In 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…
Archive for February, 2010
Materials for extreme applications
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010There’s plenty of R&D to Toyota Racing Development’s valve springs
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
As 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…
Tractive Effort
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
In 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…
Polishing & Finishing
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
When 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…
Seal Elastomers - the lubricant angle.
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
The 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…
The Dykes Ring
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
There 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…
Pushrod clearances count
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
Toyota 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…
Piston challenges more prevalent on Cup open engine
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
Toyota 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…
The Oil Filter
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
Of 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…
Corrosion
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
It 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.
