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One of the premier consultants in the field of engineering and environment, Ricardo, will be collaborating with Gas Technology Institute (GTI) in two different projects to develop natural gas engines. This collaboration is in a bid to develop engines that are low on emission levels and can be used as alternatives for diesel engines used in the case of medium and heavy duty commercial vehicles that frequently ply on the highways of California.

Generally, engines that run on diesel emit high levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx), greenhouse gases and particulate matter of diesel. As per reports from the California Air Resources Board, the mandatory air quality standards will be exceeded within 2031 in South Coast Basin if the emissions of NOx do not drop by 90% when compared to the present day standards.

As a part of the first project, Ricardo is planning to test two different ignition systems: one which is a high frequency discharge and the other is a pulsed nano plasma engine, with the intent to assess the effect it has on the performance of engines. They will also provide the support required for GTI to develop ultra-low emission natural gas engines for medium sized to heavy duty trucks. Presently, these types of vehicles are among the top 10 contributors for NOx emissions in the South Coast Air Basin.

They will continue to remain one of the largest emitters of NOx until the entire fleet is replaced by vehicles that adhere to the 2010 emission norms. Both the projects will also be sponsored by the Southern California Gas Co.

As per the President of Ricardo, Clive Wotton, the medium and heavy duty trucks cannot be electrified or hybridized like how SUVs and other passengers have been done. Thus, by using natural gas as an alternative for these transport trucks, it would at least be a step closer towards reducing the NOx emissions.

By developing an ultra low emission natural has engine that emits 90% lower NOx than the current trends, the emission levels will be equivalent to that of an electric heavy duty vehicle including the emission involved in generating the electricity required to power the vehicle.

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Federal Mogul Holdings Corporation, better known as FDML, has come up with two piston skirt coatings: EcoTough –New Generation meant for gasoline run engines and EcoTough-D meant for diesel run engines. With the company innovating constantly, these new offerings come with improved formulation to reduce the friction and wear and tear in engines, helping it to tackle the varying temperatures and extreme conditions it has to operate in, especially for the downsized and turbo-charged engines.

Gian Maria Olivetti, the Chief Technology Officer of Federal Mogul Powertrain said that their main motive is to reduce the frictional losses by leveraging on their expertise on material. With their new range of EcoTough coatings, the durability of pistons are set to improve, thereby increasing the life of piston even in conditions where there is a high thermal and mechanical load in the present day engines that are efficient.

The solutions for gasoline and diesel engines differ greatly, mainly due to the relative difference in their combustion loads, geometry of piston and the lubricity of the fuels. They have worked on these differences and come up with specific coatings for each type of engine. The new generation of EcoTough coatings comprise of metal oxide-reinforced resin along with solid lubricant particles that are embedded. This coating is applied for a thickness of 15 microns and the wear and tear comes down by a whopping 40% over other coatings, improving the reliability of the piston even in extreme conditions. It also reduces the friction in piston by over 15% when compared to the standard coatings available in the market, which results in an improved efficiency of the engine.

The EcoTough range of coatings, which were developed after extensive rig testing, are now undergoing validation checks by automobile manufacturers before they will be used commercially.  EcoTough coatings are compatible both with aluminum and steel diesel pistons for commercial and passenger vehicles. Federal Mogul leveraged on the fact that diesel has better lubricity and the structural stiffness of diesel pistons are more, which enabled them to formulate the coatings accordingly. They also reinforced a polymer based coating with short length carbon fibers which comprised of embedded graphite that constituted to be a solid lubricant in EcoTough-D. This brought the friction in piston down by 35% when compared to conventional coatings. The water resistance of the coating saw a 30% improvement.

Almost 17% of the frictional losses in the engine arise only due to the piston skirt and piston pin, as per Dr. Frank T.H. Dornenburg, who leads the Technology department for Pistons at FDML. In a bid to reduce the friction and wear of piston skirt and cylinder surfaces, skirt coatings have proved to be effective and have also helped in achieving the interrelated targets. The application of coatings can be done using an automated and large scale production process, which will result in lower costs.

An Overview of Federal Mogul

Federal Mogul is an established company worldwide and supplies products and services to different automobile manufacturers and servicers from all over the world of all light, medium, heavy-duty and commercial, marine, rails, aerospace, power generation and industrial sector of markets. With the constant innovation at Federal Mogul, automobiles have been able to achieve better fuel economy, lower emission levels and better safety levels.

There are two independent lines of businesses at FDML run by two different CEOs, who directly report to the Board of Directors.

FDML manufactures components suited for automotive, heavy-duty, and industrial and transport applications. There are over 20 recognized brands in the global automobile aftermarket that are sold by Federal Mogul which include braking, wipers and different chassis components.

It was started in 1899 in Detroit and is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan. There are over 53,000 employees worldwide on its payroll.

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Description about the product

Elastisol is a product designed for gasketing and sealing applications where there is a necessity for resistance to long-life lubricants to be used under extreme conditions. It is a single piece component, thixotropic in nature and is a sealant.

Some of the special features of Elastisol A 2000 are listed below:

  1. Single component
  2. Cured at room temperature.
  3. Does not get affected by shear.
  4. Non-slump.
  5. No need of priming for adherence to majority of the substrates.
  6. It resists hot lubricating oils.

Steps for Application of Elastosil

The surface to which Elastosil has to be bonded should be dry, clean and must not have any oil and grease particles.

Elastisol A 2000 can also be dispensed in bulk by using conventional drum and pail extruder pumps for feeding gasket tracing machines and placing the beads precisely and also for achieving material efficiency. In the case of manual applications such as repair, it can be accomplished by using a high pressure flexible fluid hose and an extrusion gun.

The equipment required for transfer systems and dispensing machines will be provided to supplier on request. In most of the applications consisting of gaskets, a sealant bead of 3-4 mm would suffice. The parts should be assembled as soon as possible so that the sealant spreads evenly.

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Engines are the lifeblood of every imaginable high- pressure mechanical activity known to man, subjected to extreme pressures as the result of external and internal combustion processes that generate mechanical energy. They are responsible for making our cars run, generating power for electricity, hauling heavy stuff – they benefit us humans by taking over the work that our limited strength and power could not muster.
For the automobile industry, there are generally two types of major remedial measures used for engines – in-frame and overhaul (Out-of-frame) jobs and both require rebuild kits to replace damaged or worn-out parts.
What is the difference between an in-frame kit and an out-of-frame overhaul kit? The contents of the kits – an in-frame kit has less components compared to an overhaul kit.
Although both in-frame and overhaul jobs are focused on fixing engine performance issues, the in-frame repair process deals with rebuilding an engine without the need to remove the front cover or crankshaft of the engine.
Because of this, the in-frame kit does not contain gaskets for the front and rear body of the engine, only the main bearing, rod bearings, cylinder kits, upper gasket kit and oil pan gasket. The engine stays inside the vehicle frame without the need to be taken out of the vehicle body. In general, the in-frame process is intended mostly for regular preventive maintenance.

Out-of-Frame Overhaul Kit

An out-of-frame overhaul kit contains much more, as the overhaul process requires the engine to be removed from the frame of the vehicle. The rebuild process often requires engine block re-facing to smooth-en out the surface and cylinder re-boring to adjust clearances within the cylinder holes. During this process, then entire engine is disassembled.
An overhaul kit comes complete with cylinder kits, main bearings, rod bearings, front and rear crankshaft seals and complete overhaul gasket kit.
Costs vary between the two rebuild types. The overhaul repair process would cost much more, depending on the size of the engine, the amount of work and the parts needed for replacement or repair. Labor costs are often exclusive of the cost for overhaul kits.
When in doubt, always make sure to consult a specialist for the best and cost-effective advice for your engine repair and maintenance needs.

Types of Engine Rebuild Kits

Re-Ring Engine Rebuild Kit Includes piston rings, main bearings, rod bearings, thrust washers, upper gasket kit, oil pan gasket
In-frame Engine Rebuild Kit Includes piston & liner kits (or re-bore kits), main bearings, rod bearings, thrust washers, upper gasket kit and oil pan gasket
Out-of-frame Engine Rebuild Kit Includes piston & liner kits (or re-bore kits), main bearings, rod bearings, thrust washers, overhaul gasket kit and front & rear crankshaft seals
Piston-less In-frame Engine Rebuild Kit Includes liner kits, main bearings, rod bearings, thrust washers, upper gasket kit and oil pan gasket
Piston-less Out-of-frame Engine Rebuild Kit Includes liner kits, main bearings, rod bearings, thrust washers, overhaul gasket kit and front & rear crankshaft seals