Transient Thermomechanical Stress Analysis of Hot Surface Ignition Device Using Sequentially Coupled Computational Fluid Dynamics–Finite Element Analysis Approach

Energy addition using a hot surface ignition device is required for reliable ignition of aircraft compression ignition engines running on fuel variations and at altitude conditions. Thus, durability of the hot surface ignition device is crucial for application in these engines. Thermomechanical stress is one of the key parameters that determine durability, which requires an accurate prediction of the transient temperature field based on well-defined boundary conditions representing the dynamic and complex fluid flow inside engines. To meet this requirement, the present study focuses on transient thermomechanical stress analysis using a sequentially coupled computational fluid dynamics (CFD)–finite element analysis (FEA) approach to understand transient thermomechanical responses of the hot surface ignition device. A three-dimensional transient reacting flow simulation was conducted first using converge software, the results of which were exported to map thermal and pressure boundary conditions onto a structural finite element mesh. Transient thermomechanical stress analysis was performed sequentially using abaqus software utilizing the mapped boundary conditions. The results such as transient temperature history, resultant thermomechanical stress, displacement, potential failure modes, etc., were critically reviewed, which can provide helpful information for further design improvement.