Second International Conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering and Technology, ICETET-09

Preparation of Papers - Computer Aided Design

and Analysis of Air Engine Piston

Chetan K.Tembhurkar a

Prashant D.Kamble b

a
student of G.H.Raisoni College of Engineering, Nagpur, India

b
Lecturer of Department of Mechanical Engineering, G.H.Raisoni College of Engineering, RTM
Nagpur University, Nagpur,India

Abstract— There is a demand for safer, cleaner and more affordable
civil air engines and found to be of greater importance. Few years
before, the European Union took a action for the design and
construction of efficient and environmental friendly air engines. The
benefits of this type of engine are focused on to reduced pollutants
and decreased fuel consumption. In a wheeled vehicle engine system
comprising a compressed air powered engine and tank assemblies, an
engine connects to the vehicle drive wheels and is powered by
compressed air and operates without emitting air pollutants and the
tank assembly comprises a replaceable and/or rechargeable main air
tank assembly containing air at high pressure and recovery tanks both
so connected to the engine and arranged such that to recover and
store energy of the vehicle and engine developed during braking and
high speed engine operation which was not fully utilize to propel the
vehicle. This paper is very helpful for finding the difference between
the design of air engine with design of SI and CI engine. This paper
is also very useful for developing and design of piston for further
analysis.
Keywords— analysis, air-engine, design, piston.
I. INTRODUCTION
The air engine runs on air and needs no gas. The gas tank is
removed and thrown away. The carburetor is not needed. The
engine is easily converted to run on compressed air . This air
engine is comparable powerful enough as a four-stroke engine,
but has a better and more powerful take off [1]. Any engine or
motor that runs on gasoline or propane can be converted to run
on compressed air, and of high efficient. Pistons are designed
with features which perform specific functions during engine
operation. The piston head or crown receives the majority of
۫ Corresponding author.Tel.:+91 712 2632767,9420248189
E-mail address: ct_1783@rediffmail.com (C.K.Tembhurkar)
the initial pressure and force caused by the combustion
process. The piston pin area is exposed to a significant amount
of force due to rapid directional changes. It is also subjected to
thermal expansion caused by the transfer of heat from the head
to the body of the piston. The piston pin area is the part which
subjected to more thermal expansion than other areas of the
piston. This is due to from the thermal expansion properties of
cast aluminum alloy and the mass in the piston pin area [2].
II. HISTORY
The air engine and its idea of using air as an energy carrier is
not new [1]. Air has been used since the 19th century to power
mine locomotives, and has been the basis of naval torpedo
propulsion since 1866. Compressed air is still currently used
in racecars to provide the initial energy needed to start the
car's main power plant, the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE).
In 1991 the inventor Guy Niger invented a dual-energy
engine, capable of running on both compressed air and regular
fuel [3]. He then afterwards managed to create a compressed
air only-engine, and improved his design to make it more
powerful. In the last 15 years he has been working on this
engine, and has made successful progress thereafter: this
engine is now claimed to be competitive with modern Internal
Combustion Engine’s (ICEs). It is may be still not as powerful
as an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) (although depending
on which model of air engine vs. model ICE). Proponents
claim that this is of little importance since the car can simply
be made lighter, or the tanks can be put on a higher pressure,
pushing the engine to above a comparable Internal
Combustion Engine. Extensive research is going on the idea of
compressed air vehicles, among them Armando Regusci,
Angelo Di Pietro, Tony Salvino, and Chul-Seung Cho. They

978-0-7695-3884-6/09 $26.00 © 2009 IEEE 92

Authorized licensed use limited to: ULAKBIM UASL - Dumlupinar University. Downloaded on March 19,2010 at 09:25:54 EDT from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
too have companies, Regusci's RegusciAir, Di Pietro's
Step1:- Calculation of Diameter
EngineAir and Chul-Seung Cho's Energine, selling their
engines. Tony Salvino, however is a high school student who Vc = Area × Displacement
is pursuing for more efficient engine.In 2007, Tata Motors
Vc = π D2 ×100
licensed the rights from MDI (Motor Development
International) for $28 million to build and sell Tata-branded 4
air cars in India. Tata has not made a decision on building one
of the MDI prototype cars or, to install the MDI technology in D= 102 mm.
one of its existing cars like the light weight Nano. The Nano is
Tata's $2,500 "scooter replacement" people's car that recently Step 2:- Calculation of Power
made headlines. While sought after in developing countries,
this inexpensive car clearly would not meet federal emissions BP = PLAN KW
and safety requirements in the U.S. and other regulated 1000×60
markets around the world. Still, the addition of air power to an
already inexpensive and efficient model would be quite = 0.743×100 × π × (102)2 × 3500
appealing in the Indian market and others where fundamental 1000 4 60
transportation is in demand and air pollution may be a serious
challenge as exponentially greater numbers of vehicles make
BP = 35.41 KW
their way to the highway. In 2012, Tata Motors plan on
producing City CAT that is powered by an air engine. Also
since 2007, K'Airmobiles looks at commercializing some Step 3:- The thickness based on Empirical formula
urban and leisure VPP vehicles (Vehicles with Pneumatic
Propulsion) and tries to gain partnerships and sponsors. Their t1 = 0.032 D + 1.5 mm
goals appear to be individual transport and taxi-bikes as the = 0.032 (102) + 1.5
projects proposed on the site are mainly made of a motor-bike = 4.764 mm.
and trucks (with 1 to 3 seats). Length of Piston, L =D = 102 mm.
………… (for medium power O/P) [5]

Step 4 :- Design of Piston Rings

III. DESIGN OF ALUMINUM ALLOY PISTON FOR A FOUR-STROKE Radial thickness, tr = D × (3Pr/σ)1/2
AIR ENGINE
tr = 102 × (((3×0.02746)/26.7))1/2
tr = 5.66 mm.
where, D = bore diameter = 102 mm.
Pr = magnitude of radial pressure on piston rings.
= 0.02746 N/mm2 (MPa)

Step 5:- The depth of piston rings (h)

h = 0.7tr to 1.0tr
= 0.7tr
=0.7 × 5.66
=3.962 mm
h ~ 4 mm.

Step 6 :- The distance from top to the first groove (tg)

Fig.1.Aluminum alloy piston for a four-stroke air engine tg = 1.0 t1 to 1.2 t2

= 1.2 t1
Volume per cylinder, Vc = 817.128 cm3. = 1.2 × 4.76
Displacement of piston = 100 mm. = 5.712 mm.
Gas Pressure (P) = 5MPa.
Compression Ratio = 19. Step 7 :- The lands between the ring grooves (t land )
Bmep = 0.743 MPa
Speed (N) =3500 rpm. t land = h = 4 mm.
No. of cylinders = 4 [4].

93

Authorized licensed use limited to: ULAKBIM UASL - Dumlupinar University. Downloaded on March 19,2010 at 09:25:54 EDT from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 IV. PISTON DESIGN
Step 8 :- The minimum depth of piston ring

h =D
10 i
i = No. of piston rings
i= D
10 h
= 102
10×4
i ~ 3 no.

Step 9 :- The maximum thickness of the piston barrel (t3)

t3 = 0.03 D + b + 4.5 mm.

b = depth of ring groove, mm
b = tr + 0.4 mm.
b = 5.66 + 0.4
b = 6.06 mm.
t3 = 0.03 × 102 + 6.06 + 4.5
t3 = 13.62 mm. Fig.2.(a) Piston design

Step 10 :- The wall thickness towards the open end of

piston (t4)

t4 = 0.25t3 to 0.35t3
= 0.3 t3
= 0.3 × 13.62
t4 = 4.086 mm.

Step 11:- Stroke length (Ls)

Ls = 1.3D to 1.5D
Ls = 1.5 D
= 1.5 × 102
Ls = 153 mm.

Step 12:- Diameter of piston pin (d)

Fig.2.(b). Model of Piston by means of Pro-E/Wildfire4.0
d = π D2 Pmax
4 × l1 ×Pb
Gas pressure (Pmax) = 5 Mpa
Bearing pressure (Pb) = 15.7 MPa V. ANALYSIS OF PISTON
l1 = 1.5 d The analysis of piston is based on ‘ANSYS 9.0’ software. The
d = π × (102) ×52 analysis of piston is based on static analysis of piston based on
4 × (1.5 d) × 15.7 ANSYS 9.0 software.

d = 41.65 mm.

Step 13:- Force on Piston (Fp)

Fp = Pressure × Area
= 5 ×π× (102)2
4
Fp = 40.85 KN.

94

Authorized licensed use limited to: ULAKBIM UASL - Dumlupinar University. Downloaded on March 19,2010 at 09:25:54 EDT from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.

Fig.3.(a).Displacement of Piston based on ANSYS software
Fig.3.(b) Boundary conditions applied on piston (Fixed
support and pressure).
Fig.3.(c).Von Misses-stress based on ANSYS software
95
Authorized licensed use limited to: ULAKBIM UASL - Dumlupinar University. Downloaded on March 19,2010 at 09:25:54 EDT from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
Fig.3.(d).Vector solution based on ANSYS software
VI. WORKING OF COMPRESSED AIR ENGINE
The working of the compressed air engine is simple . The
design uses a pair of air driven pistons, one large and one
small, to turn a crankshaft that produces a rotational force. The
technology can potentially be paired in two, four, or six
cylinder engine configurations and the design is quite
inventive and attractive. Since there is no combustion and the
only engine heat comes from friction, the engine can be made
primarily from lightweight aluminum.
Fig.4.Compressed air engine
In air engine, the small piston has a conventional
connecting rod for turning the crankshaft, while its
neighboring larger piston utilizes an innovative rocker arm
configuration with the connecting rod. This design allows the
large piston to pause at top-dead-center for 70 degrees of
crankshaft rotation while metered air pressure builds in a
prechamber as the small piston keeps the crank turning during
its power stroke. The large piston then turns the crankshaft
with greater power as the pair combine to produce power over
270 degrees of crankshaft rotation. Prototype air cars are
minimize transportation that typically exhibit a top speed of
about 70 mph and a range of approximately 125 miles on flat
roads before requiring a refill. Compressed air is stored at 300
bar (4351 psi) in carbon fiber tanks mounted longitudinally
beneath the vehicle floor. Refilling can be accomplished in a
matter of minutes at a special high-pressure pump or in about SI engine CI engine Air engine
four hours via a home refueling appliance or even an on-board Vc (cm3) 579 817 817.128
compressor. D (mm) 96 102 102
L(mm) 80 100 100
rc 9.5 17 19
VII. ADVANTAGES bmep (MPa) 0.998 0.886 0.743
The advantages are well publicized since the developers need N(rpm) 2800 3500 3500
to make their machines attractive to investors. Compressed-air BP(KW) 26.96 42.43 35.41
vehicles are comparable in many ways to electric vehicles, but Ls(mm) 144 132.6 153
use compressed air to store the energy instead of batteries. d(mm) 39.20 40.16 41.65
Their potential advantages over other vehicles include: Like Fp(KN) 36.9 39.68 40.85
electrical vehicles, air powered vehicles would be powered
through the electrical grid which makes it appealing to focus
on reducing pollution from one source, as comparative to the
millions of other vehicles on the road .Transportation of the (1) The compression ratio required in air engine is 29.14%
fuel would not be required due to drawing power off the higher as that of SI engine and 0.015% of CI engine.
electrical grid. This presents and draws significant cost (2) The stroke length obtained in air engine is 5.88 % higher
benefits. Pollution created during fuel transportation would be as that of SI engine and 13.33% as that of CI engine.
eliminated. Compressed air technology reduces the cost of (3) The force on piston in air engine is 9.66% higher as that of
vehicle production by about 20%, as there is no need to build a SI engine and 2.86% higher as that of CI engine.
cooling system, fuel tank, spark plugs or silencers. Air, on its (4) The boundary condition is applied in piston pin area
own, is non-flammable. The mechanical design of the engine having pressure of 10 MPa at upper surface of piston.
is simple and robust. This will results in not only in low (5) The displacement of piston obtained after analyzing the
manufacture and maintenance costs but also in easy and quick piston in ANSYS 11.0 is DMX=0.03052mm.
maintenance. Compressed-air tanks can be disposed of or (5) The maximum Von-Misses stress is obtained in upper
recycled with less pollution than batteries. Compressed-air portion of the piston as seen as red color after analyzing it
vehicles are unconstrained by the degradation problems on ANSYS 11.0.
associated with current battery systems. The tank may be able (6) The vector solution obtained after analyzing the piston in
to be refilled more often and in less time than batteries can be ANSYS 11.0 is Min=0mm, Max=0.031226mm.
recharged, with re-fueling rates comparable to liquid fuels.
Lighter vehicles would mean less abuse on roads. This will X. RECOMMENDATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH NEEDS
bring in longer lasting roads. The price of fueling air powered
vehicles will be significantly cheaper than current fuels.
Although the analysis of piston can be diagnosed by the
currently presented method, the analysis technique by means
VIII. DISADVANTAGES of present analysis software available, but lot of work is to be
done on engine performance. The lot of work is carried out on
the intake air pressure of air engine because the intake air
Compressed-air vehicles are less well known, as the vehicles pressure required is higher for turning the crankshaft.
are currently at the pre-production stage and not been
extensively tested by independent observer. They will likely
be less robust than ordinary or conventional vehicles which ACKNOWLEDGMENT
posses a danger to users sharing the road with larger, heavier
and more rigid vehicles. When the air is expanded in the
engine, it will cool down via adiabatic cooling and lose This paper entitled “Computer aided design and analysis of air
pressure. It is difficult to maintain or restore the air engine piston” is the output of the project work carried out at
temperature by simply using a heat exchanger with ambient G.H. Raisoni College of Engineering. This report reflects the
heat at the high flow rates used in a vehicle, thus the ideal contribution of a lot of people from time to time in completing
isothermal energy capacity of the tank will not be realized. the work. Through this acknowledgement “Chetan Kishor
Tembhurkar” thanks to “Prof.K.Vihari” for valuable
suggestions at right time. He provided the guidance at any
point of time whenever asked for to the best of their
IX. CONCLUSION capabilities.

The design and analysis of piston in four-cylinder, four-

stroke engine have been studied and the following results are
obtained :-

96

Authorized licensed use limited to: ULAKBIM UASL - Dumlupinar University. Downloaded on March 19,2010 at 09:25:54 EDT from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 REFERENCES

[1] http://www.theaircar.com/acf
[2] B.D.Shiwalkar, Design Data for Machine Elements, Central Techno
Publications, Nagpur, (2005) 33-44.
[3] http://www.zevcat.com/media/MDI_History.pdf
[4] J.B. Heywood, International Combustion Engine Fundamentals,
McGraw-Hill, New York, (1988) 823-887.
[5] V.Ganesan, Internal Combustion Engines, Tata McGraw- Hill,
New Delhi,(2005) 1-6.
[6] H.K.Govindaraju, VTU-EDUSAT Programme, Theory and design of
automotive engines, Design of Piston, VTU Learning Center,
Chitradurga.
[7] M.L.Mathur, R.P.Sharma, Internal Combustion Engines, DhanpatRai
Publications, New Delhi, (2005) 214-249.
[8] Internal Combustion Engines and Air Pollution, Edward Obert, Intext
Education Publishers, New York, 1973
[9] Introduction to Internal Combustion Engines, Richard Stone,Macmillan,
1985.
[10] R.F.Huang, H.S.Yang, C.N.Yeh,In-cylinder flows of a motored four-
stroke engine with flat-crown and slightly concave-crown pistons,
Journal of Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science 32 (2008) 115 9.
[11] R.F.Huang, H.S.Yang, C.N.Yeh, In-cylinder flows of a motored four-
stroke engine with flat-crown and slightly concave-crown pistons,
Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science 32 (2008) 1156-1167.
[12] K.Suleyman Yigit, Experimental investigation of a comfort heating
system for a passenger vehicle with an air-cooled engine, Applied
Thermal Engineering 25 (2005) 2790-2799.
[13] Kyros Yakinthos, Dimitris Missirlis, Achilles Palikaras, Paul
Storm,Burkhard Simon, Apostolos Goulas,Optimization of the design of
recuperative heat exchangers in the exhaust nozzle of an aero-engine,
Applied Mathematical Modeling31 (2007) 2524-2541.
[14] Akira Oida, Hiroshi Nakashima,Juro Miyasaka ,Katsuaki Ohdoi,Hiroshi
Matsumoto, Naoki Shinohara, Development of a new type of electric
off-road vehicle powered by microwaves transmitted through air,
Journal of Terramechanics 44 (2007) 329-338.

97

Authorized licensed use limited to: ULAKBIM UASL - Dumlupinar University. Downloaded on March 19,2010 at 09:25:54 EDT from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.