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Actual automotive themes in the beginning century are globalization and platform concepts. Platforms reduce manpower for basic power train development and enable a higher vehicle quality by sharing development cost to many models. New drive train generations with direct injected diesel and gasoline engines, variable valve train systems and hybrid drives require complex electronic control systems with many control parameters, which must be calibrated for each platform model to fulfill the targets for emissions, diagnostics and driveability. Calibration becomes a critical procedure in vehicle development. A negative effect of the platform is the reduced possibility to give a model or an OEM a brand specific driveability character, traditionally an important sales - promoting factor. The paper describes a tool for the objective real time assessment of vehicle driveability and vehicle character, using a new subjective - objective approach.

The AVL Spectros engine is a version of a potential engine family concept and an example of lightweight and modular design. The model shown and described in detail is a powerful V8 spark-ignited engine developed for the sporty limousine called I.DE.A One. The design objectives were high power density, compact overall dimensions and enhanced efficiency. These objectives have been achieved by means of downsizing, lightweight design, direct injection with exhaust gas turbo-charging and modular heat management system. One of the design targets was to match the design of the engine compartment with the outer appearance of the I.DE.A One vehicle. This was achieved by the integration of all tubes and cables in modules and the conscious avoidance of covers. The starter-alternator concept allows almost all secondary systems to be powered electrically and thus to omit any auxiliary belt drives.

The principal engine used in passenger cars is, and in the foreseeable future will be, the SI Engine. This paper summarizes AVL's experience in developing SI Engines for these vehicles. Special attention is given to the new targets of SI Engine development and the resulting design strategies during the concept phase of new engine families. The new modular concept of engine families includes a broad range of different engine designs like three to five cylinder inline and six to ten cylinder V-block engines, direct injection or fully variable valve actuation. It is shown that the design of central engine components, for example, that of the cylinder head, can be adapted for the different SI valve-train concepts by simply switching specific modular components.

The subject of this paper is the discussion of a non-dimensional combustion model that relies on the concept of mixing controlled combustion (MCC Heat Release Rate) avoiding the detailed description of the individual mixture formation and fuel oxidation processes. For diffusion combustion in today's direct injection diesel engines it can be shown that the rate of heat release (ROHR) is controlled mainly by two items, i.e. the instantaneous fuel mass present in the cylinder charge and the local density of turbulent kinetic energy. Both items can be derived from the injection process, the instantaneous fuel mass being the difference of fuel injected minus fuel burnt and the turbulent kinetic energy being produced mainly by the momentum of the fuel sprays. Following this strategy, the injection process is now understood as the most important controlling factor for the heat release rate.

Gasoline direct injection is one of the main issues of actual worldwide SI engine development activities. It requires a comprehensive system approach from the basic considerations on optimum combustion system configuration up to vehicle performance and driveability. The general characteristics of currently favored combustion system configurations are discussed in this paper regarding both engine operation and design aspects. The engine performance, especially power output and emission potential of AVL's DGI engine concept is presented including the interaction of advanced tools like optical diagnostics and 3D-CFD simulation in the combustion system development process. The application of methods like tomographic combustion analysis for investigations in the multicylinder engine within further stages of development is demonstrated. The system layout and operational strategies for fuel economy in conjunction with exhaust gas aftertreatment requirements are discussed.

An optical sensor system provides access to standard SI engine combustion chambers via the cylinder head gasket. Flame radiation within the plane of the gasket is observed with optical fibers which are arranged to allow the tomographic reconstruction of flame distribution. The effect of convective in-cylinder air motion generated by variations of inlet ports and combustion chamber geometries on flame propagation is directly visible. A high degree of correlation between flame intensity distribution and NOx emission levels yields a useful assessment of combustion chamber configurations with minimum emission levels. The location of knock centers is identified.

In order to facilitate the analysis of SI engine combustion phenomena, we have developed a fiber optic system which allows the observation of combustion in essentially standard engines. Optical access to the combustion chamber is achieved with micro-optic elements and optical fibers in the cylinder head gasket. Each fiber views a narrow cone of the combustion chamber and transmits the light seen within this acceptance cone to the detector and recorder unit. A large number of such fiber optic detectors have been incorporated in a cylinder head gasket and this multichannel system was arranged in a geometric configuration which allowed the reconstruction of the spatial flame intensity distribution within the observed combustion chamber cross-section. The spatial information was gained from the line-of-sight intensity signals by means of a tomographic reconstruction technique.