Cylinder-Pressure-Based Combustion Analysis in Race Engines

Document Number: 942487

Date Published: December 1994

Author(s):
Andrew L. Randolph - General Motors Corp.

Abstract:
Development of race engines has traditionally been a very hardware-intensive process. This is particularly true when trying to maximize the performance of a given engine. The engine developer must identify the inadequately designed components, and then attempt to optimally redesign them.

Cylinder-pressure-based combustion diagnostics can help identify the performance-limiting componentry, and can provide direction for the redesign of that componentry. However, effective analysis requires that exacting care be taken when instrumenting the engine, acquiring the data, and interpreting the results. This memo addresses each of these facets of the analysis, and discusses applications of cylinder-pressure-based diagnostics such as structural loading, air-flow distribution, cycle-by-cycle and cylinder-by-cylinder torque variability, individual cylinder losses due to non-optimum spark timing, selection of optimum fuel-injection timing, response to throttle transients, and quantification of burn rate.

File Size: 686K
Product Status: In Stock

See other papers presented at Motorsports Engineering Conference & Expostion, December 1994, Dearborn, MI, USA, Session: Motorsports Engineering Conference & Expostion

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