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I NCREASE P OWER
O UTPUT O F A
LOW-EMISSION/
HIGH-EFFICIENCY
ENGINE
1.0
E
ngineers at Honda R&D Co., Ltd.,
Tochigi, Japan [Akimoto et al.], intro-
duced technology employed for de-
veloping a two-liter, inline-four engine
called F20C. The model F20C is the upscale
version of the F20B which has been the
powerplant of the Honda Accord TM . The
engine was uniquely designed to produce
high specific power of 125 PS (93.2 kW) per
liter considering the limited space require-
ment for the balanced weight distribution
(50 percent front and 50 percent rear) of the
S2000 TM sports car. Cylinder bore was in-
creased from 85 to 87 mm and the stroke
was reduced from 88 to 84 mm. Because of
the 2 mm increase of the bore, both the in-
take and exhaust valve diameter could be
enlarged to increase the effective flow area
by 15 percent. Engine speed was increased
from 7200 rpm to 8300 rpm to produce the
maximum power of 184 kW with the maxi-
mum torque increased to 218 Nm at 7500
rpm. Engine mechanical friction was con-
siderably decreased by using lighter power
cylinder components, a roller-follower for
variable valve timing and lift electronic con-
trol (VTEC) valve train, and a cylinder block (AJS). The uniquely configured, concave
designed for reducing windage effect and piston crown retained turbulence intensity
pumping loss. At 7000 rpm, the mechani- longer near top dead center (TDC). Both
cal friction decreased by 25 percent. Intake AJS and the concave piston crown success-
manifold and ports were modified to reduce fully increased the burn rate of lean mixture
the volume in order to increase the respon- in a short-stroke engine. In addition, engine
siveness of the engine by 18 percent in terms friction was reduced by 20 percent at all
of engine speed rise rate without affecting engine speeds, and idle speed was set lower
the maximum power output. to gain fuel economy. The automatic trans-
While technology was developed for mission was redesigned as well to improve
increasing the maximum power, emissions power transmission of the lean-burn engine.
control technology was refined to meet fu- As a result, fuel economy improved by 14
ture emissions standards. The catalysts percent under the Japan 10-15 mode oper-
substrate was changed from ceramic to ating conditions compared to the previous
metal. Secondary air injection was em- model.
ployed to increase catalyst temperature rise Engine power output was increased by
rate when the engine is cold. A metal hav- improving charging efficiency. Variable
ing 40 micrometer thickness (instead of 105 features were used for adjusting valve tim-
micrometer of ceramic) helped reduce the ing and lift and intake manifold volume
exhaust gas flow resistance by 42 percent. depending on engine operating conditions.
Thus, the metal substrate could reduce the Intake port geometry was designed to
exhaust back pressure without increasing achieve both high tumble motion and low
cell density. The secondary air was sup- flow coefficient. The peak torque increased
plied by an electric motor-driven pump to to 186 Nm at 4400 rpm, and the maximum
each exhaust port. Relatively rich mixture power increased to 114 kW at 6400 rpm
operation emitted unburned fuel into the compared to those of the previous model.
exhaust. With the secondary air, the un-
burned fuel was combusted to generate heat 1 . 1 THE TWO-LITER, INLINE-FOUR
so that the catalyst rapidly warmed up. As DESIGNED FOR HONDA S2000
a result, the catalyst temperature increased [Akimoto et al.]
200C higher than the engine without the
secondary air supply. Under the Japan 10- A 2.0-liter, inline-four F20C engine was
15 mode emissions test conditions, all three designed for Hondas sports car S2000. The
gaseous emissions, carbon monoxide (CO), engine was designed to achieve high vehicle
hydrocarbon (HC), and nitrogen oxides performance, yet the exhaust emissions are
(NOx), met the target of half of Japans sufficiently low to meet future emissions
emissions standards for the year 2000. standards. The development targets are:
Nissans RB20DE, a 1.998-liter, in-line
six engine, powerplant of a sport sedan Rated power output of 125 PS 1 (92
called Skyline TM , has been revised to con- kWh) per liter
sume less fuel and produce more power.
Engineers at Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Half the emissions standard
Kanagawa, Japan [Nishizawa et al.], devel- planned for the year 2000 in Japan.
oped lean-burn technology for a short-
stroke engine which has been known to be Compact and lightweight design to
difficult compared to application in a long- fit in limited engine compartment
stroke engine. Tumble air motion was ef- space
fectively generated by the low-restriction
intake system called the Air Jet Swirler 1
Metric horsepower
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S PARK -I GNITION E NGINE T ECHNOLOGY
Chapter 1, July 1999
High response suitable for sports car roller-follower to reduce friction. The roller
application. shaft consists of the VTECs valve switch-
ing pin, as shown in Figure 1.1.2. The cam-
F20C engine specifications are listed in shaft was operated by a silent chain instead
Table 1.1.1. The specifications of the F20B of a conventional timing belt so that the
engine designed for the 1998 Honda engine length could be shorter. The intake
Accord TM are also listed for comparison.
Figure 1.1.1 shows the overview of the
F20C engine.
Considering the high-speed and
high-power operation required for the
F20C, the bore was 2 mm greater and the
stroke was 4 mm shorter than those of the
F20B designed for the Accord TM . Re-
duced weight of moving components and
the short stroke helped decreased engine
vibration. Hence, no balance shaft was
necessary. The cylinder block was made
of a fiber-reinforced metal sleeve, alumi-
num die-cast, and a ladder frame was
used to increase the structural rigidity.
The cylinder head was a compact de-
sign of three-piece construction. The
valves including-angle was 51 degrees.
Variable valve timing and lift electronic Figure 1.1.1
F20C E NGINE [Akimoto et al.]
control (VTEC) was modified by using a
Table 1.1.1
E NGINE S PECIFICATIONS [Akimoto et al.]
Cy l i n d e r L a y o u t L 4 L 4
Bo r e x St r o k e ( mm) 87 x 84 85 x 88
Di s p l a c e me n t ( c c ) 1997 1997
C o mp r e s s i o n R a t i o 11. 7 11. 0
DOHC V T E C
Val v e Tr a i n DOHC V T E C
Rol l e r f o l l ower
C a ms h a f t Dr i v e T r a i n Cha i n d r i v e Be l t d r i v e
BSF C ( g / k Wh )
378 421
a t 4 . 4 k W, 1 5 0 0 r p m
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E NGINE T ECHNOLOGY P ROGRESS I N J APAN
Inter-Tech Energy Progress, Inc. , San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A.
Figure 1.1.2
V ALVE T RAIN [Akimoto et al.]
manifold volume was also reduced. The re- helped increase the effective flow area of
duced flywheel weight improved engine re- each valve by 15 percent at the maximum
sponse. The combination of various design valve lift. The intake system was designed
improvements resulted in a 30-mm shorter to consist of an air cleaner integrated with
engine that is about 8 kg lighter than the a noise reduction device. The filter element
F20B. Table 1.1.2 lists design approaches of the air cleaner was a cone-shaped, axial
and objectives. flow which reduced flow restriction. The
The target power of 125 PS per liter was intake system design optimized for both
achieved by raising the engine speed to 8300 low flow restriction and low noise achieved
rpm. This power level falls in the category a flow increase of 20 percent compared to
of naturally-aspirated racing engines, as the F20B.
shown in Figure 1.1.3. Intake and exhaust The exhaust system of the F20C was
tuning and lower mechanical efficiency designed to meet future emissions stan-
helped achieve high rated power without dards and employed a metal substrate cata-
reducing torque in the low- and medium- lytic converter and secondary air injection.
speed range, as shown in Figure 1.1.4. Thus, the exhaust pipe diameter upstream
from the catalyst could be enlarged. The
1 . 1 . 1 Technology Developed for F20C larger exhaust pipe diameter allowed the
the Engine exhaust manifold design to be optimized for
achieving a higher flow rate. Two of the
Volumetric Efficiency Improvement: exhaust pipes from four cylinders were first
The increased cylinder bore by 2 mm al- joined to make two outlets and then these
lowed both intake and exhaust valve diam- two outlets were joined to connect the ex-
eters to be increased by 2 mm each. This haust pipe. This 4-2-1 exhaust manifold
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S PARK -I GNITION E NGINE T ECHNOLOGY
Chapter 1, July 1999
Table 1.1.2
D ESIGN A PPROACHES AND O BJECTIVES [Akimoto et al.]
Sma l l
Po we r Emi s s i o n Re s p o n s e
/ We i g h t
Ne w DOHC- VTEC
O O
c y l i nder - head
Ro l l e r VTEC O O O
MI M r o c k e r - a r m O
Hi g h s t r e n g t h
O
v a l v e s pr i n g
Chai n s y s t e m O O
For ged pi s t on O O
Ca r b u r i z e d
O O
connect i ng r od
L a d d e r f r a me
O O
c y l i n d e r bl o c k
St r a i g h t p o r t
O O O
i n t a k e ma n i f o l d
Do u b l e - p i p e
O O
e x h a u s t ma n i f o l d
Me t a l c a t a l y t i c
O O
conv e r t er
Ex h a u s t s e c o n d l y
O
ai r i nj e c t i on s y s t e m
Pl u g h o l e
O O
i gni t i on coi l
Hi g h r e s p o n s e
O
i n t a k e t e mp . s e n s o r
Se r p e n t i n e b e l t
O O
dr i v e s y s t e m
* MI M : Me t a l I n j e c t i o n Mo l d i n g
configuration with the larger flow area and length of an oil return passage and a breath-
optimum length effectively increased the ing passage, decreased the windage effect
flow rate by 66 percent. at a high speed to reduce friction. The
Designs for Increasing Mechanical Ef- pumping loss that occurs between the cyl-
ficiency: In addition to friction reduction by inders in the crankcase was also reduced.
using the short stroke, the cylinder block, The overall weight of the reciprocating com-
which was designed to increase both the ponents was reduced by about 10 percent
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E NGINE T ECHNOLOGY P ROGRESS I N J APAN
Inter-Tech Energy Progress, Inc. , San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A.
Figure 1.1.5
Figure 1.1.4 T HE R ELATIONSHIP BETWEEN P ISTON
P OWER O UTPUT AND T ORQUE A S A F UNCTION OF A CCELERATION AND P ISTON S PEED
E NGINE S PEED [Akimoto et al.] [Akimoto et al.]
6
S PARK -I GNITION E NGINE T ECHNOLOGY
Chapter 1, July 1999
1. The piston was made of forged alu- diameter and length were reduced as much
minum to increase fatigue strength as possible. An independent straight port
and impact strength and decrease was used for each cylinder. This helped
weight. intake pressure to respond quickly to the
movement of the throttle valve. As shown
2. The piston pin was designed to re- in Figure 1.1.6, the intake manifold volume
duce the internal diameter for re- could be reduced to the level of a 1.6-liter
duced weight. The sliding surface engine.
was treated with iron oxides (Fe 3 O 4 ), The compact intake manifold effectively
and the connecting rod short-end increased the response of intake manifold
bushing was eliminated. pressure when the throttle was closed, as
shown in Figure 1.1.7. The pressure de-
3. The connecting rod was made of creased 100 msec faster than the F20B which
carburized cast iron to increase fa- had a variable intake system. Combining
tigue strength at the small end and the compact intake volume with other fac-
fretting strength at the big end. tors such as a lighter flywheel, optimized
fuel injection and ignition timing control,
In addition, the crankshaft was made of the engine speed response increased by 18
S48C with a supplement of manganese to percent, as shown in Figure 1.1.8, when the
increase torsional strength. The corner of throttle was fully opened from the closed
the oil supply hole drilled in the crank pin position.
was machined with a 20-degree chamfer to
reduce the stress concentration. 1.1.2 Exhaust Emissions Control
Valve train components were also de-
signed for high-speed application. A spring While technology was developed for
retainer was designed for optimum configu- increasing the maximum power, emissions
ration with reduced weight. The valve control technology was refined to meet fu-
spring material was modified by reducing ture emissions standards. The target was
the crystal particle size to increase the half of Japans emissions standards for the
strength; a single spring was used for each
valve which reduces the valve/spring as-
sembly weight.
Ways to Achieve Fast Engine Response:
The variable-intake plenum chamber vol-
ume/length effectively uses the optimum
pressure pulsation in the intake system to
achieve high volumetric efficiency in a wide
engine speed range. However, the effec-
tiveness is obtained after the intake valves
are closed in the case of the multi-cylinder
engine, and there is time delay in achieving
high volumetric efficiency. Therefore, the
variable system is not appropriate for the
sports car engine which requires fast engine
response.
For the F20C engine, an approach was
taken to reduce the volume downstream Figure 1.1.6
from the throttle valve, yet the maximum V OLUME OF I NTAKE M ANIFOLD D OWNSTREAM FROM
target power could be achieved. Intake port THE T HROTTLE V ALVE [Akimoto et al.]
7
E NGINE T ECHNOLOGY P ROGRESS I N J APAN
Inter-Tech Energy Progress, Inc. , San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A.
year 2000. As shown in Figure 1.1.9, the crometer thickness (instead of the 105-mi-
catalysts substrate was changed from ce- crometer ceramic) reduced the exhaust gas
ramic to metal. The secondary air injection flow resistance by 42 percent, as shown in
was employed to increase the catalyst tem- Figure 1.1.10 and Figure 1.1.11. Thus, the
perature rise rate when the engine was cold. metal substrate could reduce the exhaust
Metal Honeycomb Catalyst: A thinner back pressure without increasing cell den-
catalyst honeycomb structure effectively sity.
decreases exhaust gas flow resistance and Multi-Port Secondary Air Injection
thermal capacity. A metal with a 40 mi- System: To reduce cold-start emissions, the
Figure 1.1.7
I NTAKE M ANIFOLD P RESSURE R ESPONSE TO
Figure 1.1.8
T HROTTLE C LOSURE [Akimoto et al.]
E NGINE S PEED R ESPONSE TO T HROTTLE O PENING
[Akimoto et al.]
Figure 1.1.9
AFTER -T REATMENT D EVICES [Akimoto et al.]
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S PARK -I GNITION E NGINE T ECHNOLOGY
Chapter 1, July 1999
secondary air was supplied by an electric lyst temperature increased 200C higher
motor-driven pump to each exhaust port. than the engine without the secondary air
Relatively rich mixture operation emitted supply, as shown in Figure 1.1.12.
unburned fuel into the exhaust. With the Spark-timing control was also devel-
secondary air, the unburned fuel was com- oped to achieve low NOx and stable idle
busted to generate heat so that the catalyst operation during the engine warm-up pe-
rapidly warmed up. As a result, the cata- riod. Figure 1.1.13 shows the emissions
Figure 1.1.12
C ATALYST T EMPERATURE AFTER THE E NGINE WAS STARTED UNDER J APAN S 11-M ODE O PERATING C ONDITION
[Akimoto et al.]
9
E NGINE T ECHNOLOGY P ROGRESS I N J APAN
Inter-Tech Energy Progress, Inc. , San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A.
measurement results obtained under gine. Table 1.1.3 lists the difference in emis-
Japans 11-mode operating condition. CO, sions levels and emissions control methods
HC, and NOx decreased by 72, 55, and 64 between the F20C and F20B engines.
percent compared to those of the F20B en-
Figure 1.1.13
E MISSIONS M EASUREMENT R ESULTS OBTAINED UNDER THE J APAN 11-M ODE [Akimoto et al.]
Table 1.1.3
E MISSIONS L EVEL AND E MISSIONS C ONTROL M ETHODS [Akimoto et al.]
E mi s s i o n T a r g e t H. 1 2 1/ 2 S. 5 3
CO ( g ) 0. 30 0. 80
E mi s s i o n
10- 15 HC ( g ) 0. 02 0. 10
Mo d e
NOx ( g ) 0. 03 0. 10
Me t a l 1. 0 L Ce r a mi c 1 . 0 L
Cay a l y s t
1 . 6 mi l 4 0 0 c p s i 7 . 5 mi l 4 0 0 c p s i
E l e c t i c p u mp
E mi s s i o n S y s t e m e x haus t s e c o ndar y EGR
ai r i nj e c t i on
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S PARK -I GNITION E NGINE T ECHNOLOGY
Chapter 1, July 1999
11
E NGINE T ECHNOLOGY P ROGRESS I N J APAN
Inter-Tech Energy Progress, Inc. , San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A.
12
S PARK -I GNITION E NGINE T ECHNOLOGY
Chapter 1, July 1999
Figure 1.2.3
M IXTURE D ISTRIBUTION IN E ARLY I NTAKE S TROKE 1200 RPM WITH S PARK T IMING AT 90CA BTDC
[Nishizawa et al.]
Figure 1.2.4
S IMULATION R ESULTS [Nishizawa et al.]
Figure 1.2.5
M IXTURE D ISTRIBUTION IN L ATER I NTAKE S TROKE 1200 RPM WITH S PARK T IMING AT 90CA BTDC
[Nishizawa et al.]
13
E NGINE T ECHNOLOGY P ROGRESS I N J APAN
Inter-Tech Energy Progress, Inc. , San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A.
effectively stabilizes lean combustion and burn rate was short. Therefore, the concave
reduces NOx. piston crown improved the lean combus-
Reliable Turbulence Generated by a tion in the short-stroke engine.
Concave Piston Crown: AJS effectively As a result, the lean-combustion became
produced air motion in the cylinder during stable even though the air/fuel ratio was
the intake stroke and helped enhance fuel increased to 25. Under the Japan 10-15
and air mixing to achieve high homogene- mode, lean-burn operation improved fuel
ity. This air motion needs to be retained economy by 3.2 percent.
during the compression stroke, and a cer-
tain level of turbulence needs to be gener- 1.2.2 Overall Engine Performance
ated near TDC in order to increase the com-
bustion rate. Nissan engineers configured In addition to lean-burn operation, re-
the piston crown to maintain the air motion duced mechanical friction contributed to
and organize tumble flow before micro- fuel economy development. The following
scale turbulence is generated near TDC. LIF lists the improvements made for both recip-
images indicated that the concave piston rocating and rotating components and
crown retained tumble flow near TDC. A valve train components:
flat top piston tends to destroy tumble flow
relatively early because of the relatively Reciprocating and Rotating Compo-
small clearance between the piston crown nents:
and the cylinder head fire deck (See H in
Figure 1.2.2). Thus, the turbulence intensity Two-ring pack piston (one compres-
tends to decay earlier, for example, at and sion ring and one oil control ring)
after TDC.
A concave piston crown effectively in- Piston skirt profile optimization and
creased the combustion rate, as shown in molybdenum coating
Figure 1.2.6. Even though a retarded spark
timing was used for reducing NOx, the Micro-finish crankshaft journal
crank angle duration of 10-90 percent mass
Figure 1.2.6
T HE E FFECT OF A C ONCAVE P ISTON C ROWN ON 10-90 P ERCENT M ASS B URN D URATION AS A F UNCTION OF
14
S PARK -I GNITION E NGINE T ECHNOLOGY
Chapter 1, July 1999
Micro-finish camshaft
No hydraulic tappet
15