M.Beyerstedt | November 18, 2011
A brief discussion of materials and designs
By Mike Mavrigian
Intake and exhaust valves are available today in a staggering range of choices. In this article, we attempt to clarify and explain the differences, in terms of materials, their performance aspects, an overview of valve coatings and to provide a broad reference in terms of valve selection. Continue Reading »
M.Beyerstedt | November 18, 2011
The final frontier in engine testing
By Ray T. Bohacz
Some of the best competition valve train specialists to emerge in the past thirty years owes much of its supremacy to extensive developing and testing of its competition parts. The test machine is a SpinTron. Parts tested are principally roller tappets and rocker arms.
“Ten or twelve years ago when I first pressed the SpinTron into action,” says Danny Jesel, “my immediate response was one of shock—the racket it generated was incredible! I just wasn’t expecting the opening and closing of two valves to be so loud, and initially I thought something was broken.”
Once Danny Jesel became accustomed to the commotion, his next challenge was grappling with the phenomenon known as lofting. Lofting occurs when engine speeds increase, usually above 4,000 rpm, causing the tappet and valve train components to lose contact with the camshaft each revolution. As a result the valves remain open much longer than camshaft designers had intended. Some race engine developers call it “controlled valve float.” Continue Reading »
M.Beyerstedt | November 18, 2011
By Ryan Hunter
Given the choices, why would one use a copper head gasket? Let’s dig into it because there are applications (perhaps more than you think) for which copper head gaskets are the best choice. To be sure, copper has been around for a while and with good reason. Let’s walk through some of the attributes and benefits unique to copper, then we’ll get ready to put them on.
Malleable: Copper is stronger than any composite head gasket yet still malleable so it conforms to the sealing surfaces. This strength-malleability combination is, more than any other attribute, the ‘selling point’ of copper as a head gasket material over other materials. While the advantages of strength are self evident, the benefits of a malleable gasket body are somewhat more nuanced. Simply put; conformity makes a tighter seal which will show up in lower leak down percentages. Continue Reading »
M.Beyerstedt | November 18, 2011
By Sanjai Keshavan
Engine builders and rebuilders, especially in low and medium volume flexible production environment, strive to at least match (or surpass) the OEM surface finish and size specifications when it comes to honing bores of various engine components such as cylinder block, liners, connecting rod, cam bore, crank bore, etc.
Given the higher volumes, OEM’s dedicate equipment that is customized for the part. For example most Automotive OEM’s use a single pass honing (also called diamond sizing) when finishing connecting rods. Lately some of them have been using a combination of single pass honing and conventional honing to meet certain engineered surface characteristics. Cylinder block and liners on the other hand are honed by traditional stroke honing techniques, while the crank bore is single pass honed to get final hole alignment and fine finish with high bearing area ratio. Even in conventional honing, OEM’s are also implementing technologies such as Helical Slide Honing developed by Nagel, which has shown to create a large impact on reducing engine wear and oil consumption – especially in Diesels. OEM’s through extensive research and development constantly raise the bar and it is becoming increasingly difficult, time consuming and in lot of cases virtually impossible for manufacturers to surpass OEM specs – given the level of honing technology that is predominantly used in the field today. Continue Reading »
M.Beyerstedt | November 18, 2011
By Roger Schiradelly and Rick Diekman
The use of extremely low temperatures (cryogenic temperatures, which scientists define as below -244°F.) to boost the performance and service life of critical components is now commonplace in the racing industry and is becoming more and more prevalent in the manufacture of high quality components. What was once considered by many to be a questionable science is becoming a bedrock solid means of insuring the greater performance of materials.
Why has it taken this long to gain acceptance? It is extremely hard to get across to people that changes can be made using cold. People easily grasp the fact that heat can be made to modify solid materials. Heat treating is all around us. Humans have been modifying metals with heat for over 7,000 years, and archeologists have found evidence that humans heated the rocks to make better tools with them over 140,000 years ago. So, the use of heat is second nature to most of us. We’ve only had extreme cold available to us in commercial quantities for about 100 years.
M.Beyerstedt | November 18, 2011
Big droplets of fuel cost you power
By Keith Wilson
From the Editor: The internal aerodynamics of a four cycle engine intake tract are thought to be understood by many people. In reality, very few in the world understand it completely. Keith Wilson has proven himself as one who does understand. What follows is information from the man himself.
Let me start be relating something that everyone understands and has experienced at one time or another: the common cold. Remember a feeling of having to work hard to inhale every breath that was restricted. Of course the cold does go away and it is so much easier to breathe because of less restriction.
The trick is making spacer plates and intake manifolds which allow increased air flow into the engine.
M.Beyerstedt | November 18, 2011
By LaVern Schumann, Jr.
Determining the proper centerline of a camshaft lobe to the existing centerline of the engine block lifter bore has never been easier when using a new tool developed by Schumann Sales and Service.
Cam manufacturers and engine builders all recognize the fact that the centerline of the cam lobe and the centerline of the lifter bore must coincide in order to use optimum high pressure valve springs with fast rate of lift, solid flat tappet camshafts. Have you ever tried to eyeball this alignment? The critical ideal misalignment is plus or minus .015” of coinciding centerlines. Some manufacturers and engine builders spend tremendous amounts of time determining the 16 centerlines required.
M.Beyerstedt | November 18, 2011
24 things you need to know
By Sam Logan
Nothing undermines the legitimacy of a connecting rod maker more than a deficient batch of rods. They agonize constantly about heat treatments, high revs, heavy pistons, heavy pins, the number of race laps between rebuilds, but probably most of all whether or not nitrous is being sprayed. It’s a complicated business determining minimum weight while yielding maximum strength, enough to withstand the abuse sustained by the average race motor.
Lunati overcomes these special problems with their I-beam Signature series connecting rods by forging them in 4340, a very tough material with high nickel and high molybdenum content. In fact, the chemical constituents of the rods are almost identical to the dies from which they are forged. Probably the chief reason they consistently withstand high impact loads at high temperatures is because the manufacturing process is closely governed in a batch furnace. To this end the controlled quenching procedures and elaborate racking maintain the stability of these accomplished connecting rods during heat treatment.
M.Beyerstedt | November 18, 2011
By Dr. Dmitri Kopeliovich
In my last article for Engine Professional, I examined the causes for engine bearing failure and the importance of selecting the right materials to achieve maximum bearing life, even under the harshest conditions.
In this article we will look at engine bearing tolerances in relationship to the entire engine bearing assembly. To achieve maximum bearing operation success, it is important to understand the dimensions and tolerances of each part of the bearing assembly. We will look at the phenomenon of hydrodynamic lubrication, the importance of proper oil clearance, the difference between maximum and minimum wall thickness (eccentricity), an explanation of crush height, engine bearing damage that occurs because of defects in the crankshaft journal, and issues related to the crankcase and connecting rod.
J.Goodman | November 10, 2011
Attention School Instructors!
We want to inform you of an exciting new program for your students. A few months ago AERA launched an Engine Rebuilding & Machining Certificate Program online. This program is an online, self-paced course with up to one year to complete. Gary Lewis’ book, Automotive Machine & Engine Repair is included with the $150 registration fee. So far 52 people have enrolled, many of them automotive students. Seven people have already completed both the Cylinder Head and Engine Machinist exams.
We want to make this more affordable for your students. Each AERA school member’s instructor can purchase one Gary Lewis book for $75.00 and all instructors and instructors’ students who sign up (register a minimum of 5 from one school at one time) will only be charged $75.00 each but will not receive their own book. The instructor will have control over the book and test.
Additionally, AERA has a letter that can be sent to an instructor’s Board of Education stipulating that a course of this type taught at the college level would earn between 4.5 and 6 credit hours. AERA is not an accredited educational institution but has evaluated this online course through DeAnza College where the same material is covered for similar course credit.
We think this is a great opportunity for students. If you are interested in finding out more about this exciting new certificate school program, please call the AERA office at 815-526-7600, extension 202 and ask for Karen Tendering or email Karen@aera.org. Karen can answer all your questions and, when ready, register you and your students to begin the program.
Sincerely,
John E Goodman
President CEO
