Search Results

This paper provides a description of a newly developed dynamometer capable of measuring torque at speeds up to 90,000 rpm. The development which has been made enables the dynamometer to measure output of a small single shaft gas turbine engine without a speed reducing gear box. The unit consists of a high speed generator to absorb the power and a torque measuring device. Since the generator is a key component of this dynamometer, a substantial portion of this paper is devoted to describing the configuration of the generator and the design considerations, as well as its performance. The rotational speed of turbomachines is gradually being increased and will be accelerated further as ceramic materials are introduced. The subjects to be discussed here will, hopefully, be of some use when a torque measuring device for speeds over 100,000 rpm becomes necessary.

The durability of an automatic transmission is greatly affected by its lubrication properties. However, it is difficult to estimate exactly the flow rate of lubricating oil at each part of the automatic transmission, because of its structural complexity under rotating conditions. This paper presents a simple model which can estimate the flow rate of lubricating oil in the automatic transmission. Using this method, we can obtain various information about the lubricating state at every part of the automatic transmission and can help our judgement of whether lubrication is sufficient. To test this model and its results, we tried some experiments and examined the lubricating state by measuring discharge rate of oil. The estimated data is in good agreement with the experimental data. This study should assist in the optimal design of the lubricating system in the automatic transmission.

The purpose of this study is to analyze con-rod bearing lubrication under reduced oil supply rate conditions. An engine was modified to measure the oil supply rate to a con-rod big-end bearing. Then the effects of the oil supply rate on bearing temperatures and the contact between a journal and a bearing were investigated in order to analyze lubrication characteristics. The bearing temperatures increased in accordance with reduced oil supply rate. On the other hand, the contact frequency hardly changed under almost all conditions, but steeply increased near one-third of the standard oil supply rate at the highest speed of 5000 rpm in the experiments. The results show that the reduced oil supply rate decreases the cooling effect but the hydrodynamic lubrication was sufficiently achieved except the above-mentioned severe condition.

Hybrid vehicles (HVs) are becoming more widely used. Since HVs supplement engine drive with motor power, the lubricant oil temperature remains at a lower level than in a conventional gasoline vehicle. This study analyzed the effect of cylinder bore temperature and lubricant oil temperature on engine friction. The results showed that, although the lubricant oil temperature was not relevant, the bore temperature had significant effect on piston friction. It was found that raising the temperature of the middle section of the cylinder bore was the most effective way of reducing piston friction.

Sintered silicon nitride, particularly in structural ceramics, has superior properties such as low weight, heat resistance, wear resistance, etc. It is already being applied to automobile engine parts such as the swirl chamber and the turbine rotor. In recent years, the strength of silicon nitride has shown to be above 1000MPa. This has been achieved through advances in manufacturing technology such as materials powder, forming, sintering and so on. But the silicon nitride is easily damaged during grinding because it has less fracture toughness than metal. Consequently, the inherent strength of the material is not demonstrated in the actual products presently produced. It is assumed that the main cause of strength reduction is microcrack. In ordinary grinding methods, the length of microcrack has been estimated at approximately twenty micrometers by fracture mechanics analysis.

In this paper, the authors have developed a new measuring method of the liquid fuel film thickness on walls, such as intake ports, the combustion chamber and cylinder liner of a Port Fuel Injection (PFI) engine, and clarified the fuel film behavior under various running conditions when Fiber-based Laser-Induced Fluorescence (Fiber-based LIF) was applied to the newly developed method. The thickness of the fuel film is measured by detecting the intensity of fluorescence from the film that is irradiated by a He-Cd laser. A single optical fiber is used to simultaneously transmit the laser beam and the fluorescence from the film. In addition, the S/N ratio of the fluorescence is improved by using a He-Cd laser of which the wavelength (λ=442nm) is able to efficiently irradiate test fuel doped 2-3-butandione. Using this method, the fuel film thickness on the wall of the PFI engine was analyzed in two case studies.

A study of diesel fuel as a lubricant for diesel engines was conducted with the aim of dramatically reducing engine friction and eliminating the need to change the lubricating oil. A prototype single-cylinder engine modified for diesel fuel lubrication was made, and it was confirmed that firing operation is possible. Piston friction during the firing operation was reduced by modifying the shape of the cylinder liner surface to improve the retention of the lubricating oil. The study produced valid findings concerning engine lubrication, not only with diesel fuel, but also with ultra-low viscosity oil.

Piston ring moving zone in the cylinder is one of the most critical lubrication regimes in diesel engines. This area is susceptible to combustion substances. In particular, abnormal wear is occasionally detected due to Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system equipment. In Japan, NOx emission requirements for passenger car diesels have become more stringent effective October 1, 1986. OEMs tend to apply EGR systems to reduce NOx in exhaust gas. In order to identify the phenomenon of abnormal cylinder wear of EGR equipped engine, engine bench tests were conducted under varied conditions in EGR equipment, cooling water temperature and fuel sulfur content. The test results suggest that wear caused at low temperature is mainly corrosive wear attributable to sulfuric acid formed by reaction with fuel sulfur and condensed water.

Slip-controlled lock-up clutch systems are very efficient and greatly improve fuel economy. On the other hand, these systems can cause unstable vibrations including those known as “shudder vibrations”. In this study, the authors made a theoretical analysis of these unstable vibrations to clarify the fundamental frictional properties of automatic transmission fluids (ATFs) required for slip-controlled lock-up clutch systems. Based on this analysis, we established lubricant technology having a sufficient anti-shudder property and high torque capacity. Further, we developed a new test apparatus to evaluate the anti-shudder durability for lubricant development.

Toyota Motor Corporation has mass-produced turbochager with sillicon nitride ceramic rotors. A moment of inertia was reduced by 60% using ceramic rotor which improved turbochager response. The ceramic rotor was joined to metal shaft by new method which compensated problems in both shrink fitting and active brazing methods. They are generals for mechanical and chemical techniques, respectively. There still exist the following disadvantages. It is quite severe to controll the clearance of shrink fitting to obtain the reliability of the joint. The shaft may be loosened at high temperature with a small shrink-fit interference. The large shrink-fit interference could result in a failure of ceramic shaft due to large stress. Those may require a machinig accuracy with micron meter order of surface roughness which, leads to high cost.

Requirements to reduce emissions and improve vehicle fuel economy continue to increase, spurred on by agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol. Lubricants can play a role in improving fuel economy, as evidenced by the rise in the number of engine oil specifications worldwide that require fuel economy improvements. A novel friction modifier technology has been developed to further improve vehicle fuel economy. The development of this novel friction modifier technology which contains only N,O,C,H was previously published along with the initial demonstration of performance in motorized Toyota engines. In order to validate this performance in fired engine tests, oil was evaluated in a Toyota Corolla Fielder with a 1500 cc gasoline engine. Testing was conducted in the Japanese 10-15 and JC08 modes, as well as the European EC mode, and the US FTP mode.

We have developed a new semi-active suspension, called Piezo TEMS, that uses piezoelectric ceramic for suspension control with sensor and actuator. It improves remarkably driveability with the firm damping force mode and enhances the ride comfort with the soft damping force mode immediately after the road surface input exceeding the threshold level.

The conventional hydraulic valve lifters, which eliminate the valve clearance adjustment, normally use the pressurized engine lubricant for the working fluid. We have developed a quite new type lifter, named “self-contained hydraulic valve lifter”, which possesses the working fluid in itself. Because the new type lifter is independent of the pressurized engine lubricant, it has some advantages, especially that it can be applied to the existing engine using the mechanical valve gear without almost any engine modifications. And we have confirmed that the self-contained hydraulic valve lifter has good characteristics and reliability and have applied it to the mass production engine (i.e. Toyota 1.3L gasoline engine) for the first time in the world. This paper describes the construction, the characteristics and the reliability of this lifter.

The newly-developed 2JZ engine series is available in two types; a naturally aspirated 2JZ-GE and a turbo charged 2JZ-GTE. Both have in-Line-6 cylinder arrangement and displacement volume of 2.997 liters and have attained many features expected for the engines of new era by utilizing new technologies, such as DOHC 4 valve, high compression ratio, a highly rigid structural design which is realized by extensive use of the CAE, a serpentine accessory drive belt, and auto tensioners for timing belt and accessory belt systems. These engines are stroke up versions of the 1JZ engines. The 2JZ-GE engine, which has been developed for the SC300, delivers high performance of 169 KW/6000rpm and 284 Nm/4800rpm by adopting a variable induction system, a knock-control system with two sensors, etc. The other type, the 2JZ-GTE engine which has been developed for the Aristo in japan includes a TWO-WAY-TWIN-TURBO’ system equipped with ceramic turbine wheels.

A newly developed fluorescent diagnostic system can measure the oil film thickness distribution through two-dimensional images with high sensitivity and quick response. This system consists of a filtered Xe-flash lamp, a filtered charge-coupled-device video camera, a personal-computer-based signal analyzer and lubricating oil with the fluorescent dye added. We have installed the system in a single cylinder research engine and measured the oil film thickness distribution around the piston under various operating conditions. One example of the results is that an oil spout from a gap in the first compression ring, which agrees with the measured oil consumption rate of the engine, was clearly observed at high engine speed.

Concerns on environmental protection are being intensified throughout the world in recent years. Of those concerns, depletion of the ozone layer in the atomosphere caused by CFC emission into the atomosphere is the target of serious concern as shown in Fig. 1. At present, the use of CFC production is restricted by regulations at the global level, and CFC will be phased out by the end of 1995. In this regard, the authors have developed a new vehicle air conditioner to adapt to a new refrigerant HFC-134a, which is gentle to the ozone layer, and to replace CFC-12. The new refrigerant system was introduced to the market in October, 1991, and the replacement will be almost completed by the end of 1993 for the Lexus and Toyota production vehicles. This paper describes the development of the new compressor lubricant, seal rubber, hose and desiccant by taking into consideration the materials concerned and the number of technological issues involved in the new refrigerant, HFC-134a.

A new engine cooling fan system has been developed, in which the fan is driven by a hydraulic pump and motor and controlled electronically by a computer. By utilizing the hydrostatic power under precise control, the fan generates not only high airflow volume but also optimum flow rate for the various engine conditions. Also in this system, a relatively high efficiency is gained because the clearance between the tip of the fan blade and a shroud designed to be short, thanks to the installation of the fan on the radiator. As the result of these functions, the following features have been obtained which are superior to conventional fan systems like a engine-driven fan with fluid coupling or an electric-motor fan. (1) Reduced fan noise (2) Improved fuel economy (3) Small size and light weight

This paper describes lubricant technology which helps to prevent intake valve deposit (IVD) formation for use with conventional gasolines without detergents, as well as the IVD evaluation method used in testing. The FED 3462 method was modified to establish a new panel coking test method, with excellent correlation with the engine stand IVD test, for the quantitative evaluation of IVD. Tests have shown that IVD increases when the volatility of base oils becomes higher due to condensation and polymerization of engine oil additives. Furthermore, viscosity index improvers, metallic detergents and ashless dispersants have considerable effect on IVD formation. Based on various experiments, the authors have established a formulation technology for engine oils to lower IVD, which they incorporated in two newly formulated SG oils with lower IVD than conventional 5W-30 SG oil.

The tendency of spark ignition direct injection (SIDI) engines to form injector deposits was investigated using engine dynamometer tests on a SIDI engine equipped with fan spray type injectors. Fifteen test fuels with varying 90% distillation temperature (T90), aromatics, olefins, oxygenates and sulfur levels were prepared to identify the effects of fuel properties on injector deposits. The results suggested that not only the T90 but also the number of alkyl substituent of aromatics had effects on injector deposit formation. Effects of detergents on the injector deposit cleanliness were also evaluated in this study.

A bench engine test for evaluating the fuel efficiency of automotive crankcase oils using modern engines was developed. The fuel consumption was primarily proportional to the viscosity of the oils down to 5 mm2/s at operating temperatures, indicating that the use of low-viscosity oil was effective in improving fuel efficiency. This may be because the oil film would be formed easily, since sliding parts, such as valve train systems, in modern engines are finely finished. Organo molybdenum dithiocarbamates were effective in improving fuel efficiency at high temperature. A 2.7% improvement in fuel efficiency relative to conventional SAE 10W-30 oils was achieved by the combination of low-viscosity SAE 5W-20 oils and organo molybdenum dithiocarbamates under constant operating conditions with engine speed 1,500 rpm and torque 37.2 N•m.