Three-dimensional EHD behavior of the engine block/crankshaft assembly fora four cylinder inline automotive engine

Detailed formulations ave presented for an EHD model that studies all the e ngine main bearings, considering the bearings, housing and crankshaft elast ic deformations in connection with the hydrodynamic pressure fields as well as the quasi-static loads balance for this complex kinematic system. The c alculation process uses the finite element method and the Newton-Raphson me thod for the numerical analysis. The elastic crankshaft behavior is quantif ied by a standard stiffness matrix. With two structural analysis steps, a c ondensed housing stiffness matrix is obtained to reduce the computing time. The transient evolution of the cavitation area is evaluated with Murty's a lgorithm. This model is utilized to study a four cylinder inline engine.