, Eccentric excitation,
Eccentric base excitation and Forced excitation.
2.2.1. Predominant Sources of Vehicle Vibration Base excitation is the most practical model for
vertical vibration of vehicles. Eccentric excitation is a
2.2.1.1 Road Roughness model for every type of rotary motor on a suspension, such
Depending upon cause, the vibration may be free as engine on engine mounts. Eccentric base excitation is a
or forced, the free vibration may occur when the vehicle model for vibration of any equipment mounted on an
passes over an isolated irregularities in the road surface, on engine or vehicle. Forced excitation, has almost no
the other the forced vibration may result when disturbances practical application, however, it is the simplest model for
occur persistently such as passing over obstacles on a forced vibrations, with good pedagogical use.
proving road.
The road roughness, causes vertical acceleration 3 FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS (FEA)
of vehicle because of which passenger gets the proving and
this adds to their discomfort, when a vehicle is being drive The finite element method is used in a wide
over the road, the oscillations of its spring have frequencies variety of disciplines and engineering applications. In the
which has not only dependant on the frequency at which beginning, the use of these techniques was customary only
road impulses or bumps are encountered but also on the in the aerospace and nuclear fields. Subsequently, the use
relation between the spring stiffness and the mass of the has spread to a variety of products, physical situations, and
spring part of vehicle, the real description of road is manufacturing processes. Some of the interesting features
random in nature.

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 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
Vol. 2 Issue 7, July - 2013
of FEA are structural analysis, Noise Vibration and location i.e. radiator mounting [M1] and assembly i.e.
Harshness (NVH), Fatigue, crash and Optimization. Expansion tank mounting [M2] and Fan shroud mounting
In order to obtain better design in FEA, following [M3].In this project have analyzed the above three
procedure (Fig.1) is applied so that stresses can be easily mountings with linear static and linear dynamic analysis.
modelled in the system.
3.2 Mesh Generation

Basic theme of FEA is to make calculations at

only limited (Finite) number of points & interpolate the
results for entire domain (surface or volume). Any
continuous object has infinite degrees of freedom & it's just
not possible to solve the problem in this format. Finite
Element Method reduces degrees of freedom from Infinite
to Finite with the help of discretization i.e., meshing (nodes
& elements).
HYPERMESH is a powerful tool that lets
designers and analysts of component create high-quality
meshes, while preserving the underlying geometry.
HyperMesh is a high-performance finite-element pre-
processor that provides a highly interactive and visual
environment to analyze product design performance.
For meshing, Element type selection is based on
Geometry size and shape, type of analysis, time allotted for
project and hardware configuration. In this process we have
used 2 D meshing used with shell element.
The assumptions for FEA,
1. Weight of the radiator with coolant
2. Weight of the fan.
Fig.1. Flow chart of procedure FEA
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3.1 Initial design and geometry generation

Initial design of the model is a planning decision

and the geometry is generated depending on these initial
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design considerations, using modelling tools. This is the

first stage for any design problem where all the properties
and consideration regarding the design of the problem are
discussed. After completing the initial design the model is
generated using different modelling software.

Fig.3. 2D meshing of engine cooling system model

Fig.3 2D meshing of engine cooling system model

gives total number of elements are generated is 54368 in
number.

3.2.1 Material and Property Information

After meshing is completed, material (e.g.

Young‟s Modulus) and property information (e.g. thickness
values) are assigned to the elements.
In Model, basically Expansion tank, Radiator tank,
Fig.2. Engine cooling system model showing all the shroud all parts are made up of plastic and radiator is made
mountings up of aluminium. The material and their properties are
Fig.2 shows the engine cooling system model of shown in table 1.
various mountings. In engine cooling system model,
different types of mounting‟s are available at different

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 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
Vol. 2 Issue 7, July - 2013
the input deck and their corresponding results into
Table 1 - Material of Component Hyperview software.
Material Young‟s Passions Density Various results that have got after running the NASTRAN
modulus(E) ratio solver are as follows:
2 3
N/mm (µ) (tonne/ mm )
Plastic 6100 0.35 -9 3.5.1 Linear Static Analysis
1360
Al 70,000 0.33 -9
2.8 In linear static analysis we have taken the worst
possible scenario of failure i.e. a combination of pothole,
3.3 Pre-Processing cornering and braking.

The operation pre-processing provides the solver

with all necessary information for the calculation. Pre-
processing involves creating the FE model and applying the
necessary loads and boundary conditions.
There are different boundary condition for
analyzing forces, traction, torque, Pressure and Vacuum,
Temperature loading, Gravity loading, Centrifuga1 load.
In this process, we have used following boundary
conditions. In linear static analysis only „3g‟ values
(General rules) have been used for full vehicle analysis like
vertical acceleration (pothole), Lateral acceleration Fig.4. Combined
(cornering), axial acceleration (Braking) [1] [4]. In
frequency response analysis we consider z axis excitation In linear static analysis, according to standard data
i.e. enhanced motion („3 g‟ acceleration) [1] [4]. available for the plastic material the value of the yield
strength is 120 N/mm2. The factor of safety that we have
3.4 Processing (Solver) considered is 1.5 for the plastic material, so yield stress for
the material is 80 N/mm2.
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The FEM model (consisting of nodes, elements,
material properties, loads and constraints) is then exported 3.5.2 Linear Dynamic Analysis
from within the pre-processor Hypermesh. The exported
FEM model, typically called solver input deck, is an ASCII It is analysis is carried out linearly at dynamic
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file based on the specific syntax of the NASTRAN solver. condition. The linear dynamic analysis carried out under
Solution phase solve the deck prepared in pre-processing two categories which are explained below.
using NASTRAN solver.
HyperMesh supports a host of different solver 3.5.2.1 Modal Analysis
formats for both import and export. The following solvers
which are support hypermesh software‟s like RADIOSS, Modal analysis determines the vibration
NASTRAN, MATLAB, and ANSYS. characteristics of a structural or a particular component in
In process, after applying the boundary condition the form of natural frequency and mode shape of the
in the pre-processor the model is solved in the NASTRAN- natural vibration modes. The natural frequency and mode
Solver. shape are important in the design of a structure for dynamic
loading condition.
3.5. Post-Processing
3.5.2.1(A) Mode 1
Post-processing provides the FEA professional
with easy-to-use powerful result visualization features for
structured. It provides an in depth view of data with
visualization tools such as stresses, strain, displacement,
normal mode, dynamic behavior of structure of various
loading conditions.
After the run is complete, the easiest way to
access the results is by using the Hyper View software. The
open architecture of Hyper View allows for loading and
viewing result files obtained from several sources. Based
on the solver type of the files and the results you would like
to visualize and analyze, there are different ways to load Fig.5. Mode 1

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 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
Vol. 2 Issue 7, July - 2013
3.5.2.1(B) Mode 2 from the contour plot data, it is analyzed that no failure
occurs at mounting points [M2] and [M3].
3.5.2.2(B) Iteration II

Fig.8. Iteration II
Fig.6. Mode 2
In iteration 2, value of stress is 107 N/mm2 for
thickness of the mounting [M1] to 4mm which shows
Table 2 - Result summery of model analysis design is not safe.
Mode Natural Nature
3.5.2.2(C) Iteration III
Shape Frequency
(Hz)
1 33.22 X-Direction Mode on
Shroud

2 36.56 Combined X and Z

Direction Mode on Shroud

Different of nature frequency for different mode

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shapes shows in table 2. In which mode shape I at Fig.9. Iteration III
frequency 33.22 Hz. shows in X-Direction on shroud and
mode shape II shows X and Z direction at frequency In iteration 3, for thickness of the mounting to
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36.56 Hz. The speeds of fan i.e. 2700 rpm calculate the 5mm value of dynamic stress is 78.64 N/mm2 which
fundamental frequency is 45 Hz. provided with stiffener makes design safe.
3.5.2.2 Frequency Response Analysis 4. CONCLUSION
In this frequency response analysis we consider z
axis excitation i.e. enhanced motion. In this paper following software like Catia for
modeling, Hypermesh for meshing, Nastran as a solver and
3.5.2.2(A) Iteration I Hyperview for visualized result are used. One of the most
important advantages of using this software is that it
reduces production time and the number of prototype. Also,
the result obtained from software is instantaneous.

The Concluding remarks for different types of analysis at

the mounting point.

1. Linear static analysis- In linear static analysis, stress is

analyzed for different vehicle conditions. The value of
maximum stress i.e. worst condition is 22.27 N/mm2 much
Fig.7. Iteration I below than the yield stress i.e. 80 N/mm2 for all mounting
points and hence the design is safe.
The above fig.7 represents the first iteration while
carrying out the frequency response analysis. After solving 2. Modal Analysis- In modal analysis, the fundamental
model for solution it is observed that the available value of frequency calculated from the fan rpm i.e. 45 Hz. and the
maximum stress more than the yield stress and the failure mode/natural frequencies i.e. 33.22 Hz and 36.56 Hz are do
occurs at the mounting [M1] for a thickness of 3 mm. Also, not match, hence no resonance is created. Also, according

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 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
Vol. 2 Issue 7, July - 2013
to standard data available from Nastran manual, the N/mm2 is still greater than the yield stress i.e. 80 N/mm2.
mode/natural frequency i.e.36.56 Hz should be less than Inspite of this, the failure occurs at mounting [M1].
38.25 (85% of 45 Hz) frequency of the fan. Hence, the Iteration 3, we have increased the thickness of the
condition is satisfied and goes to further analysis.
mounting [M1] to 5mm and also have added a stiffener and
3. Frequency Response Analysis - In frequency response corner radius. After making this changes we can observed
analysis, first two iterations are not safe and third iteration that the value of the stress value is less than the yield stress
is safe. and the design is safe.
In iteration 1, after solving model for solution we So, the design is safe for both the linear static and
can observe that the available value of maximum stress is linear dynamic analysis.
167.70 N/mm2 more than the yield stress i.e. 80 N/mm2 Also, it is concluded that do not depend linear
and the failure occurs at the mounting M1 for a thickness
static analysis result because it might failure in linear
of 3 mm. Also, from the contour plot data we can observe
that no failure occurs at mounting points [M2] and [M3]. dynamic analysis.
In iteration 2, we have increased the thickness of
the mounting [M1] to 4mm. The stress value i.e.107.11

Acknowledgement:

I wish to thank Behr India limited, Pune-410501, Maharastra, India for giving me an opportunity to
work in this field. The guidance, cooperation, practical approach & inspiration given by company especially by
Mr. S Prakash (Manager), Mr. Razique Quazi ( Assistant Manager) and Mr. Abasaheb Gaikwad (Manager at
Tata Motor‟s Limited, Pune) provided me the much needed impetus to hard work.

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Simulation and Analysis of Vehicle Ride Comfort

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