Technical Paper
Distribution of Knock Frequencies in Modern Engines Compared to Historical Data
2018-09-10
2018-01-1666
It is widely known that the rapid autoignition of end-gas will cause an engine cylinder to resonate, creating a knocking sound. These effects were quantified for a simple engine geometry in 1934 in a study where critical resonance frequencies were identified. That analysis, performed by Charles Draper, still forms the basis of most knock studies. However, the resonance frequencies are highly dependent on the engine geometry and the conditions inside the cylinder at autoignition. Since, engines and fuels operate at substantially different conditions than they did in 1934, it is expected that there should be a shift in knock frequencies. Experimental tests were run to collect knock data in an engine, representative of modern geometries, over a range of operating conditions for a number of different fuels. The operating conditions-intake air temperature, intake air pressure, and engine speed-were varied to identify shifts in the critical frequencies.