A study on the significance of exhaust manifold’s bending angle to the brake torque of 115cc SI engine

Abstract The exhaust manifold is a crucial component of the exhaust system in any SI engine, responsible for efficiently expelling combustion products. However, when the exhaust manifold’s design is suboptimal, it leads to negative consequences for the engine’s performance due to the presence of backpressure. Backpressure refers to the difference between maximum exhaust pressure and atmospheric pressure. An increase in backpressure decreases the overall performance and fuel efficiency of an SI engine. This study aimed to investigate the bending angle characteristics of the exhaust manifold and the brake torque of the 115cc SI engine using 1D engine analysis. The relationship between the exhaust manifold’s bending angle characteristics and the brake torque was analysed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with a p-value of less than 0.05, while the validation with experimental data showed a maximum error of 6.62. In the previous research, it was noted that a lower bending angle leads to better performance. However, the current results indicate that out of the three bending angles considered, having one of them yields the most substantial enhancement in brake torque. The optimized bending angle configuration obtained from the analysis increased the mean brake torque by 0.011 Nm (0.14%). Consequently, this study enhances the average brake torque through the optimal bending angle characteristics of the exhaust manifold. The study’s objective aligns with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, as the improved performance achieved through an optimal exhaust manifold design configuration is expected to promote domestic technology development.