Experimental Framework for FEA Analyses of 3D Geometry of a Connecting Rod

In the present study the authors propose an experimental framework in order to perform FEA analyses upon a 3D model of a connecting rod. The study presents some of the technical issues that have been overcome by choosing the right software tools and the differences in terms of results that they may produce, it shows the setup used in the analyses including its constraints and loads, the proposed algorithm that imposed the number of analyses as well as their type, and the way the analyses were conducted in order for the results to validate or invalidate a optimized model. Because the connecting rod's 3D model presents a high level of complexity in terms of the number of free forms surfaces contained within the geometry, the authors propose a procedure by which they divide the geometry in areas of interest and in doing so can determine the most critical and the most affected areas under a given load for each FEA analysis. This procedure allows a virtual perspective of the modality through which the considered part gets affected and behaves under a given load in terms of distribution of stress and deformation, results that are consistent with its overall behavior.