Automotive revolution?

[Insidious Von]

Having studied Material Science in college, the latest issue of The Economist made for some interesting reading. Specifically the article about combustion engines made out of nickel alloy. Since nickel has a higher heat tolerance than steel as a powertrain it could work. What i have a problem with is how do you get the electronics apparatus to function without constant shorts?

http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21679767-internal-combustion-engines-are-getting-smaller-more-economical-and-cleanerall

 

[shakenbake]

Having studied Material Science in college, the latest issue of The Economist made for some interesting reading. Specifically the article about combustion engines made out of nickel alloy. Since nickel has a higher heat tolerance than steel as a powertrain it could work. What i have a problem with is how do you get the electronics apparatus to function without constant shorts?

http://www.economist.com/news/scien...etting-smaller-more-economical-and-cleanerall

It's not just the materials of construction! And sensor technology has come a very long way in recent years, not just relying on 'closed circuit' technology. What shorts?

 

[Promo]

It's not just the materials of construction! And sensor technology has come a very long way in recent years, not just relying on 'closed circuit' technology. What shorts?

Did you mean "closed loop"? Gas automotive emissions systems are still closed loop. Or, did you mean decoupled sensors? For example induction coils that detect a passing metal mass (as in a crank sensor)? I guess I'm not following your meaning.

Nor do I follow what "shorts" the OP is referring to.

 

[shakenbake]

Did you mean "closed loop"? Gas automotive emissions systems are still closed loop. Or, did you mean decoupled sensors? For example induction coils that detect a passing metal mass (as in a crank sensor)? I guess I'm not following your meaning.

Nor do I follow what "shorts" the OP is referring to.

You are right, I should have said decoupled. I still don't understand what the OP was saying about shorts, either.

 

[Insidious Von]

That's why I'm asking.

My strength is in mechanical but my electrical knowledge is wanting. How does an engine that heats much higher than a standard Gray cast iron/ graphite composite of today, work with the electronics array without some sort of meltdown?

 

[nottyboi]

Nissan is working on a 3 cyl engine that weighs 88 lbs and preduces 400 HP:

http://www.gizmag.com/nissan-zeod-rc-engine/30611/

 

[nottyboi]

That's why I'm asking.

My strength is in mechanical but my electrical knowledge is wanting. How does an engine that heats much higher than a standard Gray cast iron/ graphite composite of today, work with the electronics array without some sort of meltdown?

You can produce cool areas on the engine with the cooling system. You already have electronics and sensors in some very hot areas of the engine today.

 

[bishop]

I am in the automotive electronics industry. An automotive engine bay is a very harsh environment for electronics, you have extreme temperature gradients, insane electrical noise from the ignition system, water, dirt, vibrations, etc... With the said, as with most things electronic, problems are usually related to design choices. Those problems are easily solved if you throw money at it to overbuild the electronics, cables, enclosures, etc... , but management wants stuff cheap and engineers want something that is bullet proof, so the end result is a compromise.

Generally shorts are due to water getting into the electronics and causing shorts.

 

[Insidious Von]

Grazie Bishop.

That is precisely the answer I wanted.

 

[james t kirk]

but management wants stuff cheap and engineers want something that is bullet proof, so the end result is a compromise.

Because Engineers know that if something fucks up, anything, they are going to get blamed and the shit always hits them and never the bean counter MBA types. When there is a colossal fuck up, the Engineer could say, "well the bean counters vetoed my design and wanted cheap shit for the transmission because the customers only look at the superficial shit on a car and so this is what you get"

To which the bean counters will always respond, "you signed off on it and it was your responsibility to make sure it wasn't defective. You fucked up, not me. End of story."

 

[Insidious Von]

That is why I'll never buy a North American car again. There are items of the assembly that are downright cheap, like the struts and bearings. A mechanic will gouge you to fix the problem and even then it persists. I've never had that issue with Japanese cars.

Engineers design products to The Factor of Safety, bean counters are will to accept greater risk for the sake of the bottom line.

 

[bishop]

The advantage that japanese cars enjoy is that a company like honda has several very successful models and each year they just have to incrementally change things to bring in business, even with brand new redesigns; the redesigns are usually just skin deep, the underlying mechanical parts and electronics is just a small evolution of the previous year's model.

Take a ford F150, that is a vehicle that is by all metrics a success, each year brings with it just an incremental change and as thus the F150 is as reliable as any comparable japanese vehicle.

Success begets more success through small evolutionary changes, the problem is that there are very few north american cars that are successful to even start the evolutionary process. Every year Ford or GM have to do radical redesigns because their last model was such a cluster fuck, or they kill off a cluster fucked model to make room for a brand new model.

 

[DeadFish]

The advantage that japanese cars enjoy is that a company like honda has several very successful models and each year they just have to incrementally change things to bring in business, even with brand new redesigns; the redesigns are usually just skin deep, the underlying mechanical parts and electronics is just a small evolution of the previous year's model.

Take a ford F150, that is a vehicle that is by all metrics a success, each year brings with it just an incremental change and as thus the F150 is as reliable as any comparable japanese vehicle.

Success begets more success through small evolutionary changes, the problem is that there are very few north american cars that are successful to even start the evolutionary process. Every year Ford or GM have to do radical redesigns because their last model was such a cluster fuck, or they kill off a cluster fucked model to make room for a brand new model.

The new revolution is the automatic driving cars. Tesla has started it, very soon I suspect all cars will be powered by solar, wind , kinetic or electric energy or at least that is the direction we are going in.
I can't remember but i read by 2020 all cars in north america will be self driving on the highway and studies published by research indicate, automated driving produce less accidents and are more safe.

Having studied Material Science in college, the latest issue of The Economist made for some interesting reading. Specifically the article about combustion engines made out of nickel alloy. Since nickel has a higher heat tolerance than steel as a powertrain it could work. What i have a problem with is how do you get the electronics apparatus to function without constant shorts?

http://www.economist.com/news/scienc...and-cleanerall

Mercury Engine is the way to go. 30 years form now, mercury engine will be the next big thing. NASA currently only uses Mercury turbine engines for space shuttles because of their heat/weight resistance properties. FYI all engines since early 2000 are now aluminium and not iron.

 

[FAST]

That is why I'll never buy a North American car again. There are items of the assembly that are downright cheap, like the struts and bearings. A mechanic will gouge you to fix the problem and even then it persists. I've never had that issue with Japanese cars.

Engineers design products to The Factor of Safety, bean counters are will to accept greater risk for the sake of the bottom line.

You mean like ignition switches ?

Was always a GM fan, but gave up on them, and bought Japanese.

My last two purchases have been Infinities, was considering a Cadillac sports sedan, but GM in particular, just don't learn.

FAST

 

[danmand]

Mercury Engine is the way to go. 30 years form now, mercury engine will be the next big thing. NASA currently only uses Mercury turbine engines for space shuttles because of their heat/weight resistance properties. FYI all engines since early 2000 are now aluminium and not iron.

For intergalactic travel?