Conference Agenda

Connecting rods are fundamental components in reciprocating mechanical sys-tems, ensuring force transmission between the piston and the crankshaft while being subjected to significant tensile and compressive loads during operation. This work presents the design and structural assessment of an innovative ec-centric-shaft mechanism intended for a twin-cylinder engine, featuring a con-necting-rod configuration developed to explore alternative geometric solutions with respect to conventional crank-slider systems. A parametric three-dimensional CAD model of the mechanism was developed, enabling the modi-fication of the main geometric parameters and supporting future design optimi-zation activities. Subsequently, finite element analyses were performed to evaluate the structural response of the system under representative operating conditions. Equivalent loads derived from combustion pressure and inertial forces were applied at the piston-pin locations, while boundary conditions were defined by modelling the shaft supports and introducing frictionless contacts between the mating components. Static, modal, and fatigue analyses were car-ried out to evaluate the distribution of Von Mises equivalent stresses, dis-placements, safety factors, and the behaviour of the component under cyclic loading conditions. In addition, topology optimization was employed to identi-fy potential lightweight design solutions while preserving the structural per-formance of the component. Overall, the obtained results confirm the structural feasibility of the proposed configuration and demonstrate the potential of inte-grating parametric modelling, numerical simulation, and topology optimization for the development of lightweight and structurally efficient eccentric-shaft systems.