During research for a forthcoming Race Engine Technology magazine article, Wayne Ward discussed the matter of coatings as applied to racing engine pistons with a number of the well-known suppliers, designers and manufacturers of racing pistons. The more specific point of polymer coatings in racing engines has been recently examined on the RET Monitor website, and the application of these to racing engine pistons was discussed. The focus of the discussion of polymer coatings on pistons was on the potential role that they can play in accelerated development of optimised skirt profiles. Our discussions with the piston manufacturers Read more…
Archive for December, 2009
Piston Coatings
Saturday, December 19th, 2009Valve Tips
Saturday, December 19th, 2009
The tip of the racing poppet valve is seldom considered, despite having to withstand relatively high contact stresses. Whilst we can say that the contact stresses concerned are generally low compared to other valve train applications, the relative movement between the valve tip and the adjacent component can be low, especially in the case of overhead cam engines where a lash cap or, more rarely, a bucket follower applies the load to the valve.
Even in the case of those engines where rockers are used, the sliding velocity of the adjacent parts, relative Read more…
Valve Spring Failures
Saturday, December 19th, 2009
As the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series 24-race season wound to a close in early November, the Matco Tools Top Fuel team with driver Antron Brown, a group that had changed ownership twice over the off-season, did so again when it was sold to Don Schumacher Racing just before the penultimate round on The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
That change will likely result in changes to parts distribution, as DSR campaigns two other T/F dragsters for [now] six-time consecutive champion Tony Read more…
The Pull Clutch
Saturday, December 19th, 2009
The appearance of the pull type clutch in the race car world in the last decade was driven mainly by considerations of efficiency, consistency, and component life. These factors are improved by an increase in the mechanical advantage of the release mechanism.
Starting with the basic operation of a conventional ‘push’ clutch, the ‘push’ that is delivered by a slave cylinder refers to the force that is required to disengage the clutch plates. Upon depressing the clutch pedal, hydraulic fluid is forced into the cylinder which is then thrust out Read more…
Boriding/Boronizing
Saturday, December 19th, 2009
In a previous article on the subject of surface treatments, RET Monitor contributor Tom Sharp discussed various surface hardening methods for crankshafts, and the method of nitriding was expanded upon in a subsequent article on the subject of nitride hardening. Not only does nitriding of steels offer a more wear-resistant surface, but there are substantial benefits from the introduction of compressive residual stresses with regard to fatigue behaviour.
Literature is littered with accounts of similar benefits Read more…
Diamond-like-Carbon
Saturday, December 19th, 2009
One of the most recent innovations in piston ring technology has been the invention of diamond-like-carbon coatings. The progressive move away from cast or ductile iron towards much stronger but less durable steel designs, made the development of suitable surface coatings a distinct priority.
Some time ago I had occasion to view the results of a study into engine friction. The engine, a quad-cam V8 of modern design and a ladder frame bottom-end, was motored in the fully hot condition up to 6000 rpm Read more…
When a pushrod fails
Saturday, December 19th, 2009
Every part on a NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Top Fuel engine takes more abuse than in any other type of racing. It’s the nature of the beast. Even the pushrods can get hurt – although they might have the longest life span of any integral part in the valvetrain.
This particular Manton intake pushrod was installed for eliminations at the penultimate NHRA round (of 24) on The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It was being used in the Don Schumacher Racing Matco Tools Top Fuel rail of Antron Brown, who finished third in the season-long Read more…
TOP FUEL PISTON SECRETS
Saturday, December 19th, 2009
When it comes to prepping pistons for their NHRA Top Fuel rail, Don Schumacher Racing’s Antron Brown-driven team relies on co-tuner Rob Wendland. This year, the team led the ‘regular season’ of 18 races and finished third in the point standings, 49 behind six-time consecutive champion (and teammate) Tony Schumacher.
Wendland said the team uses a variety of pistons, depending on the nature of the circuit. Their primary choice is a hard anodized JE piston, “Because they provide excellent customer service. Read more…
Oil Pump Cavitation
Saturday, December 19th, 2009
Apart from the accidental ingress of debris, the greatest danger to any design of oil pump, particularly one of the gear tooth design, is that of cavitation. Commonly found in centrifugal pumps also, the presence of this phenomenon and the resulting surface erosion is often confusing to the uninformed.
A complex process having one of many causes, for an adequate explanation we need to understand and explore some of the more basic principles of fluid mechanics. In particular if we consider the case of steady flow Read more…
Flywheel energy storage
Saturday, December 19th, 2009
The use of a flywheel as an energy storage device is not new. The conventional heavy, metal flywheel as connected to the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine, is used as an energy storage device, releasing its energy in order to maintain momentum during the idle strokes of the engine. The mechanical KERS system has been made successful by producing a flywheel of low mass, small size, running at high speeds.
The energy stored in a flywheel is given by the following formula: Read more…
