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Several knock-detection methods, based both on cylinder pressure analysis and on engine block vibration analysis, have been carefully scrutinized through a critical review of the knock-detection techniques available in literature. Issues have been discussed regarding the physical meaning of knock intensity measurement indexes, mechanical noise sensitivity, transducer type and location, filtering-frequency bands and crank-angle window selection. An experimental investigation has been carried out on a typical European mass-produced engine, and this has provided criteria for the selection of the most suitable and reliable techniques, and has allowed a comparison between experimental results obtained by means of different knock-detection methods.

Different diagnostic techniques were experimentally tested on a common rail automotive 4 cylinder diesel engine in order to evaluate their capabilities to fulfill the California Air Resources Board (CARB) requirements concerning the monitoring of fuel injected quantity and timing. First, a comprehensive investigation on the sensitivity of pollutant emissions to fuel injection quantity and timing variations was carried out over 9 different engine operating points, representative of the FTP75 driving cycle: fuel injected quantity and injection timing were varied on a single cylinder at a time, until OBD thresholds were exceeded, while monitoring engine emissions, in-cylinder pressures and instantaneous crankshaft revolution speed.

Numerical simulation can be effectively used to reduce the experimental tests which are nowadays required for the analysis and calibration of engine control systems. In particular in this paper the use of a one-dimensional engine model to analyze the response of an UEGO sensor in the exhaust manifold of a 4 cylinder s.i. engine (with multipoint fuel injection) is described: numerical simulation has been used to simulate a misfunction of the fuelling system, which caused one of the four cylinders to be fuelled with an air/fuel ratio that was 10% richer than the others. The simulated UEGO response was then compared with experimental measurements, and after this validation process, the sensor model can be used to study a proper fuel injection control strategy thus reducing the required experimental tests, as outlined in a test case presented at the end of the paper.

Heat transfer in the combustion chamber of s.i. engines operating under knocking conditions has been detected and analyzed. Measurements have been carried out, cycle by cycle, on a CFR laboratory engine by means of a dedicated instrument and an original method. The relationship between heat transfer and knock intensity has been analyzed on a statistical basis, emphasizing knock intensity influence on heat transfer distribution. Moreover, the share of heat transfer more closely related to knock intensity has been highlighted: heat transfer is shown not to be significantly affected by knock intensity under light-to-medium knock conditions; on the contrary, the influence becomes evident under medium-to-heavy knock conditions. Eventually, heat transfer indexes influenced by knock intensity have been evaluated, allowing a comparison of knock-related thermal properties of fuels.

The developments of an open-chamber stratified-charge engine are herein described; the aim of this engine is to work at part-loads with low fuel consumption while remaining, however, under acceptable exhaust emissions. The essential purpose of this research has been to markedly amplify the overall air-fuel ratio field in which the engine working is regular. This also serves to modify the engine load by varying the air-fuel ratio instead of air throttling so that the corresponding losses can be avoided. By studying and setting up a proper injector, the fuel injection system has been considerably improved. In fact this injector gives a suitable spray geometry, with particular regard to the spray penetration, the spray angle and the droplet size. Injection pressure and timing have also been investigated in order to optimize engine performance.