I have little doubt that, for many of you reading it, much of this short article and those that follow will be a case of ‘teaching Granny to suck eggs’. However, for those who are involved in engine design, possibly as beginners, an understanding of how a fastener develops load via the application of torque is a useful lesson. These articles don’t pretend to be a full guide to fastener and joint design (there are some very authoritative books on the subject), but will help...
It has been almost twenty years since the European Union introduced the world to E numbers. Initially seen as a somewhat crude attempt to control the use of artificial additives in food, the automatic reaction from the public was to label anything with an E number as being bad. This despite the fact that many well-known and healthy foodstuffs (for example Vitamin C – E300), are essential requirements in a well-balanced diet. Today in the motoring and motor sports world we have our own...
The oil pump in any engine has been likened to the human heart. At the core of operations it provides the essential life-giving fluid to all the other components and surfaces in the system. And while there are many other similarities, unlike the human heart, the oil pump seems to be accepted as some form of necessity but given very little attention thereafter. In part I guess this attitude stems from our road-going transport habits. Buried away deep inside the power unit and out of sight,...
A piston can’t do a good job unless it has a good ring pack, and likewise, a good ring pack will be useless without a good piston. Most people will appreciate that the piston ring exists principally to reduce the amount of combustible gases escaping into the crankcase, but I’m afraid there is a lot more to it than that simple statement. To start off with, the seal has to move at a speed of something up to 5000 ft per minute (26 m/sec) and cope with piston temperatures of 300 deg...
Ever the innovator, NHRA Funny Car crew chief Austin Coil of John Force Racing is currently investigating the use of JFR-produced forged steel ring land inserts on the Venolia pistons used on 14-time Funny Car John Force’s Ford Mustang. “It is a lot like units that the diesel pistons have and the approach was used very successfully in the turbocharged Honda Formula One cars, back in Ayrton Senna’s day,” Coil told us. “But since we can’t afford a million...