In my previous article I looked at the key differences between the former V8 and current turbo-powered Formula One engine blocks. The principal ones were far higher peak firing pressure and specific power, and because of these the main dimensions of the engine block have had to be modified in order to increase block robustness under these increased loads. Another significant engine component that has a direct relationship with these increased loads is the cylinder head, so let us take a...
Not so many years ago, there was a united cry from all the teams in LM P1 not running diesels at Le Mans: “We can’t win”, and on the whole they were right. The rules are more balanced now though, and the diesel battle no longer exists. Audi is the only diesel LM P1 entrant, and competing with it are gasoline hybrids from Toyota and Porsche, to be joined soon by Nissan. Audi needs to remain competitive in the face of new competition, and its latest diesel engine seems to be...
The term ‘fatigue resistant’ might be a little misleading, as it is not a quality that is in black and white but shades of grey, and any component can be made to fail through fatigue by subjecting it to a high enough level of cyclic stress. However, when it comes to fasteners, there are some design features, material choices and manufacturing methods that we can use to improve fatigue strength. Many of these have been covered in previous RET-Monitor articles in this channel. One...
The fuel injector is an electromagnetically controlled device designed to meter fuel to the engine, and at the same time offer it in a form such that it can be readily combusted. Presented in this way, the task of the injector would therefore seem to be fairly straightforward, and over the years a number of designs have been offered. Pintle-type injectors, ball-and-seat designs through to simple disc derivatives – each new design has been slightly more tolerant to the build-up of...
A race engine is effectively an air pump and, in theory at least, the greater amount of air it passes then the greater amount of power produced. However, the introduction of the inlet (or exhaust) valve to control the flow into (or out of) the combustion chamber brings with it a number of practical limitations, one of which is the potential for restricting or biasing the flow around the valve seat when at partial lift. Engineers have grappled with this problem for many years, and while the...