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Variable Compression Ratio (VCR) technology has long been recognized as a method of improving Spark Ignition (SI) engine fuel economy. The Pressure Reactive Piston (PRP) assembly features a two-piece piston, with a piston crown and separate piston skirt which enclose a spring set between them. The unique feature is that the upper piston reacts to the cylinder pressure, accommodating rapid engine load changes passively. This mechanism effectively limits the peak pressures at high loads without an additional control device, while allowing the engine to operate at high compression ratio during low load conditions. Dynamometer engine testing showed that Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC) improvement of the PRP over the conventional piston ranged from 8 to 18 % up to 70% load. Knock free full load operation was also achieved. The PRP equipped engine combustion is characterized by reverse motion of the piston crown near top dead center and higher thermal efficiency.

The FMEA and DV&PV process of developing automotive products requires identifying and repeatedly testing critical vehicle attributes and their response to noise factors that may impair vehicle function. Ford has developed a new automated scripting tool to streamline in-vehicle robustness testing and produce more accurate and repeatable results. Similar noise factors identified during the FMEA process are grouped together, condensed, and scripts are developed to simulate these noise factors using calibration parameters and vehicle controls. The automated testing tool uses the API of a calibration software tool and a graphical scripting interface to consistently simulate driver inputs with greater precision than a human calibrator and enable more sophisticated controls, which would have previously required experimental software builds. The noise factor scripts are executed with minimal intervention from a human operator, and the collected data is analyzed to determine robustness.