I have to admit that at the moment, visits to our capital city are few and far between. The heart of business and finance maybe the place where many a motor sport deal is done, but the real action as far as I am concerned, is always in the workshop or on the track. But on those very occasional sojourns when needs must and when using the underground ‘tube’, I’m always reminded of one critical aspect of the piston ring. You see, at many of the stations when the train is just...
The use of amplified light has a great many applications in industry and beyond. Many of us reading this will do so having had our sight improved by laser eye treatment. In terms of the use of lasers in engineering, perhaps the most widespread application is laser-cutting, allowing sheet metal to be cut into any shape from a simple dxf drawing file. Many engineering works specialising in sheet metal will offer laser cutting nowadays. In a similar way, lasers are often used for part-marking...
Today is the first of many strikes, or so we are told. The continuing dispute between management and unions in the Post Office has resulted in this, the first of a number of planned one-day stoppages across the UK on which the mere thought of reaching for an envelope and putting pen to paper is but the last thing on my mind. As engineers however, ‘addressing the envelope’ has an altogether different meaning. Other than a flat paper container with a sealable flap, to engineers an...
The traditional race car multi plate clutch is essentially a friction drive that transmits engine torque into the transmission itself. Layers of plates are alternately geared to the clutch housing, which is bolted to the engine flywheel and also to the clutch hub, which is splined to the gearbox input shaft. When a heavy axial, or clamp load is applied to the assembly, the friction produced between plates prevents any rotation between them and we have a solid drive without any additional...
Up until about five years ago, the standard pushrod outside diameter for a USAC National midget engine was 5/16 inch, costing roughly $6 each. That has changed, according to Frank Honsowetz of Ed Pink Racing Engines (EPRE). Now, he uses one of two Trend 4130 chrome moly pushrod specifications, both with carbo-nitriding that infuses carbon into the material for a better bearing surface. Honsowetz said the 166-cubic-inch Toyota four-cylinder engine they build for use in USAC’s National...