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Analysis Of The Structural And Fatigue Characteristics Of The

Engine Bracket

Puneet Bindal1, Asim Ahmad2, Praveen Bhatt3, Vipin Kumar4

1
Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Mangalayatan
University, Aligarh, UP, India
2
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Usha Martin
University, Ranchi, Jharkhand
3
Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Himalayan University, Itanagar,
Arunachal Pradesh
4
Professor, Department of Physics, Sikkim Professional University, Gangtok,
Sikkim

ABSTRACT:
The engine mounting plays a pivotal role in enhancing vehicle ride comfort by mitigating
noise, vibrations, and harshness. The foremost function of an engine mounting bracket is to
effectively balance the engine on an airplane wing, ensuring precise motion control and
isolation. This project involves a comprehensive structural and fatigue analysis of the engine
bracket, conducted under three distinct temperature conditions while subjecting it to normal
operating and thermal loads at room temperature, -40°C, and +52°C.
The fatigue life at critical points is assessed, employing the Goodman criteria for mean stress
correction and utilizing S-N curves to determine the number of cycles. Cumulative fatigue
damage is calculated using Miner's rule, providing an estimate of overall damage. Critical
locations are scrutinized for fatigue life and damage estimation. The results are thoroughly
assessed, verifying the strength and durability of the engine bracket in various temperature
environments. Additionally, a validation of fastener selection is carried out in the current
analysis.

Keywords: Noise reduction, Structural and fatigue analysis, Miner's rule

Introduction
When designing crucial components for aircraft engines, modern designers face a constant challenge
in striking a balance between meeting performance requirements for strength and stiffness on one
hand and minimizing size and weight on the other. Loading brackets on jet engines hold a pivotal role
as they must bear the engine's weight during handling without succumbing to breakage or
deformation. Nevertheless, jet engines traverse various temperature zones during their flights, ranging
from -40°C to +52°C, which can potentially lead to bracket fatigue and, subsequently, failure.

Structural strength analysis evaluates a component's ability to withstand loads until it reaches a point
of failure. This failure can manifest as either plastic deformation or fracture. In this study, plastic
deformation is considered a potential failure mode of the bracket concerning applied loads, where
bracket stresses exceeding the yield strength are deemed as bracket failure.

In contrast, fatigue analysis typically falls into one of two methodologies: the Stress-Life (S-N)
method, often referred to as Total Life, which doesn't distinguish between the initiation or propagation

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of a crack, or the Local Strain or Strain-Life (e-N) method, commonly known as the Crack Initiation
method, which focuses solely on the initiation of cracks.

Figure 1 Engine Bracket CAD Model

Figure 2 Engine Bracket Mounting Positions

1.1 Engine Bracket Geometry/Dimensional Description

The engine bracket is constructed from Ti-6Al-4V alloy, which possesses a favorable weight-to-
strength ratio. Essential geometric details are outlined below:

Figure 3 Fasteners and Lug Location Details

Problem Statement
This project deals structural and fatigue analysis of engine bracket operating at three different
temperatures with applied loads.

CASE I: We apply standard operating loads while maintaining thermal conditions at room
temperature. We then assess the deformation and stress outcomes.

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CASE II: We subject the system to normal operating loads while introducing thermal loads at -40°C.
Subsequently, we analyze the deformation and stress responses. Additionally, we assess the fatigue
life at critical locations.
CASE III: We apply standard operating loads and introduce thermal loads at -52°C. We then assess
the resulting deformation and stress. Furthermore, we evaluate the fatigue life at critical locations.

2.1 Material Property Details

Titanium stands as one of the most widely used alloys within the titanium industry, accounting for
nearly half of all titanium usage worldwide. It boasts exceptional strength, a low modulus of
elasticity, high resistance to corrosion, good weldability, and the capacity for heat treatment. The
inclusion of aluminum and vanadium in its alloy matrix enhances material hardness, thereby
improving its physical and mechanical properties.
Here are some notable characteristics of Ti-6Al-4V:

High Tensile Strength: Ti-6Al-4V exhibits remarkable tensile strength, approaching that of stainless
steel, necessitating substantial cutting forces during machining.

Low Thermal Conductivity: Heat doesn't readily transfer into the chip but rather is directed towards
the cutting tool. This results in elevated temperatures at the cutting edge during the machining
process.

High Modulus of Elasticity: Titanium possesses a notable "springiness." When subjected to a given
force, it deflects more than steel, which increases the likelihood of vibration, chatter, and suboptimal
chip formation.

Shear Mechanism: Cutting titanium effectively requires a sharp cutting edge to prevent tearing and
smearing, as these issues can swiftly lead to tool failure.

Material Strength: Ti-6Al-4V boasts a yield strength of 903 MPa and an ultimate strength of 1017
MPa.

Analysis Approach And Flowchart

Structural analyses are conducted under varying operating temperatures and loading scenarios.
Consistent horizontal, vertical, and inclined loads are applied across all temperature conditions. The
flowchart outlining the analysis process is depicted in the figures below.

3.1 FE Modeling Details of Engine Bracket

Finite element modeling of the engine bracket is executed using higher-order hexahedral and
tetrahedral elements, a choice made to prioritize accuracy. The finer mesh is employed to accurately

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capture critical regions. Both averaged and un-averaged studies are conducted to assess element
density, with the disparity between the two yielding differences of less than 5%.

Fig. 5 Meshed model Engine bracket

3.2 Loading Condition Details – Room Temperature

A force of 35,586 N is exerted at the lug location in the vertical direction, with respect to the local
coordinate system depicted in the figure below.

Figure 3.2 Vertical Force Application Engine bracket is evaluated for deformations and
different stresses. von-Mises stress is considered for factor of safety estimation

Figure 6 Total Deformation Plot

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3.3 Stress Results

The maximum von-Mises stress, measuring at 465 MPa, is detected at the lug location, which falls
below the material's allowable yield strength of 903 MPa, with a factor of safety (FOS) of 1.9.

Table 1 FOS Details

Figure 7 Total Deformation Plot

3.4 Fastener Calculations

The reaction forces of the fasteners are calculated and presented in a tabular format. The current
calculations are based on M10-sized fasteners with a grade of 10.9. The figure below illustrates the
nomenclature of the fasteners.

Figure 8 Fastener Nomenclature

Figure 9 Fastener Location Details

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Reaction forces of the fasteners are determined with respect to the local coordinate system depicted in
the figure above. The forces in the X and Y directions are considered as shear loads, and therefore,
their resultant is used to assess shear stress. Meanwhile, the forces in the Y direction are regarded as
normal forces and are used to calculate normal stress.

Table 1 Fastener Reaction Force Details

Table 2 Bolt Specification

Table 3 Fastener Result Summary

Conclusion
Based on the simulation results for the engine bracket, we can draw the following conclusions:
The engine bracket is deemed safe for operation across various global regions with distinct
temperature fluctuations.
The selected fasteners for the engine bracket assembly are proven to be sufficiently robust in
withstanding loads under different temperature conditions.
Employing this analysis method streamlines the calculation process, reducing the need for various
experiments.
There is potential for optimizing the engine bracket to reduce weight by employing advanced
optimization algorithms.
Exploring alternative materials with high strength and cost-effectiveness is a viable avenue for further
improvement.

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