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Light weight quiet small internal combustion engines that meet cost and required reliability parameters are important in the consumer product market as well as in the industrial environment. In the design of these lightweight powerplants, accurate analysis of factors which influence immediate and long-term effects is essential. Hologram interferometry is used to provide a full field view of engine cylinder wall deformations which may lead to noise, fatigue and related inefficiencies. The technique allows for the evaluation of cylinder deformation caused by thermal and mechanical loads. Static loads are applied to predict the deformation of the engine at specific points in the operating cycle.

This paper describes the development of a vacuum-decay based evaporative leak detection sub-system that meets the model year 2000 California Air Resources Board (CARB) requirements.1 The diagnostic algorithm was developed and tested to create a production intent calibration. In addition, the calibration was validated during a four month test period of diagnostic and driveability performance, which included hot ambient, high volatility fuels, and altitude. It was found to detect 0.020 inch leaks reliably in-use, while being robust to misdiagnosis of smaller leaks.