http://www.revmaterialeplastice.ro MATERIALE PLASTICE ♦56♦No. 1 ♦2019 191 Simulation of Thermal Transfer Through the Polyamide Intake Manifold CORNELIU BIRTOK-BANEASA*, ADINA BUDIUL-BERGHIAN, VIRGINIA ANA SOCALICI, ROBERT BUCEVSCHI Politehnica University of Timisoara, Faculty of Engineering Hunedoara, 5 Revolutiei Str., 331128, Hunedoara, Romania The aim of the present study is to model the steady heat transfer of the engine polyamide intake manifold. Under the condition of a steady flow, the intake manifold wall temperature and the intake air temperature were measured to examine the effect of the thermal boundary layer on the heat transfer. Experimental data is used to generate the numerical model of airflow simulation through the intake manifold. Keywords: intake manifold, intake air, polyamide, numerical simulation Increasing the use of plastics in designing and revitalizing vehicles in vehicle production will increase the demand for the automotive industry in plastic. Plastic helps car manufacturers reduce their production and assembly costs and produce more attractive and appealing functional designs. The rising demand for vehicles from emerging economies such as China, India and Latin American countries is expected to boost industry. Volatile raw material prices and huge investments in new material research are the major challenges facing industry specialists. Biodegradable plastics such as PHA, PCL and PBS provide a better opportunity for major manufacturers in the machine industry [1, 2]. Composites are any combination of polymer matrix and fibrous reinforcement. Glass, carbon, aramid and other fibers provide strength and rigidity, while the polymer matrix (or resin) made of polyester, polyurethane, epoxy, polypropylene, nylon or other resin protects and transfers loads between fibers [3- 7]. This creates a material with attributes superior to the polymer or fiber itself. In recent years, carbon fiber reinforced composites have applied to light vehicles. The plastics and polymer components were essential for a wide range of advances in today’s safety and performance. Today’s plastics generally account for 50% of the volume of a new lightweight vehicle, but less than 10% of its weight, which makes vehicles lighter and more fuel efficient, which leads to low greenhouse gas emissions. Durable, modern components and polymer composites also help improve passenger safety, and car designers rely on the versatility of plastic materials and polymer composites and the aesthetic possibilities of vehicle design. In addition, many plastic resins are recyclable [3, 5, 8]. Modern automobile engines’ fuel efficiency improvement and reduction of hazardous exhaust gases are becoming more demanding. In regard to those strict regulations, the previous studies [9- 12] developed the technology to reduce the combustion fluctuation and maintain the constant air-to-fuel ratio. However, the previous studies [2, 13-16] stated that the combustion fluctuation was increased by increasing the variation in the air-to-fuel ratio due to the heat transfer phenomenon of the intake system, in direct connection with the material (PA66, Al alloy) of the intake manifold (fig. 1). Experimental part The data required for the numerical simulation model of the thermodynamic processes taking place in the air flow through the intake manifold were obtained with the experimental laboratory equipment specifically designed for this purpose. The positioning of the experimental stand elements respects the actual intake manifold configuration in the engine compartment relative to the heating source (fig. 2). The stand allows temperature measurements to be made at various points for a Ford Puma 1.4 engine intake manifold made of polyamide (PA 66). The experimental stand (fig. 3) contains, a blower (1) and a throttle valve (2) were placed, followed by the intake manifold (3) and a straight pipe region (4). The blower was used to direct intake air into the intake manifold, simulating the supercharging process. Three NiCr-Ni thermocouple sensors were used for temperatures measurements as follows: T1 - outside the intake manifold heated region, measuring the temperature of the air coming from the heat source, T2 - inside of the intake manifold, Fig..1. Polyamide intake manifold Fig.. 2. Ford Puma 1.4 engine compartment * email: corneliu.birtok@fih.utp.ro