A study on use of fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) connecting rod in IC engines

Innovation and constant competition in the automobile sector fuels the need for modifying or replacing the existing automobile components with high strength and lightweight materials to attain increased energy efficiency. One such automobile component considered in this work is the engine connecting rod which is a high volume production critical component. An engine connecting rod typically experiences a strong axial force due to the movement of engine piston on its one end and on the crank shaft on the other end. Such a force causes high stress and at times leads to failure of this critical component. To counter this force, high strength steel is used to make the connecting rod have high rigidity and strength but makes it a heavy engine component leading to less fuel efficiency of the engine. Fibre Reinforced Plastics (FRP) have been a centre of attention in Automobile Engineering due to their “high strength to low weight” ratio. This work is about the fabrication of Glass Fibre Reinforced Plastic (GFRP) engine connecting rod which is made of glass fibre with a suitable thermoset polymer matrix. The process of fabricating a FRP connecting rod is by a semi mechanized method with the continuous fibres oriented all along the entire component to counter all forces acting on the entire connecting rod thus making the rod much stronger. The major challenge in this work is fabricating the rod with the fibres aligned in its designated position and making it counter the forces which acts on it. The FRP connecting rod is more advantageous than the conventional steel rod both in terms of saving energy during its working condition and also during it’s manufacturing process by this simple semi mechanized way of manufacturing.