"Any time we need a 3/8-inch diameter pushrod with a 0.120 wall, we go to Manley Performance Products of Lakewood, New Jersey," state Stewart Van Dyne II and Stewart Van Dyne III (Tres) of Van Dyne Engineering in Huntington Beach, California. Pushrod sizing is important for the 830-horsepower, 510-cubic-inch big block Chevrolet (with spec heads and manifold) that the Van Dyne father-and-son combo prepare for the American Power Boat Association (APBA) Super Cat used by two-time...
In a previous article on the subject of advanced metals, we reported on the properties and uses of aluminium metal matrix composite materials as used in the modern racing engine. As can be seen from the table in that article, metal matrix composites have a lot to offer the designer of racing engines. The obvious areas where we might seek to use stiff lightweight alloys are the parts which we need to accelerate and change direction at high frequency, and the largest and most important of...
The use of a flywheel as an energy storage device is not new. The conventional heavy, metal flywheel as connected to the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine, is used as an energy storage device, releasing its energy in order to maintain momentum during the idle strokes of the engine. The mechanical KERS system has been made successful by producing a flywheel of low mass, small size, running at high speeds.The energy stored in a flywheel is given by the following formula: E =...
Traditional journal bearings for internal combustion are of the tri-metal type. This type of bearing consists of a steel backing, a hard middle layer and a soft top layer. Typical soft bearing materials are: lead, tin, zinc, or alloys of these metals while typical hard bearing materials are: Aluminium-tin; lead-bronze; copper-lead. The soft top could comprise of three layers, providing five metal layers. Journal bearings operate between the extremes of no lubrication on the one hand, to...
It always surprises me how often people approach a recognised expert in a particular subject and yet fail to act on their advice. We can all think of occasions when say, consulting a solicitor or lawyer, since theirs is a world of uncertainty and risk, it might be reasonable to seek alternate council. But in seeking advice from a reputable camshaft supplier it seems silly to ignore their advice and go for a completely different cam to that suggested. And yet, I am told, it still happens....