Ferrari Working On 'Super Multiair Engine'

Actually, this kind of "variable camshaft" technology has been in existence for some time. It will be interesting to see Fiat/Ferrari's take on it:

Ford Ti-VCT Boosts Power And Efficiency Is All About Timing

Jan 28, 2010

By: All Ford Mustangs News Desk

Ford’s “new” Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing is the jewel in the 2011 lineup; 30 miles per gallon and 305 horsepower in the V-6, 25 miles and 412 horses in the V-8. But if the much-touted Ti-VCT isn’t really new, it sure is improved.


The little engine that could - Duratec 1.6 Ti-VCT.

Introduced in late 2004, the first Ti-VCT engine was the 1.6-liter Duratec tucked under the skin of the Focus and Focus C-Max. It offered 115 horsepower, 15 more than the Duratec that had hauled the little car around since 1998, and claimed a more responsive throttle and better gas mileage.

For those who don’t know, valves in the engine open to let in the fuel and air mixture, close to contain the power-producing explosion, and another set of valves open to let free the leftover gases — the exhaust. It is the engine’s camshaft that opens these valves, and the timing must be precise, or the engine will not operate properly, if at all.

The tough part is designing the camshaft’s profile, the position and shape of the cam lobes on the shaft, to work across the band of revolutions an engine goes through. It’s a tradeoff that can limit low-end torque or high-end power.

Bumps in the road

Variable timing allows the cam profile to change, which results in greater efficiency and power.

At high engine speeds, an engine requires large amounts of air, which means keeping the intake valves open as long as possible. However, this can cause problems at the lower engine speeds as unburned fuel exit the engine while the valves are still open. This leads to lower engine performance and increased emissions.

If the cam is designed with a shorter duration, the intake valves may close before all the air has been given a chance to flow in at higher rpm, reducing performance. This is why pure racing engines cannot idle at the low speeds (around 800 rpm) expected of a road car, and idle speeds of 2,000 rpm are not unusual.

Variable timing is meant to offer the best of both worlds. After its success with the four-cylinder Duratec, Ford gave the V-6 the treatment with the single-cam Duratec 30 in the 2006 Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr, again with promising power results: 221 horsepower, but just 10 miles per gallon. The new energy crunch made that mileage figure unacceptable.



The Mustang GT 5.0 will use Ti-VCT to pull 412 horsepower and 25 miles per gallon out of the V-8.

Enter the twin-cam era. Ti-VCT provides extremely precise variable – yet independent – control of timing for intake and exhaust valves. Drivers of the 2011 Mustang GT will notice abundant torque and class-leading fuel economy. An additional benefit of Ti-VCT is a reduction of emissions, especially in situations when the throttle is partially open.

How the technology works

As a DOHC design, the 3.7-liter V-6 uses two camshafts per cylinder bank – one to open the intake valves and one to open the exhaust valves. Traditionally, camshafts only have been able to open the valves at a fixed point defined during engine design and manufacturing. But with modern variable cam timing systems, the camshafts can be rotated slightly relative to their initial position, allowing the cam timing to be “advanced” or “retarded.”

Ti-VCT takes this technology and applies it to both the intake and exhaust camshafts of its DOHC design, using electronic solenoid valves to direct high-pressure oil to control vanes in each of the camshaft sprocket housings. By using one oil control solenoid valve per camshaft, controlled by the Electronic Control Module (ECM), each intake and exhaust cam can be advanced or retarded independently of the other as engine operating conditions change, providing an exceptional degree of valve timing control.

The new 3.7-liter engine for the 2011 Mustang V-6 will be built at Ford’s recently retooled Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1.

More ponies for the pony

The new 5.0-liter V-8 in the 2011 Mustang GT is also a double-overhead-camshaft configuration that employs two camshafts per cylinder bank. An element unique to the Mustang GT 5.0-liter V-8 application is that Ti-VCT is actuated by camshaft torque, with assistance from the pressurized oil. Using camshaft torque energy provides faster throttle response and maximizes use of existing energy, to aid fuel economy. Camshaft torque energy Ti-VCT actuation is a Ford innovation, introduced first on the 3.0-liter V-6.


Can you wait for 2011?

Working like a ratchet, the one-way valves allow precise timing of camshaft events, continually optimizing timing to provide maximum thrust or fuel economy, based on driver input. “Ti-VCT is a win-win-win technology,” said Barb Samardzich, vice-president of Global Powertrain Development. “It helps our new range of engines to deliver high performance with unsurpassed projected highway fuel economy of 25 miles per gallon and reduced emissions.

“Ti-VCT technology will continue to proliferate across the Ford powertrain portfolio. By 2013, you can expect to see this advancement available on 90 percent of our nameplates.”

— Ken Simmons

 

Infidel, the technologies you mentioned are vastly different.

 

Vastly different?

Currently, both Fiat's and Ford's technology accomplish the same thing, the same way--varying the cam profile and, consequently, changing the operation of the intake and exhaust valves. How they go about it is a little different, but they are far more similar than dissimilar.

This kind of variable cam technology has been in use in a Ford production vehicle since 2004.

As I originally posted, I will be interested to see how Fiat/Ferrari alters things. It seems Ferrari is attempting to completely separate the operation of the valves from the cams. And that is something different.

 

Yes, using your logic, Honda's VTEC is the same too.

Ford, GM, and others have used camshaft phasers that can twist the cams a few degrees, effectively changing the timing of the valve event. Originally, since Ford was using SOHC in their V8s, they weren't as effective as the cam's degree changed both intake and exhaust valve events (timing only). Now with the Coyote (5.0) being DOHC they can move the intake cam independently of the exhaust cam, making it a much more efficient system. But the 'new' Ford system can only change overlap and timing. The cam lobe still dictates lift and duration.

Fiat uses a system that can change lift, duration, overlap, and timing. Ferrari's system ditches the cam lobe altogether, so each metric can be infinitely adjustable (in theory).

So, I stand by my statement, they are vastly different.

 

That's true, electromechanical valve actuation has been around for a long time. Just not in a production engine or vehicle.

The Ford technology you quoted is just the old boring camshaft phasing that's been in production vehicles for more than a decade. It is nothing at all like what Fiat/Ferrari is working on.

 

SOHC does not restrict changing intake and exhaust separately. The single camshaft can actually be two concentric camshafts.

 

True, ala Viper, but not so with Ford's VCT. Which is what I was referring to.

 

If this is true, it represents the Holy Grail of engine control. As mentioned above, previous variable cams changed the TIMING but not the AMOUNT the valve opened.

As most people know, an engine is just a big air pump and the valves control the air flow. By changing how much air gets into the combustion chamber when (and the fuel and the when spark fires) you can make a 1 liter engine produce 40 horsepower or 400.

For years, we've had digital control of the spark plug timing. We now with direct injection we have digital control of how much fuel goes in when. The last frontier was the valves.

The cam controls the lift, duration, overlap and timing of the valves. Until recently, all 4 were set by the profile of the cam and no matter the RPM you had the same 4 settings. Recently various techniquies changed the timing.

Now they are talking about digital control over every aspect of valve movement. This combined with digital control of the ignition and fuel, changes everything.

Combined with an F1 transmission (and controller) the possibilities are mind blowing.

You could go in super-econ mode and get (with the weight and drag of an FCar) probably 40 miles to the gallon. (with accompanying emissions) Touch a button and you produce more horsepower than that same engine was ever allowed to produce before.

Please be true. Please be true. Please be true.

 

Good post! Minor addition, though- Honda's original VTEC did vary valve lift, in a binary mode - two cam profiles, one for economy/efficiency, one for high-rpm power. More recently, BMW's valvetronic technology allows variable lift too. Both technologies are camshaft based, though, and as you say, the real breakthrough will be with eliminating the camshafts altogether and moving to solenoid actuation.

 

F1 engines are only at 320 HP/litre. So, you can't get 400 naturally asperated.
Street Motorcycles engines are at 200 HP/litre in 600ccs and 150 HP in 1 litre.

So, for all intents and purposes, you can only get 150 HP/litre naturally asperated.

 

Well yeah Mitch but that is a distinction with no difference. Turbos exist.

Besides, it was a figure of speech.

 

Yes FIAT is replacing the camshaft with solenoids. This has been tested in labs for years and Lotus was playing with this stuff 10's of years ago ... but one thing playing the other selling production cars with it!

BTW since we are talking about many different types of valve actuation, returning to variable valve timing:

Another thing many forget is BMW replaced the throttle butterfly with fancy valve control, ie. the inlet valves open different amounts depending on the accerator position, thus no need for the restrictive throttle butterfly(ies). More reading: http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/technology/technology_guide/articles/mm_valvetronic.html
Pete

 

One day we will ...

Pete

 

Ferrari has had engines on dynos with this technology since at least 1985.


I heard about it at TR school and if I was told it wasn't that new or secret then.



GM was testing it at about the same time. Experimental work on it is industry wide and has been for more than 20 years.

 

The question is, can they make the technology reliable enough and get the cost such that it is feasible for a production road car?

 

The industry has not even been able to do that with 42 volt electrical systems so I am not holding my breath.

 

This is old technology. The idea has been around for decades. The main issues are noise and packaging. The earlier versions required very tall valve covers to enclose the solenoids, and the noise was god awful..unacceptable really. Saab was the closest to perfecting the technology, but the noise factor was one they could not over come. Saab was also developing a variable compression engine at the time, in which the cylinder head would actually move just enough to change the compression a couple of points.

Everything old is new again it seems...

 

Ferrari have already said the MultiAir does not lend itself to high rpm applications. And BTW, the MultiAir still maintains a camshaft, just varies the rocker arm leverage by varying pressure at the fulcrum so that lift, duration and even the number of openings per cycle can be varied and also does away with the throttle.

The description of this invention is: "to provide a pneumatic system for controlling the valves of an internal combustion engine, said pneumatic system... easy and inexpensive to produce."

So a pneumatic valve system for street applications - very interesting. Wonder what will be the first application for it?

 

These newer cars are going to be completely unrepairable when they're 40 years old.

 

+1.

We are moving towards the throw away engine. Imagine just throwing a Ferrari engine away ... just wrong.
Pete

 

Old Technology? Get real guys. YES people have been working on it for decades. They have also been working on flying cars...

If someone releases a credible flying car tomorrow are you going to dismiss it as 'old technology' because people have been working on it for decades? DUH, No.

By that definition if someone figured how to truly travel at the speed of light, it would be deemed "old technology." Get real.

Any technology that has not made it outside the lab yet can hardly be dismissed as 'old.' If anything the fact they have been working on it for decades shows how exciting this is...... IF IF IF they figured it out.

(OK OK OK climbing off my soapbox now )

 

Not at all, just a 30 year old story. When they actually make it work, be reliable, cost effective, and put it in production THAT would be a story worth telling.

Until then it is just an old experiment that has yet to yeild results.

 

no doubt Brian... here's hoping they got it right.