Structural and Thermal Analysis of Engine Cylinder Fins by Varying Geometries and Materials

Abstract

Efficient cooling of air cooled internal combustion engine cylinders is essential to maintain safe operating temperatures, reduce thermal stresses, and enhance engine durability. In the present study, a comparative numerical investigation of the structural and thermal performance of engine cylinder fins with varying geometries and materials is carried out. Three fin configurations—circular, triangular, and sinusoidal—are modelled and analysed using ANSYS Workbench. Aluminium 6061 and Aluminium 2024 alloys are considered as fin materials due to their widespread application in automotive engines. Static structural analysis is performed to evaluate deformation, von Mises stress, and factor of safety under identical loading conditions. Steady state thermal analysis is conducted by applying heat flux at the inner cylinder wall and convective heat transfer on the outer fin surfaces. The results indicate that circular fins provide superior structural integrity with minimal deformation and higher safety factors. Sinusoidal fins demonstrate a balanced performance in terms of both thermal efficiency and structural strength. The study concludes that a trade off between cooling effectiveness and mechanical reliability is necessary, and sinusoidal fins made of Aluminium 2024 offer an optimal compromise for air cooled engine applications.

Introduction

Air-cooled internal combustion engines in two-wheelers rely on cooling fins to dissipate heat, prevent thermal stress, and maintain engine longevity. Fin performance depends on geometry, material, and airflow, with non-conventional designs—circular, triangular, and sinusoidal—showing potential improvements over traditional rectangular fins. Aluminium alloys 6061 and 2024 are commonly used due to their thermal and mechanical properties.

This study models identical engine cylinders with the three fin geometries using Al-6061 and Al-2024. Structural analysis under fixed support and uniform pressure shows that circular fins have the lowest deformation and stress, triangular fins experience higher stress, and sinusoidal fins perform moderately. Al-2024 demonstrates superior structural strength, while Al-6061 offers better thermal conductivity. Thermal analysis applies steady-state heat flux and convective cooling to evaluate heat dissipation efficiency.

Overall, the research provides a combined thermal and structural comparison of fin geometries and materials to optimize engine cooling performance in two-wheelers.

Conclusion

A comprehensive numerical investigation has been carried out to evaluate the structural and thermal performance of air cooled engine cylinder fins by varying fin geometry and material using ANSYS Workbench. Circular, triangular, and sinusoidal fin geometries fabricated from Aluminium 6061 and Aluminium 2024 were analysed under identical boundary and loading conditions. Based on the results obtained, the following key conclusions can be drawn:

References

[1] R. K. Rajput, Heat and Mass Transfer, S. Chand Publications. [2] R. B. Gupta, Automobile Engineering, Satya Prakashan. [3] Arvind Kumar & Shyam Brila, Thermal Analysis of Engine Cylinder Block with Fins Using ANSYS, 2023. [4] Parvindar Singh & Ashwini Bhoi, Thermal Analysis of IC Engine Cylinder Fins Using ANSYS, 2022. [5] Rajat Yadav et?al., Thermal Analysis of Engine Fins with Different Geometries and Materials, 2025. [6] V. Kannadhasan et?al., Experimental and CFD Analysis on Engine Fins with Varied Geometries, 2024

Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Kiran Kumar Pasupuleti, Sharma K V. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.