Computer-based analytical model of a crankshaft throw strength problem

The internal combustion engine is an energy converter which uses the chemical energy of the fuel to create thermal energy, that is, further on, converted into mechanical energy. The physical phenomena inside an engine are extremely complex, therefore a thorough study must follow the path from simple to complex, using an 'open system' knowledge acquiring philosophy. The paper presents an original software which is a necessary stage in the strength calculus of a crankshaft, one of the most important mechanical parts of an internal combustion engine. The analytical approach which is implemented defines the geometric model, the model of the loads and the model of the supports. The algorithm is based on the vector-based method of computation of the moment vector. The software was developed in C++, it consists of more than 800 computer code lines and it is a cross-platform application being compiled and run in both Windows 10 and Ubuntu operating systems. The input and output data are stored in CSV text files, in this way being available a user friendly interface which offers several facilities. The software is able to handle parameters which are symbolized as units of force and length. The application was extensively tested and it may be easily linked to other software in the meta-level of a hybrid model.