mcj804: The engine puts out 9.5 bhp, not 13. The 13 lbs cited in the story is the amount of boost from the supercharger. The article doesn't give the weight of the engine, so we can't compute the engine's power to weight ratio. The correct way to evaluate the power output is to say that its specific output is 1.56 bhp/cu.in. This is pretty good. Two of the highest output American V8 engines are those in the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 (1.86 bhp/cu.in.) and the 2013 Corvetter ZR1 (1.69 bhp/cu.in.). The V6 in the 2012 Honda Accord EX-L is rated at 1.28 bhp/cu.in.
I, too, am impressed. The challenges must have been incredible! It goes to show that things aren't always to simple as they might first appear. Just like when they were scaling down IC manufacturing, the smaller lines created all sorts of optical and delivery problems.
Too bad I didn't get to see it. I am always impressed by someone who does a really good job! Kudos to you and your team!
It is quite an accomplishment and praiseworthy indeed. However, developing 13hp is a far cry more down-sized than the 1/4 size scale of the engine. One would expect a great deal more than 130hp from a full-sized super-charged V8. It appears that the power-to weight ratio doesn't scale very well.
Kudos for overcoming the difficulties and achieving this amazing engine.
I have to agree with the general tone of most responses that this is an amazing engineering achievement. A supercharged V-8 is already loaded with engineering innovation. To shrink that down to 1/4 size, I'm sure Mr. Conley had to solve more problems than just this oil retention issue. With national mandates to improve passenger car mpg, this development may not seem quite so out of the mainstream a few years from now.
You're right, Dave. As far as the honing goes, the scale is the only new aspect. Conley discussed the honing of the cylinder liner because he highlighted the engine at the machine tool show.
Yeah, I'm computer/electrical engineering, so this might be well known and not innovative (although at one point it was innovative). Even so, I still think it's better to be excited than dismissive.
Andrew Morris designed a circuit that could detect a stroke victim's groan and convert the sound into a signal so caregivers would know when help was needed.
New disc magnet motors fit into the design trend of stepping up to closed loop performance while maintaining the cost advantage of stepper motor technology.
At the Design News webinar on June 27, learn all about aluminum extrusion: designing the right shape so it costs the least, is simplest to manufacture, and best fits the application's structural requirements.
On April 21, NASA launched a novel project, putting into orbit three satellites that employ an off-the-shelf commercial smartphone as the control system.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
0 
