Behavioral Simulation Realistic Measruements Solidworks 25 Personal Project
Project Description: Designed a fully functional 4-cylinder internal combustion engine assembly in SolidWorks, including pistons, crankshaft, and connecting rods. Created motion simulation to demonstrate realistic mechanical behavior.
Role & Contributions
Led the full CAD development of a multi-component internal combustion engine assembly in SolidWorks, modeling each engine component individually before integrating them into a constrained, functional assembly. Defined all mechanical relationships through SolidWorks mates to accurately reflect real-world joint behavior, ensuring geometrically consistent and physically meaningful motion throughout the system.
Motivation
Internal combustion engines represent one of the most mechanically complex and historically significant systems in automotive and mechanical engineering. Mastering their kinematics — particularly the crank-slider mechanism that converts linear piston motion into rotational output — is foundational for any engineer pursuing powertrain or vehicle dynamics work. This project was driven by a desire to move beyond static modeling and develop hands-on intuition for dynamic, multi-body mechanical systems through simulation.
Technical Details
CAD Platform: SolidWorks (part modeling, assemblies, and mate constraints)
Assembly Scope: Full engine assembly including pistons, connecting rods, crankshaft, and supporting components
Simulation Focus: Kinematic motion analysis of the piston-crankshaft mechanism, capturing displacement, timing, and rotational relationships across the full engine cycle
ScreenRecording_03-17-2026 12-13-52 AM_1.movResults & Evaluation
Produced a fully animated engine assembly demonstrating smooth, physically accurate piston motion synchronized with crankshaft rotation. Validated correct piston timing across all cylinders and confirmed that mate constraints produced no conflicting or over-defined relationships. The project substantially deepened proficiency in complex SolidWorks assemblies and reinforced core mechanical engineering concepts in kinematics and mechanism design.