Instead of intake and exhaust valves, the patented LZ-1 IC engine uses intake and exhaust pistons and a power piston. As the intake piston passes the intake ports, a fuel charge fills the volume between the three pistons. All three pistons then compress the fuel charge, and two or three spark plugs ignite it. The three pistons then act as power pistons, driving three crankshafts. In the existing prototype, a chain links the crankshafts. During the exhaust stroke, the exhaust piston opens the exhaust ports, and the power piston forces about 80% of the exhaust out the ports. The exhaust piston generates a vacuum that scavenges the remainder of the exhaust. Vacuum produced by the exhaust piston helps draw in the new fuel charge.
John A. Spera, Creative Innovations, Box 470518, Broadview Heights, OH 44147-0518, 216-387-0257.
Its inventor reports that the LZ-1 engine can achieve higher compression ratios and a more effectively controlled combustion process than a conventional IC engine.
Almost every automaker has had to 'pick a side' when it comes to alternative fuel options and ways to divest from a reliance on gasoline. Fiat is looking to back compressed natural gas or liquid propane as an interim solution.
Plastic may not be the most beloved of materials to the more environmentally minded, but Plasti 2012 aimed to mold a different opinion of the material in people's minds.
The rare earth element market has become steadily more rational, and new sources coming online will continue to reduce costs. Still, it is unlikely that prices will drop to their former lows.
Against a backdrop of mounting product complexity and a need to keep a lid on development costs, companies are recognizing a need to make simulation a more integral part of the design process. In response, vendors in the CAD world are building out CAE functionality as part of their CAD suites while simulation vendors are building tighter integrations to leading CAD tools. Keith Meintjes, Ph.D., Practice Manager, Simulation and Analysis at CIMdata, Inc., joins Design News CAD Editor Beth Stackpole in this radio program to explore the new face of integrated CAD and CAE, how companies are benefitting from this tighter partnership between platforms, and how integrating CAE earlier in the development cycle pays off in optimized product designs.
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