Investigation on topology-optimized compressor piston by metal additive manufacturing technique: Analytical and numeric computational modeling using finite element analysis in ANSYS
Selvaraj Ganeshkumar,
Yessian Sureshbabu,
Ramalingam Sureshkumar,
Dharani Kumar Selvan,
Gopal Gokilakrishnan,
Sharma Shubham,
Kumar Abhinav,
Li Changhe,
Abbas Mohamed
Affiliations
Selvaraj Ganeshkumar
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sri Eshwar College of Engineering, Coimbatore641202, Tamil Nadu, India
Yessian Sureshbabu
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sri Eshwar College of Engineering, Coimbatore641202, Tamil Nadu, India
Ramalingam Sureshkumar
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sri Eshwar College of Engineering, Coimbatore641202, Tamil Nadu, India
Dharani Kumar Selvan
Department of Mechanical Engineering, KPR Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore641707, Tamil Nadu, India
Gopal Gokilakrishnan
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sri Eshwar College of Engineering, Coimbatore641202, Tamil Nadu, India
Sharma Shubham
Mechanical Engineering Department, University Centre for Research and Development, Chandigarh University, Mohali, 140413, Punjab, India
Kumar Abhinav
Department of Nuclear and Renewable Energy, Ural Federal University Named After the First President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, 19 Mira Street, 620002, Ekaterinburg, Russia
Li Changhe
School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, 266520, Qingdao, China
Abbas Mohamed
Electrical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Khalid University, Abha61421, Saudi Arabia
Air compressors are widely used in factories to power automation systems and store energy. Several studies have been conducted on the performance of reciprocating and screw compressors. Advancements in design and manufacturing techniques, such as generative design and topology optimization, are leading to improved performance and turbomachinery growth. This work presents a methodology to design and manufacture air compressor pistons using topology optimization and metal additive manufacturing. The existing piston is converted to 3D CAD data and topology optimization is conducted to reduce material in stress concentration regions. Thermal and mechanical loads are considered in boundary conditions. The results show reduced material and improved efficiency, which is validated using ANSYS fluent. The optimized 3D model of the piston is too complex for conventional subtractive manufacturing, so laser sintering 3D printing is proposed. Honeycomb pattern infill patterns are used in 3D printing. This investigation is a step toward researching similar methods in other reciprocating compressor components such as cylinder, cylinder head, piston pins, crankshaft, and connecting rods, which will ultimately lead to improved compressor efficiency.
