Experimental and finite element vibrational analysis of exhaust manifold heat shield

Most of internal combustion engines have one or two heat shields that have been installed on the exhaust manifold to avoid the heat transfer to upper parts of the engine such as the valve cover. In some engines, this part fails due to the fracture and causes engine noise and other failures in the engine. In this paper, the failure of a heat shield due to vibrational loads of the engine has been investigated using the finite element method and experimental methods. Since heat shields have been made from thin shells, their analysis can be done in the vibrational field of plates. The analysis of the investigated heat shield in this field shows that two of the first resonance frequencies of heat shield are in the range of the engine speed and locations of heat shield cracks are at the maximum deflection positions.