The previous article on the subject of KERS was a retrospective look at the hybrid system in the Panoz Q9. In seeking to bring the emerging technology of regenerative braking to racing, Don Panoz was years ahead of the game.
There are now very few large car-makers who don’t have a serious hybrid development programme, and a growing number of them feel the technology is mature enough to release series production models - notably Honda with the Insight and the Civic Hybrid, and Toyota with its Read more…
It’s widely known that Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI) has a number of material properties which in certain applications make it the material of choice for cylinder blocks. So does this also apply to race engine cylinder heads and, if so, why?
The world of Formula One is a special case in the technology of engine lubrication. With formulations closely guarded and reputed to be radically different from those found on the service station forecourt, the philosophy behind them is to generate the minimum amount of friction commensurate with adequate component life. But when at one time engines could be changed between practice and the race, now with only eight engines allowed for the whole season the pendulum has moved away from minimising friction to enhanced durability, before - as will inevitably be the case - 
When we design a fastener, or select one for use, there are a number of points to consider. Not least among these is whether the fastener will last for the life of the engine, or certainly between planned services.
In the world of motorcycle racing, in particular it seems, it has been common to find strange appendages on exhaust systems, on everything from single-cylinder motocross machinery to high-speed inline four-cylinder engines. They can take various forms, common types being:
Most of the time many of us are quite happy with just one injector per cylinder. The complexity of EFi arrangements and the software necessary to control an engine under the wide range of anticipated conditions are complex enough without going looking for problems.
Now that kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) are back on the agenda in Formula One and Le Mans prototypes, it’s a reminder that a flywheel is not only a convenient place to attach the clutch, it can also be used to store energy. As well as electric motor/generator systems, several other KERS units have incorporated flywheels running in a vacuum.
The vast majority of race crankshafts that we see are made from one piece of material and are generally machined from either a billet of wrought steel, a forging or possibly a casting - certainly in the case of multi-cylinder engines this is the norm.
Any technical discussion about engine vibration generally revolves around one of two areas, namely the cranktrain and the valvetrain. In terms of the crankshaft, torsional vibrations - or rather their avoidance or mitigation - are a major concern.
The contact area between the cylinder bore and the piston and its rings is of critical importance. The material and surface treatments on these components, as well as their design, affect the lubrication, friction and wear - and, as a consequence, have a direct effect on the output of the engine, not only in its absolute level but also in terms of its consistency over time. Moreover, reliability can be compromised if the wrong materials and surface treatments are chosen.
