Experimental Engine with Lightweight Fiber-Reinforced Composite Cylinder Casing

TheFraunhoferproject group for new drive systems (NAS), which is part of the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT, has collaborated with Sumitomo Bakelite Co. Ltd., Japan, to develop an experimental engine with lightweight cylinder casing made of fiber-reinforced composite material.

Vehicles must become lighter if reduction in fuel consumption is to be achieved. If the vehicle’s cylinder casing and other such engine parts are made light-weight using fiber-reinforced plastic, it may help reduce weight by about 20%. Usually, aluminum is used to produce these engine parts. These plastic parts can now also be mass produced through injection-molding.

传统上，大多数汽车设计师试图减轻车辆的身体部位的重量。但是，发动机和动力总成系统也为车辆的重量做出了重大贡献。当前，气缸块和其他此类发动机组件是由铝制成的，以限制重量。使用纤维增强塑料对气缸块的某些组件的使用将增加重量的减轻。

“我们使用纤维增强的复合材料来为一缸研究引擎建造圆柱体套管，” reports Dr. Lars-Fredrik Berg, who is the project leader and manager of the research area Lightweight Powertrain Design at the Fraunhofer Project Group for new drive systems. “The cylinder casing weighs around 20 percent less than the equivalent aluminum component, and costs the same.”

尽管解决方案似乎很容易，但仍涉及许多技术挑战。要使用的亚博网站下载材料应足够强大，可以承受极端的振动，温度和高压。他们不应该损坏。在1980年代，人们发现塑料具有此功能所需的品质。但是，汽车行业所需的零件的大规模生产是不可能的。涉及手动劳动，因此需要大量的努力，只能产生少量的零件。车辆的气缸块通常按数百万的顺序产生。

The team of researchers had to make certain that the engine would be robust enough when the material was used.

“First we looked at the engine design and identified the areas subject to high thermal and mechanical loads. Here we use metal inserts to strengthen their wear resistance,伯格解释说。

团队所看的部分是气缸衬里。该气缸衬里内部的活塞必须在使用车辆时移动数百万次。此外，这些部分的几何形状被改变，以使塑料暴露于最少的热量。

塑料材料应具有适合此角色的特性。它们应该具有所需的刚度和硬度，并且应在冷却水中对汽油，石油和甘氨酸具有抵抗力。塑料的热膨胀系数不应高于金属，并且也应很好地粘附在金属插入物上。

如果塑料的热膨胀系数更高，则插入物和底物将分开。参加这项研究的Sumitomo Bakelite高性能塑料业务部SBHPP开发了一种玻璃纤维增​​强的酚类复合材料，由45％的树脂和55％的纤维组成。该材料具有为此目的所需的特性。碳纤维增强的复合材料的重量更轻，但价格较高。该因素将影响该车辆是否应根据重量或成本进行优化。

研究人员使用了制造的热固性塑料和注射成型工艺来制造这些组件。融化状态的复合材料既有玻璃纤维和树脂。注入此材料时，它会在所需形状的模具中硬化。使用计算机模拟分析注入材料的最佳方法。这也将有助于优化成品的性能。当使用铝时，涉及许多整理操作。但是，新过程可以用于批量生产，并且比使用铝的成本低。

The researchers have successfully completed test runs of the new engine. “We have proved that it is capable of the same performance as conventionally built engines,” says Berg.

此外，新引擎还提供了更多优势，包括较低的运行噪声。初步数据表明，与铝基发动机相比，新的发动机辐射了较低的热量对环境。研究人员打算通过开发基于塑料的多缸发动机来推进他们的研究，该发动机还包括曲轴轴承。

At the Hannover Messe, which is to take place April 13-17 (exhibit in Hall 2, Booth C16), a prototype of this engine is to be showcased.