RIFT VALLEY

UNIVERSITY

BISHOFTU CAMPUS

CONNECTING ROD ANALYSIS

ASHEBIR BIRU ……………………………………………….0001/13

pg. 1
ABSTRACT: In a reciprocating piston engine, the connecting rod connects the piston to the crank
or crankshaft. In modern automotive internal combustion engines, the connecting rods are most
usually made of steel for production engines, but can be made of aluminum (for lightness and the
ability to absorb high impact at the expense of durability) or titanium (for a combination of strength
and lightness at the expense of affordability) for high performance engines, or of cast iron for
applications such as motor scooters. The present work has been undertaken to replace the existing
connecting rod made of forged steel which is broken for LML Freedom with the aluminum
connecting rod. The spare parts of the motorcycle are not available as the production has stopped.
In this thesis, the connecting rod is modeled in Pro/Engineer, forces are calculated, analysis is done
on the connecting rod using materials aluminum 6061, aluminum 7075, aluminum 2014carbon fiber
280 gsm bidirectional, and Analysis is also done for the assembly of piston, connecting rod and
crankshaft. The prototype of the connecting rod is made using direct machining for aluminum alloy
and hand layup method for carbon fiber connecting rod.

pg. 2
TABLE OF CONTENET
I. INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………………….1
II. MATERIALS USED FOR CONNECTING ROD ……………………………..2
III. LITERATURE SURVEY ……………………………………………………….3
IV. METHODS GENERALLY USED FOR MANUFACTURING THE
CONNECTING ROD ………………………………………………………………5
V. EXPERIMENTAL WORK ………………………………………………………..8
VI. STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF CONNECTING ROD …………………………13
VII. STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF CARBON ………………………………………16
FIBER FOR CONNECTING ROD ……………………………………………………….16
VIII. CONCLUSION ………………………………………………………………………17
REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………18

pg. 3
 I. INTRODUCTION

In a reciprocating piston engine, the connecting rod connects the piston to the crank or crankshaft.
In modern automotive internal combustion engines, the connecting rods are most usually made of
steel for production engines, but can be made of aluminum (for lightness and the ability to absorb
high impact at the expense of durability) or titanium (for a combination of strength and lightness at
the expense of affordability) for high performance engines, or of cast iron for applications such as
motor scooters. They are not rigidly fixed at either end, so that the angle between the connecting
rod and the piston can change as the rod moves up and down and rotates around the crankshaft.
Connecting rods, especially in racing engines, may be called "billet" rods, if they are machined out
of a solid billet of metal, rather than being cast. The con rod is under tremendous stress from the
reciprocating load represented by the piston, actually stretching and being compressed with every
rotation, and the load increases to the third power with increasing engine speed. Failure of a
connecting rod, usually called "throwing a rod" is one of the most common causes of catastrophic
engine failure in cars, frequently putting the broken rod through the side of the crankcase and
thereby rendering the engine irreparable; it can result from fatigue near a physical defect in the
rod, lubrication failure in a bearing due to faulty maintenance, or from failure of the rod bolts from
a defect, improper tightening, or re-use of already used (stressed) bolts where not recommended.
This is because production auto parts have a much larger factor of safety, and often more
systematic quality control.

II. MATERIALS USED FOR CONNECTING ROD

The connecting rod is the intermediate member between the piston and the Connecting Rod. Its
primary function the push and pull from the piston pin to the crank pin and thus converts the
reciprocating motion of the piston into rotary motion of the crank. The connecting rod is under
tremendous stress from the reciprocating load represented by the piston, actually stretching and
being compressed with every rotation, and the load increases to the third power with increasing
engine speed. Steel is normally used for construction of automobile connecting rods because of its

pg. 4
strength, durability, and lower cost. However, steel with its high mass density exerts excessive
stresses on the crankshaft of a high speed engine. This in turn requires a heavier crankshaft for
carrying the loads and, therefore, the maximum RPM of the engine is limited. Additionally, higher
inertia loads, such as those caused by steel connecting rods and heavier crankshafts reduces the
acceleration or declaration rates of engine speed. The automobile engine connecting rod is a high
volume production, critical component. It connects reciprocating piston to rotating crankshaft,
transmitting the thrust of the piston to the crankshaft. Every vehicle that uses an internal
combustion engine requires at least one connecting rod depending upon the number of cylinders in
the engine. With steel forging, the material is inexpensive and the rough part manufacturing process
is cost effective. Bringing the part to final dimensions under tight tolerance results in high
expenditure for machining, as the blank usually contains more excess material. The first aspect was
to investigate and compare fatigue strength of steel forged connecting rods with that of the powder
forged connecting rods. Due to its large volume production, it is only logical that optimization of
the connecting rod for its weight or volume will result in large-scale savings. It can also achieve the
objective of reducing the weight of the engine component, thus reducing inertia loads, reducing
engine weight and improving engine performance and fuel economy. A composite is a material that
is formed by combining two or more materials to achieve some superior properties.. The more
recent pickup truck GMT-400 (1988 model) carries a composite driveshaft that is pultruded around
a 0.2cm thick and 10cm diameter aluminum tube. The composite driver shaft is 60% lighter than
the original steel shaft and possesses superior dampening and torsional properties. Chevrolet
Corvette models carry filament wound composite leaf springs (mono-leaf) in both rear suspension
(1081) and front suspension (1984). These springs were later introduced during 1985 on the GM
Chevrolet Astor van and Safari van. Fiber glass reinforced polypropylene bumper beams were
introduced on Chevrolet Corvette Ford and GM passenger cars (1987 models).

III.LITERATURE SURVEY

1.In the paper done by AbhinavGautam, K PriyaAjit , static stress analysis of connecting rod made
up of SS 304 used in Cummins NTA 885 BC engine is conducted, It is observed that the area close
to root of the smaller end is very prone to failure, may be due to higher crushing load due to
gudgeon pin assembly. As the stress value is maximum in this area and stresses are repetitive in
nature so chances of fatigue failure are always higher close to this region. 2. In the paper by Ram
Bansal, it is noted that the The connecting rod deformation was mainly bending due to buckling

pg. 5
under the critical loading. And the maximum deformation was located due to crush & shear failure
of the big & small end bearings. So these areas prone to appear the fatigue crack. Base on the
results, we can forecast the possibility of mutual interference between the connecting rod and other
parts. The results provide a theoretical basis to optimize the design and fatigue life calculation. 3.In
the paper by Kuldeep B, Arun L.R, Mohammed Faheem, it is concluded that Weight can be
reduced by changing the material of the current al360 connecting rod to hybrid ALFASiC
composites. The new optimized connecting rod is comparatively much stiffer than the former. 4.In
the thesis by Pravardhan S. Shenoy and Ali Fatemi, Optimization was performed to reduce weight
and manufacturing cost of a forged steel connecting rod subjected to cyclic load comprising the
peak compressive gas load and the peak dynamic tensile load at 5700 rev/min, corresponding to
360o crank angle. 5.In the thesis by GVSS Sharma and P SrinivasaRao, Statistical process control is
an excellent quality assurance tool to improve the quality of manufacture and ultimately scores on
end-customer satisfaction. SPC uses process monitoring charts to record the key quality
characteristics (KQCs) of the component in manufacture. This paper elaborates on one such KQC
of the manufacturing of a connecting rod of an internal combustion engine. 6. In the thesis by K.
Sudershn Kumar, Dr. K. Tirupathi Reddy, Syed Altaf Hussain, for considering the parameters, the
working factor of safety is nearer to theoretical factor of safety in aluminum boron carbide.
Percentage of reduction in weight is same in Aluminum 360 and aluminum boron carbide.
Percentage of increase in stiffness in aluminum boron carbide is more. Percentage of reducing in
stress ALUMINIUM BORON CARBIDE and ALUMNUM is same than CARBON STEEL. 7. In
the paper by Surah Pal, Sunil Kumar, Finite Element analysis of the
Connecting rod of a Hero Honda Splendor has been done using FEA tool ANSYS Workbench. It is
concluded that the weight of the connecting rod is also reduced by 0.477g. Thereby, reduces the
inertia force. Fatigue strength is the most important driving factor for the design of connecting rod
and it is found that the fatigue results are in good agreement with the existing result. 8.In the journal
paper by Prof. Vivek C. Pathade , Dr. Dilip S. Ingole, From the theoretical , Finite Element
Analysis and Photoelastic Analysis it is found that i) The stresses induced in the small end of the
connecting rod are greater than the stresses induced at the big end. ii) Form the photoelastic
analysis(from the fringe developed in the photoelastic model of connecting rod) it is found that the
stress concentration effect exist at both small end and big end and it is negligible in the middle
portion of the connecting rod. iii) Therefore, the chances of failure of the connecting rod may be at
fillet section of both end. 9. In the paper by Priyank D. Toliya, Ravi C. Trivedi, Prof. Nikhil J.
Chotai, the objective of this research is to investigate the failure analysis of the connecting rod of

pg. 6
the automotive engine. Apart from conventional material of connecting rod I choose the connecting
rod of FM-70 Diesel engine which is made of Aluminium 6351. static analysis is done to determine
the von Misses stress, elastic strain, total deformation in the present design connecting rod for the
given loading conditions using the FEM Software Ansys 12.1 .In the starting of the work, the static
loads acting on the connecting rod, After that the work is carried out for safe design and life in
fatigue. Fatigue Analysis is compared with the Experimental results. 10. In the paper by S. Shaari,
M.M. Rahman, it is concluded that the modeling of connecting rod and FE Analysis has been
presented. Topology optimization were analyzed to the connecting rod and according to the results,
it can be concluded that the weight of optimized design is 11.7% lighter and maximum stress also
predicted lower than the initial design of connecting rod. The results clearly indicate that the new
design much lighter and has more strength than initial design of connecting rod. 11. In the paper by
Bhuptani K. M, it is well known fact that connecting rod is the important intermediate member
between the piston and the Crankshaft. Its primary function is to transmit the push and pull from the
piston pin to the crank pin, thus converting the reciprocating motion of the piston into rotary motion
of the crank. Existing Bearing of connecting rod is manufactured by using nonferrous materials like
Gunmetal, Phosphor Bronze etc.. This paper describes modeling and analysis of connecting rod
bearing for small end using ProE Wildfire 4.0.A two dimensional drawing is drafted from the
calculations. A parametric model of bearing is modeled using PRO-E 4.0 software. Analysis is
carried out by using Pro-mechanical software.
IV. METHODS GENERALLY USED FOR MANUFACTURING THE CONNECTING ROD
1 Wrought Forged Connecting Rods
It is unclear when the first wrought forged connecting rod was produced but the wrought forged
connecting rod has long been the “standard” for the automotive industry. Plain carbon steel
forgings were the initial material of choice. Since a finished connecting rod cannot be formed in
one blow, the forging dies for connecting rods have several impressions, each step moving
progressively toward the final shape. The metal billet, or starting material, is transferred from one
impression to another between successive blows. Figure 6 shows a set of forging dies and the main
steps in forging a connecting rod. Often, the cap part and lower rod part are forged separately, or
forged slightly oblong and sawed in two pieces. After the part has been forged it must be heat
treated to reach the desired properties and then straightened after the heat treating operation. To
ensure proper weight and balance of the finished rod, the rod is forged with extra weight in the
form of balancing pads on both ends of the rod These balancing pads are then machined during10
the finishing operation to obtain a well-balanced connecting rod. The rod and cap are finish

pg. 7
machined using several operations including broaching, milling, boring, honing, fringing and other
finishing steps.

Fig 1: Resin Film Infusion Process and Fiberglass Spray Lay-up Process

2 Fiberglass Spray Lay-up Process

Is very different from the hand lay-up process .The difference comes from the application of the
fiber and resin material to the mold. Spray-up is an open-molding composites fabrication process
where resin and reinforcements are sprayed onto a reusable mold. The resin and glass may be
applied separately or simultaneously "chopped" in a combined stream from a chopper gun. Workers
roll out the spray-up to compact the laminate. Wood, foam, or other core material may then be
added, and a secondary spray-up layer embeds the core between the laminates. The part is then
cured, cooled, and removed from the mold.

3 Hand Layup Method For Composite Material.

Hand lay-up technique is the simplest method of composite processing. The infrastructural
requirement for this method is also minimal. The processing steps are quite simple. First of all, a
release gel is sprayed on the mold surface to avoid the sticking of polymer to the surface. Thin
plastic sheets are used at the top and bottom of the mold plate to get good surface finish of the
product. Reinforcement in the form of woven mats or chopped strand mats are cut as per the mold
size and placed at the surface of mold after Perspex sheet. Then thermosetting polymer in liquid
form is mixed thoroughly in suitable proportion with a prescribed hardener (curing agent) and
poured onto the surface of mat already placed in the mold. The polymer is uniformly spread with
the help of brush. Second layer of mat is then placed on the polymer surface and a roller is moved
with a mild pressure on the mat-polymer layer to remove any air trapped as well as the excess
polymer present. The process is repeated for each layer of polymer and mat, till the required layers
are stacked. After placing the plastic sheet, release gel is sprayed on the inner surface of the top

pg. 8
mold plate which is then kept on the stacked layers and the pressure is applied. After curing either
at room temperature or at some specific temperature, mold is opened and the developed composite
part is taken out and further processed. The time of curing depends on type of polymer used for
composite processing. Hand lay-up method finds application in many areas like aircraft
components, automotive parts, boat hulls, daises board, deck etc.

V.EXPERIMENTAL WORK

The LML freedom 2002 edition bike connecting rod was taken up as a project to be replaced by
aluminum and carbon fiber. The connecting rod of the bike had broken due to the wear and tear of
the rod since 11 years when used under regular maintenance

Fig 2: Actually Broken Connecting Rod of the Bike

The models where prepared by taking the dimension from the parts which were available when the
engine was deconstructed for removing and studying the connecting rod and other components.

Fig 3: The Connecting Rod Model, Piston Model and Assembly

The materials chose for manufacturing the connecting rod Aluminum alloy 6061, Aluminum , 075,
Aluminum 2014, Carbon fiber 280gsm bidirectional, The materials where tested using ansys
software for the stress and strain and other forces acting on the connecting rod.
Table: MATERIAL PROPERTIES
Aluminum Aluminum Aluminum
alloy 6061 alloy 7075 alloy 2014
Aluminum, 95.8 - 98.6 % 87.1 - 91.4 % 90.4 - 95 %

pg. 9
 Al
Chromium, 0.04 - 0.35 % 0.18 - 0.28 % 0.10 %
Cr
Copper, Cu 0.15 - 0.40 % 1.2 - 2.0 % 3.9 - 5.0 %
Iron, Fe 0.70 % 0.50 % 0.70 %
Magnesium, 0.80 - 1.2 % 2.1 - 2.9 % 0.20 - 0.80 %
Mg
Manganese, 0.15 % 0.30 % 0.40 - 1.2 %
Mn
Silicon, Si 0.40 - 0.80 % 0.40 % 0.50 - 1.2 %
Titanium, Ti 0.15 % 0.20 % 0.15 %
Zinc, Zn 0.25 5.1 - 6.1 % 0.25

VI. STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF CONNECTING ROD

Table: Material Properties of Different Materials used in manufacturing of connecting rod
Aluminu Aluminu Aluminu Carbon
m m m fiber
alloy 6061 alloy 7075 alloy 2014
Young modulus 68.9GPa 71.7GPa 72.4GPa
Poisson’s ratio 0.33 0.33 0.33
Density 2.1g/cc 2.81g/cm³ 2.80 g/cm³ 1.6Kg/mm3
Shear Modulus 26 GPa 26.9GPa 26.5GPa 0.6 Msi
Tensile Strength, 290MPa 572 Mpa 220Mpa 75-85N/mm2
Ultimate
Shear Strength 186MPa 331MPa 124MPa 600MPa

Table 6.2.4Table of Results for Stress And Strain

Aluminum Aluminum Aluminum Carbon

6061 7075 2014 Fiber
Displacement 0.821E- 0.845e-04 0.008212 0.2701
(mm) 04 e -03
Stress (N/mm2) 71.5632 72.2133 71.5869 72.5887
Strain 0.43E-04 0.147E- 0.001425 0.484E-

pg. 10
 04 04
Ultimate tensile
117 MPa 221 MPa 220 MPa
strength

Table 6.3: Modal and Harmonic Analysis For Aluminum Alloy Connecting Rod
Mode Aluminu Aluminu Aluminu Carbon
displacemen m alloy m alloy m alloy fiber
t 2014 6061 7075
Mode 1 Hz 16.0473 159.125 141.203 113.18
3
Mode 2 Hz 36.3806 360.749 320.012 256.22
4

pg. 11
 Fig 8 : Model Analysis for Al 6061

Fig 9 : Harmonic Analysis for Al 2014

Fig 10 : Harmonic Analysis for Carbon Fiber

pg. 12
 Fig 11: Harmonic Analysis for Al 7075

The forces where applied on the piston head and the effect of it on the connecting rod was studied
in this analysis. The piston connecting rod and the crank shaft comprise of a system all together.
The pressure developed in the chamber first affects the piston top and then form there pass to the
connecting rod through the gadget pin to the small end of the rod and then through the steam to the
big end of the rod and then to the crank shaft which rotates and converts the reciprocating motion
into rotary motion.

Fig 12: Imported model in ANSYS and Mesh Model For Carbon Fiber Connecting Rod in Assembly
VII. STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF CARBON FIBER FOR CONNECTING ROD

Fig 13: Displacement Induced 3.18448 InAssemblies For Carbon Fiber Rod

pg. 13
 Fig 14: Strain on Carbon Fiber Rod In Assembly

Fig 15: Stress Graph on Al6061 Rod In Assembly

Fig 16: Mesh Model for Al2014 Assemblyand Displacement on Al2014 Rod In Assembly

Fig 17: Stress Induced on Al2014 Rod In Assemblyand Stress on Al2014 Rod In Assembly

Fig 18 Strain Induced on Al2014 Rod In Assemblyand Strain on Al2014 Rod In Assembly

pg. 14
 Fig 19: Stress Inducedon Al7075 Rod In Assembly
and Stress on Al7075 Rod In Assembly

Fig 20: Strain Inducedon Al7075 Rodin Assemblyand Strain on Al7075 Rod In Assembly

The materials were chosen and the connecting rod was manufactured by the two processes
respectively. The ingot of the specified material where purchased from the dealers of the required
materials. The ingots where machined using the CNC machine by the model modeled on Pro-
Engineer and it was transferred to the machine. The work piece on the table was clamped with
bench wise again fixed to the table in the T slots. The cutter was aligned properly by once setting
the co- ordinates. The bores are precision honed. All corners where blended to eliminate stress at
corners.

Fig 21: CNC machining of aluminum block

pg. 15
 Fig 22: Mold Preparation

The carbon fiber connecting rod was produced using hand layup method First the half mold was
made by making a wooden pattern around the half periphery of the rod. The holes were also
covered with the wooden pattern and screws were fit into them to pull them out after the half mold
is built. The releasing agent was then applied so that when the mold is ready after drying it is easily
removed from the pattern and doesn’t stick to it. The realizing has to be applied properly otherwise
the mold may break while separating. The half mold was prepared by using the fiber glass material
which was placed by hand layer after layer and applying the general purpose resin mixed with the
accelerator copaland then the catalyst methyl-ethyl copal is added while layers are added and left
for drying.

Fig 23: Fiber Glass Mold Preparation

The fiber glass mold of one side was ready after drying and then the other side of the pattern was
used and the other half of the mold was prepared. The other half mold was also prepared the same
way. The other half is also made the same way by removing the wooden pattern from the middle.
The mold is ready now the carbon fiber is laid in the mold layer by layer and applying the profane
1556 and fine hard 951 simultaneously by hand and the final product is obtained. The connecting
rods of the aluminum alloy where solution heat treated to increase their strength and mechanical
properties at temperatures of around 480c and was held in water for 30 minutes. The rods after
solution heat treatment and stress revealing operation. The aluminum connecting rods where then
fit in the engine step by step

pg. 16
as shown in the following figures.

Fig 24: Solution Heat Treated Rod

Table 8.1: Result Table for Analysis of Connecting Rod

Aluminum Aluminum Aluminum Carbon

6061 7075 2014 Fiber
Displacement (mm) 0.821E- 0.845e-04 0.008212 0.2701e-
03
04
Stress (N/mm2) 71.5632 72.2133 71.5869 72.5887
Strain 0.43E-04 0.001129 0.001425 0.484E-
04
Ultimate tensile 117 221 220
Strength, MPa

By observing the results of Aluminum Alloy 6061, the displacement 0.821e -4 is more at the small
end and decreasing towards the big end, the stress 71.5632 is more at the small end and decreasing
towards the big end. Aluminum alloy 7075, the displacement 0845e-04 is more at the small end and
decreasing towards the big end stress 72.2133. Is more at the small end and decreasing towards the
big end?
The Aluminum Alloy 2014 displacement is 0.008212 more at the small end and decreasing towards
the big end the stress 71.5869is more at small end and decreasing towards the big end. The carbon
Fiber displacement 0.2701E-03 is more at small end and decreasing towards the big end stress is
72.5887 is more at small end and decreasing towards the big. By comparing all the materials,
Carbon Fiber is better since its stress is within the limits and has more strength than all other
materials. The values for ultimate tensile strength are compared with the respective material to
check if the material with stands the load.

Table 8.2 Result Table for Model Analysis

pg. 17
 Mode Aluminum Aluminum Aluminum Carbon
displacement alloy 2014 alloy 6061 alloy 7075 fiber
Mode 1 Hz 16.0473 159.125 141.203 113.183
Mode 2 Hz 36.3806 360.749 320.012 256.224

The modal analysis gives us deflection against frequency and from the above values we can see that
aluminum alloy 2014 has the frequency values from 16.0473 and 36.3806 and deflection values
from 13.1977 and 13.1304, aluminum alloy 6061 has frequency values from 159.125 and 360.749
and deflection values from 13.4151 and 13.3466, aluminum alloy 7075 has frequency values from
141.203 to 30.012 and deflection values form12.2071 and 12.1999and carbon fiber frequency
values form113.183 and 256.224 and deflection values from16.4675and16.3691and the deflection
increases with increases in the frequency values after a certain period of time hence we can say that
the vibration limit of the elements are in the range we got.

Table: Results Table For Analysis Of Assembly

RESULTS
DISPLACEME STRES
MATERIALS NT (mm) S STRAI
(N/mm2 N
)
ALUMINIUM20 0.059605 286.00 0.409E-
14 2 03
ALUMINIUM60 0.626023 285.27 0.00224
61 8
ALUMINIUM70 0.601576 272.70 0.00215
75 5 3
CARBON 3.18448 277.72 0.01229
FIBER 3 7

By observe the result of aluminum alloy 2014 displacement is 0.059005 is more at the big end of
connecting rod, The stress is 286.002 is more at big end of connecting rod and piston head. The
aluminum 6061 displacement is 0.626023 is more at the big end of connecting rod the Stress is
285.278 more at piston head. Aluminum alloy 7075 displacement is more at big end of connecting
rod and the stress is 272.705 is more at big end of connecting rod and piston head. Carbon Fiber

pg. 18
displacement is 3.18448 is more at big end of connecting rod and stress is 277.723 is more at head
of the piston. Hence we see that the rods do with stand the loads after further treatment.

IX. CONCLUSION

In this thesis, a broken connecting rod made of forged steel is replaced with Aluminum alloys and
Carbon Fiber. The materials are changed so that the weight of the connecting rod is less when
aluminum alloys and carbon fiber are used than Forged Steel. The connecting rod is modeled in
Pro/Engineer, forces are calculated. Analysis is done on the connecting rod using materials
aluminum 6061, aluminum 7075, aluminum 2014 and carbon fiber 280 GSM bidirectional. By
observing the analysis results of aluminum 6061 as 71.5632N/mm 2 aluminum 7075
as72.2133N/mm2Aluminum 2014 as 71.5869N/mm2 and carbon fiber as 72.5887N/mm2 which are
very much less than their respect yield strength values. Analysis is also done on the assembly of
piston, connecting rod and crankshaft. The material used for piston is LM6, for crankshaft is
Carbon Steel. By observing the analysis results for aluminum 2014 as 286.002 N/mm 2, aluminum
7075 as 272.705 N/mm2, aluminum 6061 as 285.278 N/mm2 and carbon fiber as 277.723 N/mm2the
stresses on the connecting rod are within the limit. After validating the analysis results, two
different material connecting rods are manufactured. One is the aluminum connecting rod using
machining process and the other is Carbon Fiber connecting rod using hand lap method. The
connecting rod was successfully tested in the bike and 3of the rods performed to the level of
expectation as they should have performed. The rods where tested in ideal condition and also by
changing the gears at regular intervals of time and speed which let the rod undergo loads at
different speed at different gear shifts. The rods where tested to their maximum capacity and they
have performed well. The carbon fiber rod did with stand the forces for a while but the epofine used
failed over 450c melted and caused the rod to melt as the flash point of the epofine was around
200c The aluminum 7075 and carbon fiber connecting rod are the best to be used as they with stand
the forces but epoxy in carbon fiber melts due to heat. The aluminum connecting rods can be made
with the new method mentioned above the forged ingot method which reduces the forging cost. The
steel connecting rods in the average bikes can be replaced for lighter and better performance. The
composite material like carbon fiber has good strength and can be used for connecting rod but with
a better epoxy which can withstand the heat inside the chamber. The crank shaft if replaced with
aluminum will give good results and induce much less pressure on the aluminum connecting rod
and help increase its life.

pg. 19
REFERENCES
1, Ram Bansal “DYNAMIC SIMULATION OF A CONNECTING ROD MADE OF
ALUMINIUM ALLOY USING FINITE ELEMENT
ANALYSIS APPROACH” IOSR Journal of Mechanical and Civil Engineering (IOSR-JMCE) e-
ISSN: 2278-1684 Volume 5, Issue 2 (Jan. - Feb. 2013), PP 01-05.
Kuldeep B, Arun L.R, Mohammed Faheem “ANALYSIS AND OPTIMIZATION OF
CONNECTING ROD USING ALFASiC
COMPOSITES”,ISSN: 2319-8753 International Journal of Innovative Research in
Science, Engineering and Technology Vol. 2, Issue 6, June 2013.
2, Pravardhan S. Shenoy and Ali Fatemi ”CONNECTING ROD OPTIMIZATION FOR
WEIGHT AND COST REDUCTION”SAE
Technical Paper 2005-01-0987, 2005, doi:10.4271/2005-01-0987.
3, GVSS Sharma and P SrinivasaRao “PROCESS CAPABILITY IMPROVEMENT OF AN
ENGINE CONNECTING ROD MACHINING
PROCESS”Journal of Industrial Engineering International 2013, 9:37 doi:10.1186/2251-712X-9-
37.
4, K. Sudershn Kumar, Dr.K. Tirupathi Reddy, Syed AltafHussain “MODELING AND
ANALYSIS OF TWO WHEELER CONNECTING
ROD” International Journal of Modern Engineering Research (IJMER), Vol.2, Issue.5, Sep-Oct.
2012 pp-3367-3371 ISSN: 2249-6645.
5, Suraj Pal, Sunil kumar “DESIGN EVALUATION AND OPTIMIZATION OF
CONNECTING ROD PARAMETERS USING
FEM”International Journal of Engineering and Management Research, Vol.-2, Issue-6, December
2014.

pg. 20