A feasibility study of dynamic stress analysis inside a running internal combustion engine using synchrotron X-ray beams

DOI: 10.1107/S0909049513000885
PMID: 23412489

Authors: Nikolaos Baimpas (University of Oxford) , Michael Drakopoulos (Diamond Light Source) , Thomas Connolley (Diamond Light Source) , Xu Song (University of Oxford) , Costas Pandazaras (University of Thessaly) , Alexander Korsunsky (University of Oxford)
Co-authored by industrial partner: No

Type: Journal Paper
Journal: Journal Of Synchrotron Radiation , VOL 20

State: Published (Approved)
Published: March 2013
Diamond Proposal Number(s): 6958

Abstract: The present investigation establishes the feasibility of using synchrotron-generated X-ray beams for time-resolved in situ imaging and diffraction of the interior components of an internal combustion engine during its operation. The demonstration experiment was carried out on beamline I12 (JEEP) at Diamond Light Source, UK. The external hutch of the JEEP instrument is a large-scale engineering test bed for complex in situ processing and simulation experiments. The hutch incorporates a large capacity translation and rotation table and a selection of detectors for monochromatic and white-beam diffraction and imaging. These capabilities were used to record X-ray movies of a motorcycle internal combustion engine running at 1850?r.p.m. and to measure strain inside the connecting rod via stroboscopic X-ray diffraction measurement. The high penetrating ability and high flux of the X-ray beam at JEEP allowed the observation of inlet and outlet valve motion, as well as that of the piston, connecting rod and the timing chain within the engine. Finally, the dynamic internal strain within the moving connecting rod was evaluated with an accuracy of ?50 × 10?6.

Journal Keywords: Internal Combustion Engine; Live X-Ray Imaging; Time-Resolved Diffraction; Experimental Stress Analysis.

Subject Areas: Engineering


Instruments: I12-JEEP: Joint Engineering, Environmental and Processing

Added On: 04/02/2013 14:50

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