- Piston Engine Technology -
Articles Describing Technical Aspects of Engine Design and Operation
NOTE: All our Products, Designs and Services are SUSTAINABLE, ORGANIC, GLUTEN-FREE, CONTAIN NO GMO's, and will not upset anyone's precious
FEELINGS or delicate SENSIBILITIES
Background
In early 1993, EPI began the development of a lightweight, 500 HP, liquid-cooled V8 aircraft powerplant (engine, propeller reduction gearbox,, and accessory
drives) for a high-performance, two-place tandem aircraft which EPI's CEO
had designed. Since then, EPI has developed that powerplant (the Gen-1) to a stable level. Next, using newer hardware technology and refined design
concepts, we developed the EPI Gen-2 powerplant.
EPI has completed a clean-sheet 60-degree V12 engine, and has
recently designed and developed a clean-sheet air-cooled
flat-four that outperforms its nearest competitor by over 25%. Several standalone products have resulted from those programs, including
Propeller Reduction Gearboxes, ignition systems, lubrication systems, accessory drives, and engine
mount structures.
The analysis methodology used in the development of these powerplants has been the subject of two technical presentations given by EPI's CEO
at the Advanced Engine Technology Conference (AETC, 1996 and 2006).
This section of the website expands on those presentations in order to make the basics of engine design, development and evaluation available
to a wider audience.
Several of the articles in this section, designated by "{RET}" next to the title, have been published in
Race Engine Technology Magazine, a periodical which is valued at the highest
levels of motorsport. Portions of certain pages here have been published in CONTACT magazine, and
in EAA's on-line magazine EXPERIMENTER.
The details about the (discontinued) EPI Gen-1 and Gen-2 aircraft powerplants, and the new engine EPI
is developing, can be seen in the Aircraft Engine Products
section of this website.
1. POWER and TORQUE
The difference between power and torque; how power depends on torque and RPM.
IT IS ESSENTIAL TO UNDERSTAND THIS SUBJECT
2. CONVERTING FUEL INTO HORSEPOWER
How engines convert fuel energy into mechanical energy, the limitations of that conversion, and a yardstick (BSFC) to evaluate the claims of engine builders.
3. VOLUMETRIC EFFICIENCY
The efficiency of an engine's air-pumping capability, and how mass airflow is the critical determinant of engine performance.
4. BRAKE MEAN EFFECTIVE PRESSURE (BMEP)
A basic yardstick of engine performance, and how to use it to reality-check horsepower claims.
5. ENGINE COMPARISON TOOLS
A summary of the engine evaluation tools covered in the preceding sections, PLUS a new tool (EPC) for comparing the performance of diverse engines.
6. CRANKSHAFT DESIGN, MATERIALS, and MANUFACTURING {RET} Crankshaft structural and vibratory
loads, design issues, metallurgy, manufacturing, and heat treatment processes.
7. PISTON MOTION, VELOCITY, and ACCELERATION
The basic motion of a piston in its cylinder, providing the basis for understanding subsequent subjects.
8. FORCES ON RECIPROCATING COMPONENTS The forces and resulting vibrations that are generated
within an engine during the intake-compression-combustion-exhaust cycles.
10. CAMSHAFT and VALVETRAIN TECHNOLOGY-PART 2-SPECIFICS A detailed discussion of the advantages and
disadvantages of verious types of componentry in pushrof valvetrains.
11. ENGINE BEARING FUNDAMENTALS (RET} The fundamental operating modes and characteristics of
fluid film bearings, which comprise the vast majority of bearings used in 4-stroke piston engines and certain 2-stroke applications.
12. EVOLVING ENGINE MATERIALS (RET} Details on some new alloys which are evolving into
key engine materials, as well as details on the properties and chemistries of certain popular alloys.
13. ENGINE LUBRICATION SYSTEMS Piston engine lubrication systems,
components, performance, and requirements, and the exposure of some oil pump hype.
14. EXHAUST SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY (RET}
The operation of finite pressure waves in an exhaust system, and how they can be used to increase power; also, advanced exhaust materials
and exhaust system implementations.
15. TURBOCHARGERS: TECHNOLOGY and DEVELOPMENTS (RET}
Technical details on the operation of turbocharger systems and an insight into current developments (2008) in the technology.
16. COMBUSTION: NORMAL and ABNORMAL
The nature of "normal" combustion and the definition, recognition, symptoms, and results of detonation and pre-ignition.
17. COMBUSTION ANALYSIS TECHNOLOGY
The implementation and uses of the amazing technology that captures cylinder pressure, intake port pressure and exhaust port pressure
every 1 degree of rotation at 10,000 rpm.
18. THE TORSIONAL OUTPUT OF PISTON ENGINES
The origins and severity of the torque spikes which occur every time a cylinder fires.
19. CRANKSHAFT TORSIONAL ABSORBERS
The purpose and operation of the torsional absorbers (misnamed "dampers") on the free end of an engine crankshaft.
20. REVERSING THE ROTATION OF AN ENGINE
Issues which need to be addressed when the direction of crankshaft rotation of an engine is changed.
21. ELECTRONIC ENGINE CONTROLS
Issues arising from adaptating contemporary engine control computers to aircraft operation and attaining an acceptable degree of reliability.
22. A COMPARISON OF TWO ULTIMATE PISTON ENGINES (RET}
A comparison of the World's Definitive V8 Engines (NASCAR Cup and Formula-One) using several important and revealing metrics.
23. A DETAILED LOOK AT ENGINE DESIGN METHODOLOGY (RET}
An in-depth series of 12 webpages detailing the from-scratch design of a 1750-HP, 650 cubic inch V-12 aircraft engine.
24. HOW NOT TO BUILD AN ENGINE
A detailed presentation on the post-mortem inspection of a massive Race-Aircraft-V8 engine failure that nearly killed the pilot of the aircraft.
25. CONTEMPORARY ENERGY MYTHOLOGY
A discussion showing the fallacies of PC-mandated "Thought" regarding Energy and Anthropogenic Global Warming
