The Analysis of an Internal Combustion Engine Breakdown-Case Study

Abstract

The paper concerns with the general assembly conditions and circumstances that could cause fatal damage to an internal combustion engine during operation. In the first part, the focus is on identifying the majority of dysfunctions that may result in the connecting rod destruction. Possible causes of the connecting rod destruction that led to engine failure are presented sequentially, starting with those of conceptual nature (the right choice of material, constructive solution and cross-sectional design from a geometric-dimensional point of view), then passing through issues related to operation (the severity of thermal and mechanical operation - and lubrication regimes) and last but not least, the effects of accumulated fatigue and potential structural defects of the material. This review of possible causes takes into account the particularities induced by the ignition engines and by the type of equipped machinery. The synthesis contains a case study on a 6-L medium displacement diesel engine in which the damage cause is accurately identified and which has been investigated with a scanning electron microscope (SEM).