In recent articles, we have assessed some of the materials employed in the manufacture of racing valves. This month we will take a break from this recent theme, and take a brief look at some of the surface treatments used on racing valves, perhaps returning in the future to look more deeply at some of them. Read more…
Archive for November, 2009
Valve Surface Treatments
Sunday, November 15th, 2009Build a stable spring
Sunday, November 15th, 2009
What does it take to build a better valve spring for USAC National Midget use? Frank Honsowetz of Ed Pink Racing Engines (EPRE) in Van Nuys, California cites a long-term relationship with Steve Pound at PSI Springs as his great starting point.
“We use PSI springs in everything we do, not just in the Toyota midget engine,” he told me. “We have such a long relationship with them and we are able to work together to advance development of our springs. Read more…
Trends in Race Clutch Design
Sunday, November 15th, 2009
The traditional race car multi plate clutch is essentially a friction drive that transmits engine torque into the transmission itself. Layers of plates are alternately geared to the clutch housing, which is bolted to the engine flywheel and also to the clutch hub, which is splined to the gearbox input shaft. When a heavy axial, or clamp load is applied to the assembly, the friction produced between plates prevents any rotation between them and we have a solid drive without any additional mechanical engagement. Transmitting this drive depends on maintaining the clamp load. This is usually obtained by Read more…
Laser Peening
Sunday, November 15th, 2009
The use of amplified light has a great many applications in industry and beyond. Many of us reading this will do so having had our sight improved by laser eye treatment. In terms of the use of lasers in engineering, perhaps the most widespread application is laser-cutting, allowing sheet metal to be cut into any shape from a simple dxf drawing file. Many engineering works specialising in sheet metal will offer laser cutting nowadays. In a similar way, lasers are often used for part-marking purposes, from part and serial numbers to barcodes etc. Read more…
The Sum of the Parts
Sunday, November 15th, 2009
While it might be the aim of many engine designers to minimise the chance of any oil leakage by dispensing with the humble rotating shaft seal, it may not always be possible or even desirable. At any point where there is a mechanical take-off in the form of a rotating shaft, an oil seal will need to be present and while race engine designers try to minimise these occurrences, for the rest of us wishing to improve existing OE equipment or re-engineer old engines, that option simply does not exist. However armed with a knowledge of the design parameters around which these seals perform best, there Read more…
“Mind the Gap”
Sunday, November 15th, 2009
I have to admit that at the moment, visits to our capital city are few and far between. The heart of business and finance maybe the place where many a motor sport deal is done, but the real action as far as I am concerned, is always in the workshop or on the track. But on those very occasional sojourns when needs must and when using the underground ‘tube’, I’m always reminded of one critical aspect of the piston ring. You see, at many of the stations when the train is just coming to a halt and doors open, the station announcer may call “mind the gap.” And lost in my own little world my mind immediately reverts Read more…
The stiffer the better
Sunday, November 15th, 2009
Up until about five years ago, the standard pushrod outside diameter for a USAC National midget engine was 5/16 inch, costing roughly $6 each. That has changed, according to Frank Honsowetz of Ed Pink Racing Engines (EPRE). Now, he uses one of two Trend 4130 chrome moly pushrod specifications, both with carbo-nitriding that infuses carbon into the material for a better bearing surface.
Honsowetz said the 166-cubic-inch Toyota four-cylinder engine they build for use in USAC’s National midget Read more…
Avoiding piston micro-welding
Sunday, November 15th, 2009
Keeping a piston’s top ring land from experiencing critical wear is a problem that every engine builder experiences, particularly in the hard fought world of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition. Dr Andrew Randolph of Earnhardt Childress Racing (ECR) Engines has worked endlessly to remedy the problem.
“As rings get closer and closer to the top of the piston, they get so hot that the aluminium melts and adheres to the piston. Not long after that, the piston begins to fail.” What Randolph and ECR have done to circumvent this Read more…
What goes in must come out
Sunday, November 15th, 2009
It is surely an obvious statement of fact that what goes in, will eventually come out again – somewhere! Filling the bath with water and then watching it drain away again afterwards is an example. The joy of watching the bank balance rise at the end of the month and then tearfully watching it ebb away again in the weeks following, is another. But unlike these examples, which would appear to happen without any effort at all, the task of extracting the oil out of an engine comes at a price. And that price on a race engine, is the highest of all – power! So while we are consuming power to pump the oil into the engine Read more…
Laser honing
Sunday, November 15th, 2009
The surface condition of the cylinder bore has occupied the minds of motorists, engineers and enthusiasts for many years. Often expressed in terms of oil consumption – miles per litre or miles per quart depending upon which side of the Atlantic you reside – provided consumption isn’t excessive, all is generally thought to be fine. In a racing engine however, where cost of ownership is, let’s face it, more or less irrelevant, the real issue here is one of friction.
In recent years and with vehicle emission standards Read more…
