On Tuesday 22 November 2005 09:24 pm Mike Garfias kindly wrote: > Robert N. Eaton spoke forth with the blessed manuscript: > > At any rate, two valves of half the valve surface area weigh > > about half of what one valve would weigh and would need lighter > > valve springs. Less reciprocating weight equals higher rpm > > without valve float, and that equals more power from a given > > displacement engine. > > Two small valves weigh more than one single one. A lot of the > valve weight comes from the stem, not the face. More power, less > torque. Torque actually moves things, HP is just a way to espress > torque with reference to RPM. > > > Probably the most elegant answer to this problem was the one > > devised by Ferrari a couple of years ago, when they set for > > themselves the task of wringing 900 horsepower from a > > V-10 twin cam multi-valved unblown three liter engine. They > > figured that if they could get 300 hp out of a three liter engine > > at 6000 rpm then they would have to spool up the engine to 18 > > grand to get 900 hp. No known valve spring would survive that, > > so they used 150 lbs of air pressure to close the valves. Air has > > no natural frequency, so the valves could operate at this rate. > > The only thing limiting the rpm was the reciprocating weight of > > the pistons and connecting rods. These they had to fabricate from > > titanium, at a cost that probably made even Ferrari blink. I > > never found out whether they ever raced that engine, but what a > > marvelous tour de force! > > Titanium is denser than Aluminum. Thats why we use aluminum for > pistons. Ti is fine in the conrods, but doesn't make sense for the > pistons. --------------------------------------------------- ////////////////////////////////// I have no clue about what you just said, but this is fascinating the hell out of me. Siri Amrit www.tigerflag.com --------------------------------------------------- PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings: http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss