Structural and Thermal Analysis of A V6 Engine Cylinder Block: A Review

The cylinder block is the main structural component of an internal combustion engine. In a V6 engine it carries six cylinders arranged in two banks, supports the crankshaft and contains the coolant passages. During operation it is exposed to combustion pressure, thermal loads, vibration and mechanical forces, which produce stress, deformation and temperature variation in different regions of the block. Testing different block designs on physical prototypes is costly and time consuming, and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is therefore widely used to predict structural and thermal behaviour before manufacturing. This review examines published research on thermal deformation of cylinder blocks, coupled thermal and mechanical analysis, FEA-based material comparison, residual stress in engine blocks and thermal management of multi-cylinder engines. The reviewed literature shows that temperature distribution, thermal loading and material properties strongly influence stress, deformation and dimensional stability. However, most studies treat structural and thermal behaviour separately, concentrate on single-cylinder, inline or diesel configurations, or compare materials only thermally. Integrated structural and thermal comparison of Aluminium Alloy and Grey Cast Iron for a V6 cylinder block under identical conditions is limited. Based on these findings, the proposed project develops a 3D CAD model of a V6 cylinder block and analyses it in ANSYS using static structural and steady-state thermal analysis.