The current work, through experimental and numerical investigations, analyses the process and cycle level deviations in engine response on fuelling multi-cylinder natural gas engines with producer gas. Producer gas is a low calorific value bio-derived alternative with composition of 19 ± 1% CO and H2, 2 ± 0.5 % CH4, 12 ± 1% CO2 and 46 ± 1% N2 and has thermo-physical properties significantly different from natural gas. Experimental investigations primarily address the energy balance (full cycle analysis) and in-cylinder response (process specific analysis) at various operating conditions covering naturally aspirated and turbocharged mode of operation with natural gas and producer gas. Numerical investigations are based on two thermodynamic scope mathematical models, a zero dimensional model (Wiebe function) and a quasi-dimensional model (propagating flame front heat release). A detailed diagnostic analysis on a six cylinder (E6) indicates, turbocharger mismatch, the first explicit impact of fuel thermo-physical property variation. Turbocharger matching and optimization resulted in a peak load of 72.8 kWe (BMEP 9.47) at a maximum brake torque ignition angles of 22 deg before TDC and compressor pressure ratio of 2.25. Engine energy distribution analysis indicates skewed energy balance with higher cooling load (in excess of 30%) as compared to fossil fuel operation. This is attributed to the presence of nearly 20% H2 which enhances the convective cooling through the higher thermal conductivity. Parametric variation of H2 fraction on a two cylinder engine (E2) with four different syngas compositions (mixture H2 varying from 7.1% to 14.2%) depicts enhanced cooling load from 33.5% to 37.7%. Process level comparison indicates significant deviations in the heat release profile compared to fossil fuels. It has been observed that with an increase in mixture hydrogen fraction (from 7.1% to 14.2%), the fast burn phase combustion duration reduces from 59.6% to 42.6% but the terminal stage duration increases from 25.5% to 48.9%. The enhanced cooling of the mixture (due to the presence of hydrogen), particularly in the vicinity of walls is argued to contribute towards the sluggish terminal phase combustion. Immediate implication of thermo-kinematic response variation is on the magnitude and sensitivity of combustion descriptors and the need for dependent control system calibration for producer gas fuelled operation is established. Descriptor analysis is extended to knocking pressure traces and a new simple methodology is proposed towards identifying the occurrence and regime of knock. Analysing the implications through numerical investigation, the influence of the altered thermo-kinematic response for producer gas fuelled operation impacts 0D simulations. Zero dimensional simulations fail with conventional coefficients requiring fuel specific coefficients. Based on fuel specific coefficients, the suitability of 0D model for the simulation of varying operating conditions ranging from naturally aspirated to turbo charged engines, compression ratios and different engine geometries is established. The analysis is extended to quasi-dimensional through the eddy entrainment and laminar burn up model. The choice of laminar flame speed and turbulent parameters is validated based on the assessment of the flame speed ratio (4.5 ± 0.5 for naturally aspirated operation, turbulent Reynolds number of 2500 ± 250 and 9.0 ± 1.0 for turbocharged operation, turbulent Reynolds number of 5250 ± 250). In the estimation of laminar flame speed, the limitation of GRIMech 3.0 mechanism for H2-CO-CH4 systems is explicitly established and GRIMech 2.11 is used to arrive at experimentally comparable results. In-cylinder engine simulation results covering parametric variation of load, ignition angle and mixture quality, for engine natural gas fuelled naturally aspirated operation and producer gas fuelled naturally aspirated and turbocharged after cooled are compared with experimental results. The quasi dimensional analysis is extended to simulate end gas auto-ignition and is validated by using experimental manifold conditions for turbocharged operation for which knock has been observed. Extending the model to a Waukesha cooperative fuels research engine, motor methane number of 110 is reported for standard composition producer gas. The use of quasi dimensional models with end gas reaction kinetics enabled for knock rating of fuels represents first of its kind initiative.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / A constant-volume combustor is used to investigate the ignition initiated by a traversing jet of reactive hot gas, in support of combustion engine applications that include novel wave-rotor constant-volume combustion gas turbines and pre-chamber IC engines. The hot-jet ignition constant-volume combustor rig at the Combustion and Propulsion Research Laboratory at the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) was used for this study. Lean premixed combustible mixture in a rectangular cuboid constant-volume combustor is ignited by a hot-jet traversing at different fixed speeds. The hot jet is issued via a converging nozzle from a cylindrical pre-chamber where partially combusted products of combustion are produced by spark- igniting a rich ethylene-air mixture. The main constant-volume combustor (CVC) chamber uses methane-air, hydrogen-methane-air and ethylene-air mixtures in the lean equivalence ratio range of 0.8 to 0.4. Ignition delay times and ignitability of these combustible mixtures as affected by jet traverse speed, equivalence ratio, and fuel type are investigated in this study.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This study seeks to improve the understanding of inlet conditions of a large rotor-stator cavity in a turbofan engine, often referred to as the drive cone cavity (DCC). The inlet flow is better understood through a higher fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of the inlet to the cavity, and a coupled finite element (FE) thermal to CFD fluid analysis of the cavity in order to accurately predict engine component temperatures. Accurately predicting temperature distribution in the cavity is important because temperatures directly affect the material properties including Young's modulus, yield strength, fatigue strength, creep properties. All of these properties directly affect the life of critical engine components. In addition, temperatures cause thermal expansion which changes clearances and in turn affects engine efficiency. The DCC is fed from the last stage of the high pressure compressor. One of its primary functions is to purge the air over the rotor wall to prevent it from overheating. Aero-thermal conditions within the DCC cavity are particularly challenging to predict due to the complex air flow and high heat transfer in the rotating component. Thus, in order to accurately predict metal temperatures a two-way coupled CFD-FE analysis is needed. Historically, when the cavity airflow is modeled for engine design purposes, the inlet condition has been over-simplified for the CFD analysis which impacts the results, particularly in the region around the compressor disc rim. The inlet is typically simplified by circumferentially averaging the velocity field at the inlet to the cavity which removes the effect of pressure wakes from the upstream rotor blades. The way in which these non-axisymmetric flow characteristics affect metal temperatures is not well understood. In addition, a constant air temperature scaled from a previous analysis is used as the simplified cavity inlet air temperature. Therefore, the objectives of this study are: (a) model the DCC cavity with a more physically representative inlet condition while coupling the solid thermal analysis and compressible air flow analysis that includes the fluid velocity, pressure, and temperature fields; (b) run a coupled analysis whose boundary conditions come from computational models, rather than thermocouple data; (c) validate the model using available experimental data; and (d) based on the validation, determine if the model can be used to predict air inlet and metal temperatures for new engine geometries. Verification with experimental results showed that the coupled analysis with the 3D no-bolt CFD model with predictive boundary conditions, over-predicted the HP6 offtake temperature by 16k. The maximum error was an over-prediction of 50k while the average error was 17k. The predictive model with 3D bolts also predicted cavity temperatures with an average error of 17k. For the two CFD models with predicted boundary conditions, the case without bolts performed better than the case with bolts. This is due to the flow errors caused by placing stationary bolts in a rotating reference frame. Therefore it is recommended that this type of analysis only be attempted for drive cone cavities with no bolts or shielded bolts.

Dans le but de réduire la consommation en carburant et les émissions de CO2 des moteurs à combustion interne, un des leviers, qui a intéressé diffèrent acteurs dans le secteur automobile, est la récupération de l’énergie thermique disponible dans les gaz d’échappement. Malgré différents technologie ont été investigués dans le passé; les transferts de chaleur qui apparient dans les gaz d’échappement n’ont pas encore étés suffisamment étudiés. Le fait que les échanges de la chaleur apparent dans des conditions pulsatives, notamment due aux conditions de fonctionnement moteur, rende les connaissances acquis jusqu’à présent limités et ne pas exploitables. A l’état actuel on n’est pas capable de pouvoir prédire le transfert thermique convectif des écoulements pulsé. Les travaux de cette thèse s’instaurent dans la continuité de ce besoin, l’objectif principal est donc l’étude expérimentale du transfert thermique convectif des écoulements turbulent pulsés dans un conduit cylindrique. La première partie de ce travail a été consacrée à le dimensionnement d’un moyen d’essais permettant la création d’un écoulement pulsé type moteur; en suite différents méthodes de mesures ont étés développes afin de connaitre les variations instantanés de vitesse et température de l’écoulement. Plusieurs essais ont été reproduits afin de caractériser l’impact de la pulsation sur le transfert de la chaleur. Les résultats expérimentaux ont été analysés avec deux approches différentes: dans un premier temps une approche analytique 1D a permis de mettre en évidence le mécanisme principal responsable de l’amélioration du transfert thermique convectif,ainsi, il a fourni des éléments supplémentaires pour le futur développement de modèles mathématiques plus adaptés à la prédiction des transferts d’énergie. En suite une approche 2D, supporté d’une phase de modélisation numérique, a permis de caractériser le mécanisme de transport radial d’énergie thermique. / Waste Energy Recovery represents a promising way to go further in fuel saving and greenhouse emissions control for Internal Combustion Engine applications. Although several technologies have been investigated in the past few years, the convective heat transfers, playing an important role in the energy exchanges at the engine exhaust, has not receive enough attention. Heat transfers, in such applications, occur in pulsating conditions because of the engine operating conditions, making thus the actual knowledge of the heat transfer phenomena limited and not exploitable. Nowadays there is not any model capable to predict convective heat transfers for pulsating flows. In this context, the present thesis addresses the purpose to study the convective heat transfer phenomena, by an experimental approach, occurring for turbulent pulsating flows in pipes. In the first part of this work, an experimental apparatus has been designed to reproduce an exhaust type pulsating flow in fully managed conditions, as well as, several measurement techniques have been developed to know the instantaneous profiles of air temperature and velocity. Many experiments have been performed in order to characterize the impact of the flow pulsation on the convective heat transfers. In the second part of this work, the experimental results have been analyzed with two different approaches: firstly, with a 1D assumption the time-average convective heat transfers has been computed, and the major mechanism responsible of the heat transfer enhancement has been pointed out. Furthermore, it has been possible to highlight the mathematical term representative of such mechanism, which should be accounted in future to define a more adapted numerical model for the heat transfer prediction. In a second phase with a 2D assumption, and, with an energy and a fluid-mechanic computational phase, the radial transport of thermal energy has been characterized for a pulsating flow.

Desenvolveu-se um sistema de alimentação misto para motores de ignição por compressão turboalimentados, o qual utiliza diesel injetado normalmente na câmara de combustão e etanol pós-vaporizado, injetado líquido no coletor de admissão e vaporizado pela grande disponibilidade de energia contida no ar comprimido. Foram possíveis substituições de até 55% da massa de diesel por etanol; funcionamento regular e repetitivo foi verificado, resultado da admissão de álcool na forma de vapor. Constatou-se que o rendimento térmico e as emissões de gases poluentes eram bastante influenciados pelo sistema de alimentação desenvolvido: ganhos de até 25,6% no rendimento térmico foram possíveis com reduções máximas de 81% na emissão de material particulado e 80% em NOx, pela queima mais eficiente do diesel na presença do vapor de etanol. Reduções notáveis na temperatura do ar comprimido foram atingidas, possibilitando a substituição dos \"intercoolers\". A análise teórica da implantação do sistema desenvolvido, numa frota de veículos de transporte coletivo da região metropolitana de São Paulo, indicou viabilidade econômica e ambiental. / It was developed a supplementary fueling system for turbocharged compression ignition, which uses diesel injected usually in the combustion chamber and post-vaporized ethanol, that is injected in the liquid state inside the intake manifold and vaporized by the energy in the compressed air. It was possible to replace up to 55% of the diesel mass by ethanol; regular and repetitive operation was verified, result of the alcohol induction in the vapor state. It was verified that engine\'s efficiency and pollutant gases emissions were quite influenced by the fueling system developed: improvements of up to 25,6% in the efficiency were possible, with maximum reductions of 81% in particulate matter and 80% in NOx, as a result of a more efficient diesel oxidation in presence of ethanol vapor. Notable reductions in the compressed air temperature were reached, making possible the substitution of the \"intercoolers\". The theoretical analysis to implantation of the developed system, on vehicles of public transportation in the metropolitan area of São Paulo, indicated economical and environmental viability.

Desenvolveu-se um sistema de alimentação misto para motores de ignição por compressão turboalimentados, o qual utiliza diesel injetado normalmente na câmara de combustão e etanol pós-vaporizado, injetado líquido no coletor de admissão e vaporizado pela grande disponibilidade de energia contida no ar comprimido. Foram possíveis substituições de até 55% da massa de diesel por etanol; funcionamento regular e repetitivo foi verificado, resultado da admissão de álcool na forma de vapor. Constatou-se que o rendimento térmico e as emissões de gases poluentes eram bastante influenciados pelo sistema de alimentação desenvolvido: ganhos de até 25,6% no rendimento térmico foram possíveis com reduções máximas de 81% na emissão de material particulado e 80% em NOx, pela queima mais eficiente do diesel na presença do vapor de etanol. Reduções notáveis na temperatura do ar comprimido foram atingidas, possibilitando a substituição dos \"intercoolers\". A análise teórica da implantação do sistema desenvolvido, numa frota de veículos de transporte coletivo da região metropolitana de São Paulo, indicou viabilidade econômica e ambiental. / It was developed a supplementary fueling system for turbocharged compression ignition, which uses diesel injected usually in the combustion chamber and post-vaporized ethanol, that is injected in the liquid state inside the intake manifold and vaporized by the energy in the compressed air. It was possible to replace up to 55% of the diesel mass by ethanol; regular and repetitive operation was verified, result of the alcohol induction in the vapor state. It was verified that engine\'s efficiency and pollutant gases emissions were quite influenced by the fueling system developed: improvements of up to 25,6% in the efficiency were possible, with maximum reductions of 81% in particulate matter and 80% in NOx, as a result of a more efficient diesel oxidation in presence of ethanol vapor. Notable reductions in the compressed air temperature were reached, making possible the substitution of the \"intercoolers\". The theoretical analysis to implantation of the developed system, on vehicles of public transportation in the metropolitan area of São Paulo, indicated economical and environmental viability.

Solid surfaces featuring a spatial variation of surface wettability along particular directions on their surface, referred to as wettability gradient surfaces, are becoming increasingly important in practical applications such as enhancement of boiling and condensation heat transfer and separation of immiscible liquids in smart micro-fluidic devices. With the aid of an external energy input, such as mechanical vibration or impact kinetic energy, a liquid drop on such surfaces gets propelled towards more wettable region on the surface. A fundamental study of impact dynamics of liquid drops on such solid surfaces is relevant in understanding their effectiveness. The present thesis reports a combined experimental and theoretical study on the impact dynamics of liquid drops on solid surfaces comprising a smooth portion and a groove-textured portion separated by a junction line (dual-textured surfaces). Three different dual-textured surfaces – two made of intrinsically hydrophilic stainless steel and one of intrinsically hydrophobic poly-di-methyl-siloxane (PDMS) – are considered. Liquid drops, with Weber number (We) in the range 1–100, are impacted on the junction of the dual-textured surfaces and the entire impact dynamics across the junction is captured using a high speed video camera. Experiments of drop impact on the homogeneous surface portions of dual-textured surfaces (far away from the junction) are also conducted. The temporal variation of drop contact radius measured from the junction line on smooth and groove-textured portions of the dual-textured surfaces exhibits four distinct stages – primary spreading, primary receding, secondary spreading on more wettable surface portion, and final equilibrium – with the final outcome being the bulk movement and deposition of liquid drop away from the junction towards the more hydrophilic surface portion. Secondary parameters characterizing each of these different stages are extracted from these measurements and a one-to-one comparison between dual-textured and homogenous surfaces is presented. A significant effect of dual-texture nature is seen on the receding process of impacting drops. On the dual-textured surfaces, the receding velocity of impacting drop on the groove-textured portion is always greater than that on the smooth portion. The asymmetry in drop receding results in a drop drift velocity towards the more wettable surface portion leading to an enhanced secondary drop spreading on the more wettable smooth portion. The drop drift velocity shows a decrease with We at low We and remains almost constant at higher We after a particular value of We. Correspondingly, the ratio of the maximum drop spread factor achieved during the secondary spreading (βm2) to that during the primary spreading (βm) is seen to decrease with We at low We and remains constant at higher We. Owing to the differences in the static equilibrium wetting difference, βm2/βm is more on the stainless steel dual-textured surfaces than on the PDMS dual-textured surface. The presence of dual-texture results in a higher final spread on more wettable smooth portion and smaller final spread on less wettable textured portion of the dual-textured surfaces and this difference decreases with We. The difference in final spread factors between the smooth and textured portions is more on the stainless steel dual-textured surfaces than the PDMS dual-textured surface. The bulk drop movement (ξ), characterized in terms of distance measured from the junction to the final drop center, decreases with We at low We and remains constant at higher We on the stainless steel dual-textured surfaces whereas it remains constant at low We and decreases at higher We on the PDMS dual-textured surface. ξ on the PDMS dual-textured surface is always less than that on the stainless dual-textured surface due to the lower wetting difference across the junction of the former. Comparison of the trends of secondary parameters with the predictions from theoretical models reported in literature showed a lack of agreement. This is due to various physical processes encountered by impacting drop on the groove-textured surface, identified through experiments of drop impact on homogeneous groove-textured surfaces, such as (i) convex shape of liquid-vapor interface near contact line at maximum spreading, (ii) impregnation of drop liquid into the grooves during impact, and (iii) contact line pinning of spreading drop at the asperity edges of surface texture, as well as the wetting difference in dual-textured surfaces. The inclusion of these physical processes under conventional energy conservation approach is seen to predict the experimentally observed trends of maximum drop spread factor on the groove-textured portions. A force balance model, applied to the liquid drop configuration at the beginning of drop receding on the dual-textured surfaces, predicts the qualitative trend of ξ with We on all surfaces. Drop liquid impregnation into the grooves of textured portion at We > Wecr (critical We corresponding to transition from Cassie to impaled state) is proposed as a possible physical mechanism to account for the explanation of the specific trends of ξ with We. A theoretical model formulated using force balance at the three phase contact line beneath impacting drop on groove-textured surface is presented for the prediction of Wecr.

Face aux normes actuelles et futures, de plus en plus drastiques, concernant les émissions de polluants, les constructeurs automobiles cherchent en permanence à améliorer l'efficacité des moteurs à allumage commandé. Une des solutions les plus efficaces et applicables pour diminuer la quantité de polluants émis dans les gaz d’échappement (HC, CO, NOx) et réduire la consommation de carburant, est d’utiliser un mélange très pauvre (richesse du mélange inférieure à 0,6). Toutefois, ce concept de fonctionnement est limité par les systèmes d'allumage classiques qui ne peuvent pas garantir un allumage du mélange air / combustible dans de bonnes conditions, de manière à assurer une combustion complète, rapide et reproductible.Le sujet de cette thèse consiste en l'élaboration d'un nouveau système d'allumage basé sur une bougie d’allumage double, qui peut produire deux d'étincelles quasi-simultanées, dont la longueur cumulée est plusieurs fois plus élevée que celle d’étincelles produites par une bougie d'allumage classique. Pour valider ce système d'allumage, trois différents types d'analyses ont été réalisés: une analyse des paramètres électriques des décharges, un diagnostic du plasma par spectroscopie optique d'émission, et des essais in situ du système d'allumage sur deux moteurs à combustion interne avec analyse des gaz d'échappement et détermination des performances des moteurs.Ces tests ont révélé que l'utilisation du système d’allumage à double étincelle peut assurer une meilleure stabilité dans le fonctionnement du moteur (en particulier dans les conditions d'allumage difficiles, en utilisant des mélanges très pauvres) ; des performances accrues du moteur pour une même quantité de carburant consommé ; et une diminution de la quantité d’hydrocarbures imbrûlés et de monoxyde de carbone dans les gaz d'échappement, mais avec une plus grande émission d'oxydes d'azote par rapport à un système d'allumage classique. / Faced with the current and future more and more drastic standards for pollutant emissions, the car manufacturers are permanently trying to improve the efficiency of spark ignition engines. One of the most effective applicable solutions for reducing the quantity of pollutant emissions (HC, CO, NOx) from the exhaust gases and also to reduce the fuel consumption is to operate with very lean mixture (equivalent ratio lower than 0.6). However, this operation concept is limited by the actual ignition systems that cannot assure an air/fuel mixture ignition in good conditions, in order to assure a complete, fast and repeatable combustion. The subject of this thesis consists into developing of a new ignition system based on a double spark plug, which can produce two quasi-simultaneous spark discharges with cumulated length few times higher than the sparks produced by a conventional spark plug. For ignition system validation, three different types of analysis have been considered: the analysis of the discharges electrical parameters, the plasma diagnosis using optical emission spectroscopy methods and the tests of the ignition system on two internal combustion engines with the exhaust gases analysis and engine performances determination. The tests revealed that the utilization of the double spark ignition system can assure a better stability in engine operation (especially in difficult ignition conditions such using very lean mixtures), increased engine performances for the same amount of consumed fuel and it can provide a diminution of the unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide quantities from the exhaust gases, but with an increased quantity of nitrogen oxides, compared with a conventional ignition system.

Cette étude est motivée par la protection de l'environnement et la réduction des émissions de CO2 émis par les moteurs à combustion interne. L'objectif de la thèse est d'étudier les possibilités de la réduction de la consommation de carburant d'un moteur diesel d’automobile grâce à la récupération de la chaleur des gaz d'échappement basée sur un cycle de Rankine. Afin de déterminer l'énergie perdue, le moteur a été testé sur un banc d’essais et les paramètres des gaz d’échappement ont été mesurés. Un modèle de simulation du moteur a également été développé et validé grâce aux résultats expérimentaux. Le potentiel de récupération de chaleur sur les gaz d’échappement et sur le refroidissement a été estimé. Cette analyse a révélé que le potentiel sur les gaz d’échappement est plus élevé que celui sur le refroidissement. Grâce au modèle numérique et aux essais, la puissance et l'efficacité du cycle de Rankine ont été étudiées. Enfin, l'impact du système de récupération d’énergie sur les performances du moteur a été analysé. Les résultats montrent que la puissance du moteur augmente de 4,3% au point de puissance maximale du moteur. / This study is motivated by the environment protection and the reduction of emissions CO2 from internal combustion engines. The aim of the thesis is to study the possibilities of fuel consumption reduction of a diesel engine intended for a passenger car by means of waste heat recovery from exhaust gases based on thermodynamic cycle (Rankine cycle). In order to determine the waste heat, the engine was tested on a test bench as the exhaust parameters were measured. A simulation model of the engine has also been developed and validated by means of experimental results. The recovery potential of the exhaust gases and the cooling system has been estimated. This analysis revealed that the waste heat recovery potential of the exhaust gases is higher that the cooling sys-tem. By means of Rankine cycle numerical model and experimental test, the output power and efficiency of the Rankine cycle were studied. Finally, the impact of the heat recovery system on engine performance was studied. The results revealed that the engine power increases by 4.3% at the operating point which corresponds to the maximum engine power. / Това изследване е мотивирано от опазването на околната среда и намаляването на емисиите на CO2 от двигателите с вътрешно горене. Целта на дисертацията е да проучи възможнос-тите за намаляване на разхода на гориво на дизелов двигател, предназначен за лек автомо-бил, чрез рекупериране на енергия с цикъл на Ранкин. За да се определи неоползотворената енергия в отработилите газове бе използван изпитателен стенд. Симулационен модел на двигателя е разработен и валидиран чрез експерименталните резултати. Направена е оценка на потенциала за рекупериране на енергия от отработилите газове и охладителната система. Този анализ показва, че потенциала за рекупериране е по-голям в изпускателната система. С помощта на експериментален стенд и числен модел на цикъла на Ранкин са установени мощността и ефективността на системата. Въздействието на системата за рекупериране на енергия е изследвано. Данните показват, че мощността на двигателя се увеличава с до 4,3%.

Orientador: Marco Lúcio Bittencourt / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-24T08:50:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Villalva_SergioGradella_M.pdf: 11688581 bytes, checksum: df8c433816377fee9fe37ecd07dfb3a1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: O virabrequim é um dos componentes mais importantes de um motor de combustão interna. É responsável, juntamente com as bielas, por transformar o movimento de translação dos pistões em movimento rotativo, capaz de transmitir torque. Durante o funcionamento do motor, o virabrequim é submetido a cargas axiais, torcionais e de flexão, as quais resultam em regiões com níveis elevados de tensões ao longo da peça. Além disso, o virabrequim apresenta altos níveis de carga de torção devido às vibrações torcionais, que é uma das maiores causas de falhas de vibrabrequins e de outros acessórios do motor, como polias, correias, trens de engrenagem etc. Este trabalho consiste no estudo e desenvolvimento de um programa computacional, denomidado CrankLab, para cálculo analítico de tensões e coeficientes de segurança de fadiga em virabrequins, que possa ser utilizado como uma ferramenta simples para a fase inicial de concepção do virabrequim. O estudo abrange o cálculo dos esforços dinâmicos, provenientes da combustão nos cilindros do motor e das forças inerciais devido ao movimento das partes móveis do motor de combustão interna, e o cálculo das amplitudes de vibração torcional. O método analítico desenvolvido considera o virabrequim como um eixo equivalente de seção circular, onde são aplicados os esforços radiais provenientes das bielas e os torques de vibração torcional, apoiado nos mancais principais. Os momentos fletores e torçores são calculados a partir da integração das equações de equilíbrio estático, considerando um modelo hiperestático, a partir dos quais são determinadas as tensões equivalentes. Ainda neste trabalho, foi realizado um estudo comparativo da aplicação de alguns tipos de absorvedores de vibrações torcionais e seus efeitos nas amplitudes de resposta, tendo como consequência a redução nas tensões no virabrequim. Dois casos foram estudados: um motor Otto de dez cilindros em V e um motor Diesel de seis cilindros em linha. Foram analisados regimes críticos de operação de cada motor: máximo torque, máxima potência e máxima rotação. Um experimento de análise modal do virabrequim de seis cilindros foi realizada de forma a validar as frequências naturais e os modos de vibração dos modelos propostos. Análises dinâmicas transientes com modelos flexíveis foram realizadas para ambos os casos, de forma a correlacionar com os resultados do modelo analítico. Os resultados de análise modal obtidos com os métodos analíticos, flexíveis e experimental foram bastante correlatos entre si, com erros menores que 5%. Os resultados de vibração torcional calculados pelo programa CrankLab também apresentaram excelente correlação com o modelo analítico do programa AVL Excite e o uso de absorvedores resultaram em considerável redução das amplitudes de vibração. Os resultados de tensões obtidos pelo CrankLab apresentaram a mesma ordem de grandeza dos obtidos pelos modelos flexíveis, com erros variando de 1% a 38%. Estes erros podem ser considerados aceitáveis uma vez que as condições de contorno e as simplificações do modelo analítico diferem bastante daquelas utilizadas nos modelos flexíveis. Tem-se como grande vantagem do programa CrankLab o menor tempo de pré processamento e cálculo, podendo ser inferior a 10% na maioria dos casos / Abstract: The crankshaft is one of the most important moving components of an internal combustion engine. It is responsible for converting the oscillating pistons movement into rotating movement by the connecting rods. During engine operation, the crankshaft is submitted to axial, bending and torsional loads, which results in high stressed regions on the component. Due to the phased cylinder combustions, the crankshaft has high levels of torsion load, being the torsional vibration one of the main causes of failures in crankshafts or engine accessories, as pulleys, belts and gears. The present thesis consists in the development of a computational program, called CrankLab, for analytical calculation of stress and fatigue safety factors on automotive crankshafts, which could be applied as a simple engineering tool during the initial crankshaft concept design phase. The study covers the determination of dynamic loads, from the combustion inside the engine cylinders and from the moving parts inertia, and the torsional vibration amplitudes calculation. The analytical method developed considers the crankshaft as an equivalent circular cross section shaft which is supported by the main bearings and where the connecting-rods radial forces and the vibration torques are applied on. The bending and torsion moments are calculated from integration of the static equilibrium equations, considering a hyperestatic model, thus the equivalent stresses can be calculated. Also in this study, a comparison was performed for some torsional vibration damper types, covering the calculation of optimum parameters of inertia, stiffness and damping, evaluating the effects on the output amplitudes within the entire engine speed range and the influence on the crankshaft stresses. The theory was applied for two different cases of study: an Otto V-type ten cylinders engine and a Diesel in-line six cylinders engine. Critical engine operation conditions were analyzed, at the speeds related to peak torque, rated power and overspeed. A modal analysis experiment was performed in order to validate the natural frequencies and modal shapes obtained by the proposed models for the six cylinders crankshaft. Moreover, transient dynamic analyses with flexible bodies were performed in order to compare with the stress results obtained from the analytical model for both cases. The modal analyses results obtained from the analytical, flexible and experimental methods were very good correlated with errors lower than 5%. The torsional vibration results calculated by CrankLab also presented excelent correlation with the analytical module of AVL Excite software. Moreover, the torsional dampers allowed considerable reduction in the vibration amplitudes. The stress results calculated by CrankLab have shown same order of magnitude of those from flexible models with errors variation between 1% and 38%. These errors can be acceptables once the boundary conditions and the analytical model simplifications are great different from those regarded in the flexible models. The most importante advantage of CrankLab is lower time spent in pre processing and calculation tasks, achieving a time saving around 10% in most cases / Mestrado / Mecanica dos Sólidos e Projeto Mecanico / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica