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Research into the estimation of diesel engine combustion metrics via non-intrusive means, typically referred to as “remote combustion sensing” has become an increasingly active area of combustion research. Success in accurately estimating combustion metrics with low-cost non-intrusive transducers has been proven and documented by multiple sources on small scale diesel engines (2-4 cylinders, maximum outputs of 67 Kw, 210 N-m). This paper investigates the application of remote combustion sensing technology to a larger displacement inline 6-cylinder diesel with substantially higher power output (280 kW, 1645 N-m) than previously explored. An in-depth frequency analysis has been performed with the goal of optimizing the estimated combustion signature which has been computed based upon the direct relationship between the combustion event measured via a pressure transducer, and block vibration measured via accelerometers.

The capability to detect combustion in a diesel engine has the potential of being an important control feature to meet increasingly stringent emission regulations and for the development of alternative combustion strategies such as HCCI and PCCI. In this work, block mounted accelerometers are investigated as potential feedback sensors for detecting combustion characteristics in a high-speed, high pressure common rail (HPCR), 1.9L diesel engine. Accelerometers are positioned in multiple placements and orientations on the engine, and engine testing is conducted under motored, single and pilot-main injection conditions. Engine tests are then conducted at varying injection timings to observe the resulting time and frequency domain changes of both the pressure and acceleration signals.

Performing acoustic measurements on or near engines, transmissions, as well as in other circumstances where the environment is hazardous and harsh for microphones requires special precautions. Fluids inevitably leak, and the possibility of transducer damage can be very high without proper protection. Properly protecting microphones during testing allows for consistent data quality in these hazardous and difficult environments. While this paper will present the use of a 5 mil Nitrile cover which protects against many fluids within the scope of automotive testing, including water, hydrocarbons, and alcohols, as well as having good heat resistance and high strength, the concepts developed are applicable to other types of microphone protective mechanisms. Acoustic sensitivity was measured and used to calculate the change of the microphone's response after the treatment is applied, as well as after being exposed to various contaminants.

Combustion knock detection and control in internal combustion engines continues to be an important feature in engine management systems. In spark-ignition engine applications, the frequency of occurrence of combustion knock and its intensity are controlled through a closed-looped feedback system to maintain knock at levels that do not cause engine damage or objectionable audible noise. Many methods for determination of the feedback signal for combustion knock in spark-ignition internal combustion engines have been employed with the most common technique being measurement of engine vibration using an accelerometer. With this technique single or multiple piezoelectric accelerometers are mounted on the engine and vibrations resulting from combustion knock and other sources are converted to electrical signals. These signals are input to the engine control unit and are processed to determine the signal strength during a period of crank-angle when combustion knock is expected.

A variable displacement engine with the capability to vary stroke length and compression ratio independent of one another has been designed, prototyped, and successfully operated. Reasons for investigation of such an engine are the potential for improvement in fuel economy and/or performance. Literature has shown that engines with variable compression ratio can significantly decrease specific fuel consumption. Engines with variability in stroke length can maintain peak efficiency running conditions by adjusting power output through displacement change verses through the efficiency detriment of throttling. The project began with the synthesis of a planar 2-dimensional rigid body mechanism. Various synthesis techniques were employed and design took place with a collection of computer software. MATLAB code performed much of the synthesis, kinematic, and dynamic analysis.

The objective of this investigation was to identify the impingement event on a diesel piston surface. Eight fast-response, surface thermocouples were installed in one of the pistons of a 2.0 liter, four-cylinder, turbo-charged diesel engine (97 kW @ 3800 rpm). Piston temperatures were transmitted from the engine using wireless microwave telemetry. An impingement signal was identified on the piston bowl lip. A simple parameter for characterizing the impingement event is proposed. The results show an impingement signature at one of the bowl lip thermocouples, under specific operating conditions.

An automobile and a tracked military vehicle were instrumented with multiple tachometers, one for each drive wheel/sprocket and operated with accelerometers mounted at suspension, chassis, and powertrain locations on the vehicles. The Time Variant Discrete Fourier Transform, TVDFT, order tracking method was then used to extract the order tracks and operating shapes estimated based on each tachometer. It is shown that under some conditions a different operating shape is excited by each of the wheels/sprockets simultaneously. This is due to the asymmetries present in the vehicles. The strengths of the TVDFT order tracking method are shown for this type of analysis, which is difficult due to the closeness, within 0.001 orders, and crossing of the orders. Benefits of using multiple tachometers and advanced order tracking methods become apparent for solving a class of noise and vibration problems.

Large channel count data acquisition systems have seen increasing use in the acquisition and analysis of rotating machinery, these systems have the ability to generate very large amounts of data for analysis. The most common operating measurement made on powertrains or automobiles on the road or on dynamometers has become the order track measurement. Order tracking analysis can generate a very large amount of information that must be analyzed, both due to the number of channels and orders tracked. Analysis methods to efficiently analyze large numbers of Frequency Response Function (FRF) measurements have been developed and used over the last 20 years in many troubleshooting applications. This paper develops applications for several FRF based analysis methods as applied for efficient analysis of large amounts of order track data.