Pressure sensors are an integral part of advanced engine testing systems, particularly those used to measure in-cylinder combustion pressures. These provide an invaluable insight into the efficiency of the combustion process and are a vital tool for engine calibration and testing. However, the conditions present in many bespoke race engines can prove problematic for some sensor types, due to factors such as very high combustion pressures and vibrations caused by high rates of valvetrain...
Regardless of the racing series, almost every racecar in the world will feature a clutch. However, the friction materials used in these clutches will differ radically depending on the torque and power delivery characteristics of the engine. So what are the materials available and how to they vary? Organic So-called ‘organic’ clutches have been around for the best part of 50 years. Organic is something of an outmoded term now, as it harks back to when asbestos was used in the...
Valve springs are often the most highly stressed parts in any race engine. While some types of race engine don’t have valve springs – two-stroke, Wankel, four-stroke desmodromic or four-stroke with pneumatic valve return – most of the race engines we encounter will be equipped with some form of wire spring. For modern engines valve springs will generally be the familiar helical spring. In their unending quest to make the engine perform better through improved breathing,...