One of the biggest issues with any machine tool, camshaft grinders included, is that of axis backlash. Defined as the loss of motion when the machine's axis, either rotational or linear, reverses, it can have a major influence on the precision of the component being made. With camshaft lobes needing to be ground to accuracies of +/- 6 microns or better, the backlash in the machine is therefore of critical importance. The result of loose or worn components in the cross-slides - bolts,...
There is wide agreement among racing engine manufacturers and builders that the source of much friction in the racing engine comes from the crankcase. These losses are not entirely due to the amount of lubricant in the crankcase, as I can attest from personal experience. But there can certainly be gains made in reducing frictional losses by minimising the amount of oil in the crankcase and better control of the oil that's there. In wet-sump engines the control of oil has traditionally...
The big-end bearing shells that we find in almost all four-stroke racing engines are an item made with great precision. They are generally 'graded' and as such are available in thickness grades which have a range of only a few microns. Moreover, their length is critical in ensuring that the correct pre-load is achieved when fitting. The continuing development of various platings and coatings applied to the bearing shells allow higher pressures than were possible a few years ago....
The fatigue behaviour of a crankshaft is dictated by the service loads it is expected to cope with, its manufacture and its geometry. In numerous articles concerning crankshafts, surface treatments and materials, RET-Monitor has stressed the critical importance of compressive residual stresses for increasing fatigue life, and it is here that the correct selection of material, heat treatment and further processing is of utmost importance. In terms of geometry, there are two types of...
If there is one area of engineering that has simply exploded over the past 30 years or so it is that of control. Where once we had mechanical or electrical devices to manage what few systems were around, these days almost all mechanical systems are controlled by some measure of electronics and computing such that a whole new subject has evolved - that of mechatronics.In the case of a modern race engine, we are all too familiar with the idea of electronics together with a little help from...