The subject of coatings in motorsports is a hot topic, and has been for some time. Coatings have proven to be a 'silver bullet' in curing some problems, or knocking down obstacles that stand in the way of improved performance and reliability. There remains a lot of development activity in the development of coatings, and increasing willingness in motorsports to work with coatings companies to find the correct solutions to problems or to develop new coatings. PVD (physical vapour...
At the recent Autosport Show in England there was a lot to interest the motorsports enthusiast, but during the two trade days preceding the public show days, there is a simultaneous show, Autosport Engineering, where the latest developments in motorsports components are shown, manufacturing technologies are highlighted and much new technology is discussed. Many specialist engine component manufacturers from Europe and the US are represented here. One engine component represented such a...
The reasons why we might want to augment the moment caused by the counterweight by using a dense material are well understood and, in previous RET-Monitor articles, some of the methods by which we can add 'heavy metal' to crankshaft counterweights have been discussed. In this article I want to discuss the method that is generally held to be the most effective - adding tungsten. Happily, it can also prove to be one of the cheaper methods, especially when judged by the criterion of...
I don't know about you but I am continually amazed at the power of modern electronic components. Invariably integrated with some form of digital microprocessor, the speeds and in many cases capacity to store information is something truly to marvel. Moore's Law, formulated nearly 50 years ago by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, said at the time that the number of transistors that could be replaced by an integrated circuit would double every two years. Later, stating that this would go...
I don't know what it is about component failures but we engineers tend to find them fascinating. We may have designed and produced the most elegant piece of hardware, but it's somehow only when it fails - and the more catastrophically the better - that we sit up and take note. Sometimes it isn't the fault of the component but perhaps the environment into which it was placed. Sometimes it may have worked well in engines over many years and then suddenly as a result of a single,...