Exhaust valve spindles in large low-speed marine engines operate for extended periods under cyclic thermal and mechanical loads in hot, high-pressure, and corrosive exhaust gas environments. The conventional commercial material, Nimonic 80A, offers ex...
Exhaust valve spindles in large low-speed marine engines operate for extended periods under cyclic thermal and mechanical loads in hot, high-pressure, and corrosive exhaust gas environments. The conventional commercial material, Nimonic 80A, offers excellent high-temperature strength as well as corrosion and wear resistance; however, the operating conditions have been changing due to fuel switching, which alters combustion temperature, pressure, and exhaust-gas composition (NOx and SOx). Accordingly, there is a need to analytically evaluate the thermo-structural behavior and fatigue durability of exhaust valve spindles and to establish an analysis framework that can be used for future assessments of alternative materials. In this study, a two-dimensional axisymmetric model of the exhaust valve spindle for a MAN S60ME-C10.5 engine was constructed, and a transient thermal analysis was performed by imposing time-dependent thermal boundary conditions. To reflect the actual operating conditions, the rated engine speed and valve opening/closing were incorporated, and the boundary conditions were established based on the literature. Subsequently, to enhance the reliability of the boundary conditions, three-dimensional steady-state thermal analysis and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed using a 3D exhaust-valve unit model that includes the cooling passages and the housing. The calibrated thermal boundary conditions obtained from the 3D steady-state thermal and flow analyses were then incorporated into the 2D transient thermal analysis, and the resulting temperature field was applied as the thermal load, while the air-cylinder pressure and combustion pressure were imposed as mechanical loads. Based on these loads, a contact nonlinear static structural analysis and a fatigue assessment based on the Goodman mean-stress correction method were performed. As a result, the maximum temperature of the exhaust valve spindle occurred at the combustion face, and a steep temperature gradient developed in the valve seat region. Moreover, under combined thermal and mechanical loading, stress concentrations were observed near the combustion face and the valve seat, which was consistent with the thermo-fatigue and stress-concentration trends reported in previous studies. This study presents an analysis framework for evaluating the thermo-mechanical response and fatigue-critical locations of an exhaust valve spindle by combining 2D transient thermal analysis with structural and fatigue analyses as the core workflow, and incorporating 3D thermal–fluid analyses as a tool to enhance the reliability of the thermal boundary conditions. The proposed procedure can serve not only as a framework for assessing the durability of Nimonic 80A exhaust valve spindles, but also as a computational benchmark for comparison and validation when alternative materials are considered in future applications. Keywords : Exhaust valve spindle, Finite element method, Thermo-mechanical analysis, Goodman mean stress correction method, Nimonic80A, Large marine engine