Advanced Metals

New Application of Aluminium Alloy

advanced-metalsOwing to the fact that the subject material of this article is, in itself, fairly unremarkable, we should, perhaps, consider what it is that makes a material advanced. Is it significant that it is of an unusual composition? Perhaps we consider a material to be advanced if it has unusual or desirable properties. Possibly a combination of criteria make a material seem advanced to us. An interpretation which I would like to use, for the purposes of this article at least, and perhaps for other articles to follow is that a material is an advanced one if it offers us new opportunities in design.

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RET Focus: Advanced Metals, view the latest magazine article here.

Bearings

Rolling contact bearings

bearingsThe terms rolling contact bearing, anti friction bearing and rolling element bearing are used to describe that class of bearing in which the main load is transferred through elements in rolling contact with each other. Friction in a rolling element bearing is present, but it is negligible when compared to the starting friction of a journal type bearing. The load, bearing speed and the viscosity of the lubrication all affect the friction within the bearing. Although it is not technically correct to refer to this type of bearing as anti friction, it is a name that is in constant use. Read more…

RET Focus: Bearings, view the latest magazine article here.

Camshafts

Friction and the camshaft

camshaftsPerhaps the most noticeable trend in lubricant technology over the last 30 years or so is the movement towards lower viscosity oils. The relentless drive for greater efficiency and hence higher power has led to developments where in the past claims of an increase of up to 25kW have been made in a Formula One engine just by changing the oil. Whether you believe this to be true or not is immaterial but research over the years has shown that reducing the viscosity of the oil can lead to friction reduction in the piston ring pack and the bearings. However with its altogether much Read more…

RET Focus: Camshafts, view the latest magazine article here.

Coatings

Coatings: Phosphating

coatingsThere are a number of surface treatments which go under the generic term ‘phosphating’, but not all are used for the same purposes and equally not all will be potentially of use to us as engine designers or in specifying parts which will increase performance or reliability.

Phosphate is itself not a substance, but a negatively charged ion which may be found in solutions in a number of forms. The form which we might remember from chemistry (if we haven’t used selective recall to blank chemistry from our memory) is PO4, Read more…

RET Focus: Coatings, view the latest magazine article here.

Conrods

Smaller and lighter is always better

con-rodsIn the case that you don’t have this article delivered to your inbox, I hope that the title has drawn you here either in the hope that you will find how to make your con rods smaller and lighter (in which case you may be disappointed) or because you disagree with the fundamental statement of the title.

Previous articles on the subject of con rods have talked about some of the material choices for these parts, and in the recent magazine Focus article on the subject of con rods, the author discussed the Read more…

RET Focus: Conrods, view the latest magazine article here.

Crankshafts

Applying Matinaglia’s good advice

crankshaftsIn the author’s article on the mitigation of stress concentration in critical areas of crankshafts last month (Crankshafts: Stress-concentration mitigation), we mentioned the 1943 paper by Matinaglia. Some of his findings are repeated in the books by C.F. Taylor, which, if you don’t have a copy of these, you would do well to avail yourself of. The paper by Matinaglia is worth reading but, having been published many decades ago in a trade journal, is not easy to get sight of.

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RET Focus: Crankshafts, view the latest magazine article here.

Dynamometers

The DPX

dynamometersThe most common type of engine dynamometer today used by engine builders the world over, must be the eddy current machine. But few will ever forget, of those who ever used them, the DPX water brake. Made by Froude in Worcester, England since shortly after the turn of the (20th) century, and once to be found gracing some out-of-the-way engine test facility at University, to many this would be their introduction to the subtle art of engine testing. Classed as a fluid friction device, resistance to the torque of the engine is offered by a combination of shaft bearing friction, Read more…

RET Focus: Dynamometers, view the latest magazine article here.

ECU-EMS

Wall Wetting - The ‘Tau’ factor

ecu-emsIn a conventional multi-point port injected gasoline engine the fuel is introduced into the air stream in the form of a jet of liquid. Atomising into small droplets, these mix with the air, begin to vaporise and eventually get carried off past the intake valves and into the combustion chamber. In between, varying amounts of this fuel might condense on the wall, travel along it and eventually vaporise back into the air stream. However the presence of this fuel, often referred to as a ‘puddle’ can have a significant effect on Read more…

RET Focus: ECU-EMS, view the latest magazine article here.

Exhausts

Feeling the Heat (4)

exhaustsIn the previous RET Monitor article on the subject of exhaust insulation, we looked at plasma sprayed thermal barrier coatings for exhaust systems. In preceding articles, we have examined the reasons why thermal insulation of exhaust systems is necessary in certain applications, and advantageous in many others. An alternative to coating the exhaust system are the various types of thermally insulating wrappings, which may be in the form of a metallic ‘bag’ or ‘blanket’ or alternatively a refractory cloth, such as asbestos.

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RET Focus: Exhausts, view the latest magazine article here.

Fasteners

Thread Inserts

fastenersIn previous articles on the subject of fasteners, we have dwelt very little on the subject of female threads, other than in the article talking of bespoke nuts. The other main situation where we will find female threads is where these have been machined into castings or into machined parts. Unless the rules forbid their use, it is likely that we will have chosen an aluminium block, or where we are designing bespoke parts, aluminium is a very popular material, either in its cast or wrought forms, owing to its low density. Where Read more…

RET Focus: Fasteners, view the latest magazine article here.

Fuel / Lubricants

Alternative Fuels

fuel-lubricantsI guess you could say that the first decade of the 21st century, in the world of motor sport at least, were the years of the alternative fuels. Diesel (yes, we’re talking motor sports here), bio-ethanol, RME (rape methyl esters) and even CNG (compressed natural gas) have all been used during the decade for one kind of motor racing or another but there was one type of alternative fuel going back to the eighties and which didn’t quite make the headlines, for obvious reasons - and that was toluene. C7H8 to give it its Read more…

RET Focus: Fuel, view the latest magazine article here.

Heads Blocks

A Most Unusual Engine

heads-blocksAn engineer should not only have solid grounding in the fundamentals of his discipline but an interest in history too. A thorough understanding of the principles involved in product design is, I would have thought, an absolute necessity but an appreciation of all that has gone before is as equally valuable. So when other people are perhaps relaxing or enjoying the fruits of their labour I often prefer to saunter around some of the smaller transport museums in this land. On one occasion hidden behind a glass case I came Read more…

RET Focus: Heads Blocks, view the latest magazine article here.

KERS

KERS - Epicyclic gearing

kersConnected between the flywheel and the continuously variable transmission of the Flybrid, mechanical KERS is an epicyclic gear system, the focus of this article.

Epicyclic gearing is a gear system that consists of one or more planet gears, rotating about a central sun gear. Typically, the planet gears are mounted on a movable arm or carrier which itself may rotate relative to the sun gear. Epicyclic gearing systems may also incorporate the use of Read more…

RET Focus: KERS, view the latest magazine article here.

Liners/Sleeves

Corrosion

liners-sleevesIt is a rather strange but ironic fact of life that once a racing engine gets over a certain age then the biggest causes of failure are not likely to be those associated with excessive loads or the breakdown of lubrication, but simply that of corrosion. In the prime of its often very short racing life, an engine may be cosseted by professionals whose whole existence is centred on the well-being of that unit. It will be stripped, cleaned and examined on a regular basis and then re-assembled with the utmost care and then crated away into storage perfectly preserved until the time comes for it to be active again and give its best.

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RET Focus: Liners/Sleeves, view the latest magazine article here.

Oil Pumps

The Oil Filter

oil-pumpsOf all the components in a typical oil system, the function and hence usefulness of the oil filter in a modern racing engine must surely be one for review. Designed to separate the larger particles which somehow accumulate in the oil and prevent them from returning back into the engine, there is little doubt that in most roadgoing vehicles some kind of filter may be necessary. In a racing engine however, which is put together under the cleanest of conditions and then assembled into the chassis in workshops where quite frankly, I Read more…

RET Focus: Oil Pumps, view the latest magazine article here.

Pistons

Piston challenges more prevalent on Cup open engine

pistonsToyota Racing Development’s MAHLE Motorsports pistons are somewhat similar to the 2618 material typically used in NASCAR Sprint Cup applications, according to Brad Green at MAHLE’s Fletcher, North Carolina American headquarters. As TRD continues to try and gain performance edges while having to deal with shrinking budgets - as everyone does these days - using exotic materials just isn’t the route to take.

Still, according to David Currier, TRD’s vice Read more…

RET Focus: Pistons, view the latest magazine article here.

Pushrods

Pushrod clearances count

pushrodsToyota Racing Development (TRD) of Costa Mesa, California maintains a long-term relationship with pushrod manufacturer Trend Performance of Warren, Michigan. “We’ve worked with them on many other projects as well as the NASCAR Sprint Cup developments,” notes David Currier, vice president of engine engineering at TRD.

Although the service life of intake and exhaust pushrods is, conceivably, longer than the 700 miles that make up each Sprint Cup race Read more…

RET Focus: Pushrods, view the latest magazine article here.

Rings

The Dykes Ring

ringsThere have been many different types of piston ring developed over the years. Rectangular, taper face, barrel face, scraper, Napier, torsional twist, reversed torsional twist to name but a few. But one particular version that seems almost totally forgotten today, except for a few highly specialised applications is that of the Dykes ring. Peculiarly ‘L’-shaped in cross-section and named after it’s inventor not an embankment built to prevent flooding as might be at first thought, the Dykes ring was a regular feature on many a Read more…

RET Focus: Rings, view the latest magazine article here.

Seals / Gaskets

Seal Elastomers - the lubricant angle.

seals-gasketsThe interaction between the elastomer seals in an engine and its lubricant is an ongoing battle. Referred to simply as ‘compatibility issues’ by the specialists, the damage inflicted on the seal by the lubricant can manifest itself in two ways. The first of these is considered to be the direct chemical attack on the elastomer matrix resulting in its loss of performance (as a seal) while the second is the combined effect of this and the dynamic stresses applied. While the latter can be addressed by thorough dynamic testing, much of Read more…

RET Focus: Seals / Gaskets, view the latest magazine article here.

Surface Treatments

Polishing & Finishing

surface-treatmentsWhen we specify or design components for a racing engine, quite often we are interested in the surface finish. It is an important aspect of the overall perceived quality of the component, and it can have a large influence on the performance of the part in question for a number of reasons, of which there are three main ones to consider, namely endurance, wear and friction.

In terms of endurance, we know from reading Race Engine Technology, other magazines, Read more…

RET Focus: Surface Treatments, view the latest magazine article here.

Transmission

Tractive Effort

transmissionIn recent RET-Monitor features we have considered several aspects of transmission design and engineering, each time with the implicit assumption that some means of gearing between the power unit and road wheels was a prerequisite feature.

Why should this be so, and how do we then determine what we need?

Essentially we seek to transform rotational motion Read more…

RET Focus: Transmission, view the latest magazine article here.

Valve Springs

There’s plenty of R&D to Toyota Racing Development’s valve springs

valve-springsAs the newest player in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup arena, Toyota Racing Development (TRD) in Costa Mesa, California is playing catch-up to manufacturers that have been in the sport for many, many years. According to David Currier, vice president of engine engineering for TRD, his company prefers to use multiple sources for its double-spring valve springs.

“Our biggest challenge with valve springs is making them survive with more lift and extra cam Read more…

RET Focus: Valve Springs, view the latest magazine article here.

Valves

Materials for extreme applications

valvesIn a previous RET Monitor articles, we have looked at a couple of valve materials, namely titanium and titanium aluminide. The chief advantage of these materials is their low density which has obvious appeal when trying to keep control of valves at increasing engine speeds. Titanium aluminide, besides being possessed of even lower density than titanium has the additional advantage of increased stiffness, making it an excellent choice for poppet valves. Read more…

RET Focus: Valves, view the latest magazine article here.