Search Results

The higher compression ratio engines, two-stroke engines and flexible fuel vehicles currently under development tend to face the problems of spark plug fouling owing to the necessity of using cold type spark plugs. This paper analyzes the sparking of fouled spark plugs and investigates the characteristics required of an ignition system in order to avoid fouling problems. The results clearly establish that to maintain a strong spark even when the plug is fouled, a high voltage should be instantaneously applied to the spark plug. A series-gap on the high-tension side was confirmed to be an effective means of achieving this and a new plug cap provided with a series-gap has resolved fouling problems such as failure to start. Lately, fuel economy and long-term energy conservation have become critically important. For automobiles, higher compression ratio engines, two-stroke engines and flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) are being developed.

To evaluate the quality of a spark plug against the preignition, a new preignition simulator has been developed. The principle of this apparatus is to estimate the occurrence of preignition caused by a temperature rise in the electrode. The engine is operated with repeated stepwise shifting of spark timing by 55° CA advance from the MET condition. The number of advanced cycles is increased until the occurrence of real preignitions. By the number of advanced cycles when preignition occurs, the quality of the spark plug with respect to preignition can be evaluated. From this test result, it is confirmed that this preignition simulator is very useful for the practical application of experimental testing.

For a Knock Control System (KCS) with a vibration sensor mounted on the engine block, means of improving the ratio of knock signal to engine vibration noise are discussed. From analyses of cylinder pressure and engine block vibration spectrums, it is shown that noise is lower in the second knock resonance frequency. The development of a resonance type knock sensor detecting this higher frequency is described. A new KCS utilizing this sensor is evaluated and found to improve knock controllability, especially in engines with a high compression ratio or supercharging.

Fuel and air behavior in the induction passage of a 4-valve engine were investigated in order to improve response at low and medium engine speeds. It was found that response is affected not only by wall vetting but also by fuel being pushed back into the intake manifold and by a lack of fuel which occurs during the transient. Futhermore, fuel-air mixing was found to be insufficient at certain injection timings, resulting in poor combustion and a consequent increase in exhaust emission and fuel consumption. This paper describes the factors of the fuel injection system which are critical for optimum response. Recommendations are made for injector location and injection timing and a proposal is put forward for a system of compensatory fuel injection to improve combustion efficiency during acceleration.

Efficiency of a supercharger mainly depends on the clearances between the rotors and the housing, but it has hitherto proved impossible to reduce the clearances without a strong possibility of seizure. A two lobe Roots type supercharger has been developed which overcomes this problem by means of a special resin coating on the rotors. As a result, an increase of 18% in volumetric efficiency of the supercharger is achieved. Engine torque is increased by 30%. Drive power loss resulting from the operation of a supercharger at partial load when boost was not required caused fuel consumption to increase by about 10%. An electro magnetic clutch and an air by-pass valve controlled by the onboard computer were used in the new supercharger to eliminate this fuel economy loss. A passenger car equipped with the new supercharged 2-liter engine demonstrated about the same acceleration performance as a 3-liter class car without sacrificing fuel economy.

Effects of multipoint spark ignition on combustion duration, fuel consumption and lean misfire limit are discussed in this paper. A plate, which consists of 12 spark gaps in each cylinder, and a new CD ignition system have been developed for accomplishing the multipoint spark ignition. This plate was installed between cylinder block and head in a 4 cylinder engine. Compared with a single gap, the results of 12 gaps showed a reduced combustion duration by about 50%, a 5% decrease in fuel consumption and an extended lean misfire limit by about 3 air-fuel ratio numbers. Furthermore, the multipoint spark ignition on both sides of the combustion chamber was more effective than only on one side. With this system, HC emission can be reduced as well. The results of this study showed that, compared to those obtained with swirl, this multipoint spark ignition was more effective on improving fuel consumption.

A new variable venturi carburetor has been developed, in order to achieve high metering accuracy, fuel economy, higher power and good driveability of the vehicle. This carburetor is a down-draft-type, and has better characteristics compared with the fixed venturi carburetor, such as better fuel atomization, lower cycle-to-cycle variation of combustion in lean mixture, faster response, and higher power. For this carburetor, a new type venturi and a new cold enrichment system has been developed. This venturi type has an exponential-profile with a nearly constant increasing rate of venturi opening area to the suction piston stroke. The new cold enrichment system controls the airfuel ratio in all conditions by changing air bleed quantities using the thermo-wax. With this system, cold drive-ability is improved greatly.

Higher compression ratio and lower air-fuel ratio tend to raise the required break down voltage. Various types of electrode configurations were examined. It was found that a very thin platinum plate attached to each elect-rode was effective in reducing the electrode wear. This newly developed platinum tipped spark plug uses a small sized center electrode and an enlarged initial spark gap. The lean misfire limit and the torque fluctuation at partial load are improved with the platinum tipped spark plug. After a durability test, the break down voltage became lower due to the grained platinum surface. The spark gap was almost unchanged during an 80 thousand kilometer durability test run.