What does it take to build a better valve spring for USAC National Midget use? Frank Honsowetz of Ed Pink Racing Engines (EPRE) in Van Nuys, California cites a long-term relationship with Steve Pound at PSI Springs as his great starting point. “We use PSI springs in everything we do, not just in the Toyota midget engine,” he told me. “We have such a long relationship with them and we are able to work together to advance development of our springs. “I think Steve looks...
In recent articles, we have assessed some of the materials employed in the manufacture of racing valves. This month we will take a break from this recent theme, and take a brief look at some of the surface treatments used on racing valves, perhaps returning in the future to look more deeply at some of them.In terms of surface treatments, we can split these into three basic groups:Coatings, which are applied on top of the bulk materialSurface hardening treatments, which alter the mechanical...
The previous article (Pin Critical) on Advanced Metals last month continued on the subject of titanium alloys. This month, we shall look in more detail at some of the more exotic aluminium alloys which are available, following on from a previous article in this vein. Whilst in some applications, a low modulus material is very useful (fasteners for example can benefit from having a low elastic modulus), in many of the applications where aluminium is used, high stiffness would be a useful...
Having looked last month at the McLaren Mercedes KERS system, this month we will investigate the use of energy recovery systems in La Sarthe, the home of the Le Mans 24 Hours. The ACO (Automobile Club d’Ouest, organisers of the Le Mans 24 Hours) currently incorporate the following section into the technical regulations for LMP1 cars in the ALMS and at Le Mans itself (see end of feature). KERS is currently only utilised in an ACO sanctioned series by the Corsa Motorsports Ginetta Zytek...
The purpose of a bearing is to support a load. Deflection of the journal within the bearing can adversely affect the load carrying ability of the bearing. This deflection can be greatly reduced by increasing the diameter of the journal and decreasing its length. This results in a short bearing with a consequential greater flow of oil out of the ends of the bearing. This outflow of oil transfers heat from the bearing and helps to reduce the bearing temperature.The factor which controls the...