On the optimization of piston skirt profiles using a pseudo-adaptive response surface method

A method for the optimization of piston skirt profiles used in internal combustion engine piston design is proposed. The method is based on a response surface approximation of standard performance measures used in piston design, namely, the RMS values of the piston's transverse and angular accelerations, used as indicators of piston slap and noise, and the friction work on the skirt. The method is intended to be used in conjunction with computationally-intensive piston simulation tools. As such, it can be used also as a paradigm for strategies to solve optimization problems that rely on computationally expensive simulation models. An example illustrates the capabilities of the method and the significant enhancements in performance that result from an optimized piston skirt profile.