Design and Analysis of a Cam Shaft Using FEA

Abstract

The camshaft is a critical engine component that controls valve timing by converting crankshaft rotary motion into the reciprocating motion needed to operate intake and exhaust valves. This paper presents the design and analysis of a camshaft for a multi-cylinder engine using finite element methods. The 3D model is created in Pro/Engineer and analyzed in ANSYS Workbench using three materials: Structural Steel, Cast Iron, and Aluminium Alloy. Static analysis determines von Mises stress distribution and deformation under operational torsional and bending loads, while modal analysis identifies natural frequencies to assess vibration susceptibility. Results demonstrate that Structural Steel provides the best performance with maximum von Mises stress of 98.7 MPa (safety factor 2.53), minimum deformation of 0.012 mm, and adequate separation from resonant frequencies, making it the recommended material for high-performance camshaft applications.