Advanced Development and Dynamometer Tuning
Published
of a Suzuki GSXR 600cc Engine for an FSAE®
Vehicle
Mark Baldisserotto and George J. Delagrammatikas
Cooper Union
ABSTRACT
The engine tuning study presented here serves as an
introduction to the basic concepts of implementing a
motorcycle engine on an eddy current dynamometer test
stand. This work represents the first engine tuning effort of a
young FSAE® team and depicts the common challenges
encountered by novice teams. The torque and power
characteristics of a restricted 600cc Suzuki GSXR engine
were tuned in order to deliver the performance demands of an
FSAE® vehicle. Coarse baseline fuel and ignition maps were
initially developed manually and then optimized via a closed-
loop algorithm. User-defined air-fuel ratios were
automatically maintained throughout the engine's operating
regime during this optimization process. Performance data
were logged throughout each tuning cycle where spark timing
and air-fuel ratio were varied accordingly to maximize power
output. Spark settings were located approximately 10%
before the knock threshold identified using a knock sensor.
Spark advance was also set to maintain a stable idle. Inertia
simulations using a commercial vehicle simulator and a
LabVIEW® program were performed to model typical
acceleration scenarios, thereby determining the enrichment
strategies needed for transient throttle response. The ECU,
dynamometer controller, fueling, transmission actuation, the
software interface developed, and the data logging systems
are described here.
INTRODUCTION
The Formula SAE® competition is an intercollegiate
engineering challenge that requires student teams to conceive,
design, analyze, fabricate, race, report on, and market a
formula-style racecar to a fictitious company. Among the
countless design problems that students undertake is that of
tuning a spark-ignited gasoline engine fitted with a 20 mm
2010-01-0310
04/12/2010
Copyright © 2010 SAE International
restrictor (19 mm if operating with ethanol). At a minimum,
teams normally select a commercially-available gasoline
engine of 610 cc displacement or less (as per the rules) and
remove the intake system, the exhaust system, and the engine
control unit (ECU). These systems are then replaced with
student-designed counterparts that adhere to the
corresponding competition rules governing them.
These engines are frequently re-tuned on chassis
dynamometers after the entire vehicles are built. This paper
focuses on how an eddy-current dynamometer system was
developed to test and tune the baseline gasoline engine for the
2009 Cooper Union FSAE® vehicle. The team entered
FSAE® competitions during three consecutive years starting
in 2007. The 2009 entry was the first entry which included an
engine that was developed and tuned on a test stand
decoupled from the entire vehicle. Unsuccessful, inconsistent,
and very limited engine tuning was performed on chassis
dynamometers and in road testing during the previous years.
This current effort was performed to decrease overall vehicle
development time by allowing for the concurrent engineering
of all vehicle subsystems. In addition, the facilities,
equipment, and associated funding necessary for such an
effort did not exist before the last season.
BASIC CONCEPTS
The following fundamental concepts are discussed in more
detail in standard references and are used widely by FSAE®
teams [1, 2, 3]. Spark timing and fuel-air mixture have long
been recognized as the factors that most directly regulate an
engine's overall efficiency, maximum power and torque
characteristics, average running temperature, and emissions.
Spark timing is the point at which the spark plug fires toward
the end of the compression stroke, measured in degrees
before top dead center (BTDC). Because the combustion
process does not occur instantaneously, the maximum
cylinder pressure must therefore be phased to extract the most
useful work from the cycle when optimizing for performance.
To achieve this end, the spark timing is defined sufficiently
BTDC so that the peak cylinder pressure occurs shortly after
TDC. If this timing is too late, the expansion of the cylinder
cools the combustion chamber, thereby decreasing the
maximum pressure the cylinder could achieve and decreasing
the cycle's efficiency. If the timing occurs too early, the in-
cylinder pressure rise forces the piston in the opposite
direction of the engine's rotation, leading to a decrease in
efficiency and power. If the timings are extreme in either
direction, the air-fuel mixture may never ignite.
The optimal spark timing, when measured in crank angle
degrees, varies with engine speed, though the time-based
duration of the combustion process is relatively insensitive to
engine speed and load. For this reason, the spark timing
becomes more advanced (or shifted earlier BTDC) as the
engine speed increases. Spark timing must also be advanced
as the throttle is closing or near a closed position (as
compared to mid-throttle conditions). The rate at which the
flame front propagates tends to decrease under closed throttle
conditions because in-cylinder temperatures are reduced from
decreased power output and a momentarily rich mixture.
Both of these occurrences cause slower combustion. Spark
advance can also be useful when attempting to control a
smooth idle. The optimum spark advance at each engine
operating point results in a condition known as maximum
brake torque, or MBT. At MBT and full throttle operation,
approximately 10% of the fuel is burned by TDC and the
maximum cylinder pressure occurs at around 10° after TDC.
The air-fuel ratio (AFR) for the fastest flame speed occurs at
approximately 10% richer than stoichiometric. The GSXR
600 engine utilizes an electronic fuel injection system where
the fuel mixture is adjusted by setting the specific pulse width
for each injector according to engine speed and throttle
position. This pulse width, or ‘on time’, directly adjusts the
length of time (in milliseconds) that the fuel injector remains
open for the injection duration in each engine cycle, while the
fuel line pressure remains relatively constant. Altering the
injector pulse width allows the control of the amount of fuel
to be delivered to each engine cylinder per engine cycle. For
each speed-throttle position combination, both AFR and
spark timing must be varied systematically to maximize the
torque output at those inputs.
Steady state testing performed on either a chassis or engine
dyno addresses the tuning issues discussed thus far.
Additional variables must therefore be tuned to enhance
engine performance. Engines generally require fuel
enrichments under both cold and warm start conditions.
Because fuel vaporization does not occur as effectively
during a cold start, an enriched mixture is required to
promote a combustible air-fuel mixture. In fuel injected
engines, ECU's detect when the engine is cranking and
automatically enrich air-fuel mixture. There are also engine
enrichment settings that are based on coolant temperature that
should be enriched at cold to warm operating conditions, in
order to keep the engine running smoothly until it warms up.
After warm-up, manifold and in-cylinder conditions become
more favorable for fuel vaporization, thereby eliminating the
need for further enrichment.
Racecar engines of this type, and automotive engines in
general, experience rapid transients which result in mixture
preparation conditions that are not favorable for optimal
operation. There are additional acceleration enrichment
settings that are used to slightly over-fuel the engine to obtain
maximum horsepower under rapid throttle demands. When
the throttle is opened quickly, the engine can momentarily see
a fuel mixture slightly leaner than stoichiometric because of a
rapid increase in manifold air pressure and air flow, thereby
decreasing maximum power. This negative effect can be
compensated for, and fuel mixtures can remain richer than
stoichiometric for maximum power, by utilizing acceleration
enrichments controlled by the ECU.
FSAE® requires that all of the air entering the intake system
must pass through a 20mm restrictor that is downstream of
the throttle. The restrictor used herein is shown in Figure 1
which illustrates a carbon fiber venturi with an integrated
restrictor, an air cleaner attached in front of a throttle body,
and a throttle body assembly that is controlled by an electric
servo motor.
Figure 1. Intake Restrictor Post Throttle Body
Because volumetric efficiency is greatly compromised with
this restrictor, the engine must be re-tuned entirely and
optimized, with methods similar to those developed in this
study, to produce maximum and controllable power with
different intake and exhaust configurations. Studies
performed in the past have shown that spark timing and AFR
can successfully be tuned simultaneously through closed-loop
control algorithms.4 The study illustrated here is the first step
in this research direction for a relatively young FSAE® team.

The following list represents the objectives of this project:

1. Develop a safe, robust, and relatively low-cost engine
tuning test stand for use in undergraduate instruction and
research with steady-state and transient capabilities.

2. Optimize the maximum torque and power output of a

restricted 600cc 4-Cylinder Suzuki GSXR engine throughout
the engine's capable operating range for FSAE® use.

3. Develop an open-loop tuning methodology to achieve

coarse baseline fuel and spark timing maps achieved at MBT.

4. Employ a closed-loop tuning algorithm to optimize base

maps to operate at prescribed fuel-air equivalence ratios
throughout the engine's operating regime. Figure 2. Basic dynamometer setup (safety cover
removed for clarity)
DYNAMOMETER RIG
The test setup utilized a Mustang Dynamometer MDT-70
eddy current absorption dynamometer illustrated in Figure 2
and Figure 3. This dyno was selected because its maximum
continuous torque, speed, and horsepower capacities matched
those of engines studied in the laboratory. It also offered the
accuracy and controllability necessary for the envisioned
studies within the associated financial constraints.
Furthermore, the physical limitations on electrical and water
loads prevented a DC or hydraulic dyno alternative. Note that
the engine was shifted into third gear during testing so that its
speed and load output would not overrun the dyno's limits.

The engine was coupled to the dyno at the stock output shaft
(where the sprocket normally is) to the dyno connection shaft
with a telescoping, dual universal-joint driveshaft which was
custom-designed for this engine size.5 On the opposite side Figure 3. The dyno coupling, load cell, and safety mesh
of the dyno, the same model engine in stock configuration
was linked with the dyno to obtain stock performance data of
The specifications of the engine used in this experiment are
the engine for comparative purposes.6 The dyno's load cell as follows:
measures the force exerted by the dyno housing at the
moment arm, yielding the torque measurement. This load cell
is recalibrated before every test.
Safety considerations required that no personnel were
allowed in the engine room during start-up or operation. A
control center was therefore developed to be a remote
operating system incorporating clutch and throttle actuators
in addition to fuel injector and spark timing control through
the engine control unit (ECU). Engine operators have visual
access to the test stand through a shatterproof window; a
webcam was implemented for viewing subsystems obscured
by other components.
CLUTCH AND THROTTLE
ACTUATION
The engine was allowed to first reach steady, no-load
operation before being coupled to the dyno. The operators,
therefore, had to disengage the clutch in order to start the
engine and achieve nominal operating temperature and speed.
The engine's starter motor was not used to accelerate the dyno
from a stand-still, as the dyno has a far greater inertia than the
motor was designed to handle. A controller was implemented
through LabVIEW® to modulate a linear actuator which
could precisely control clutch position from the control
center.
A stock throttle body was retrofitted with an electric servo
and wired to an FPGA board at the control station. Throttle
position could be controlled with a precision of ±1%. A
wireless version of the throttle controller was also
implemented successfully though will not be detailed here.6
FUEL DELIVERY
An external fuel delivery rig with a built-in fuel pump,
pressure regulator, and pressure gauge was wired to the ECU
so that the fuel pump could be normally controlled as it
would on a vehicle. The fuel rig is shown in Figure 4. Fuel
pressure was set to be approximately 42 PSI, which is the
stock fuel pressure required for normal fuel injector spray
pressures for the GSXR 600 engine. The fuel rig was used in
conjunction with four stock fuel injectors from the GSXR
600 engine to avoid variability in spray patterns with
aftermarket fuel injectors. Injector flow rates were verified
through experimentation. A port injection configuration was
implemented with the injectors placed in line with the intake
runners. The placement of the injectors along with intake
manifold design are the subjects of ongoing studies at Cooper
Union and will not be discussed here.7
Figure 4. Fuel delivery rig
ENGINE CONTROL UNITS
Two ECU's were implemented separately in this preliminary
research. A coarse tune with open-loop control was
performed using a PE-ECU-1 (Performance Electronics, Ltd.)
which was inherited from the previous year's FSAE® entry.
Before the test stand was fully developed with the PE-ECU-1,
it became apparent that a controller with greater capabilities
was necessary for the competition. The decision was made to
purchase the MicroSquirt® (Bowling and Gruppo) as a
coarse tune was being performed.
The PE-ECU-1 was used mainly because it allowed for very
rapid and user-friendly adjustment of fuel and spark maps.
This variability was performed via two variable resistance
potentiometers that were wired to two of the user inputs at the
ECU. These controls allowed fast adjustment of spark and
fuel combinations over a wider range than convenient in the
MicroSquirt®. This configuration was extremely useful for
starting the engine for the first time, when basic mixture and
spark requirements were estimated, yet still uncertain. The
user inputs were controlled within the tuning software and
custom adjustment ranges were set for each potentiometer.
This setup was run in conjunction with a throttle position
sensor for fast base map generation.
Microsquirt® was used for precise and continuous adjustment
of spark and fuel maps for closed-loop tuning and for normal
race car operation. This ECU allows for greater overall
variability in a smaller, lighter packaging than the PE-ECU-1.
The tuning software utilized for each tuning step was that
supplied by the corresponding ECU manufacturer. The
MicroSquirt® ECU utilizes MegaTune®, while the
Performance Electronics ECU uses ECUMonitor®. The
software allows for control of all of the aforementioned
variables via a computer connected to the ECU through a
serial connection.
For the closed loop tuning method, spark timing and fuel
mixture base maps were imported into MegaTune®. The
MicroSquirt® ECU was run in closed-loop configuration runs. With all of the data acquisition software, dyno controls,
with a wide band oxygen sensor, throttle position sensor, and and engine control software opened, the use of four screens
manifold air pressure (MAP) sensor to allow for accurate allowed for simultaneous monitoring and control of most
final spark and fuel map generation and continuous closed- variables within the system during testing. Dynamometer
loop adjustment. control was developed in LabVIEW® for the closed-loop
tuning scheme. Engine monitoring was simplified by using
DATA ACQUISITION MegaTune® which displayed AFR, spark advance values,
throttle position, engine speed, and intake manifold air
An oxygen sensor was mounted to the exhaust in an
temperatures all in a single window. Figure 6 and 7 illustrate
orientation perpendicular to the flow on the stock engine
two of these screens. Figure 6 contains the dyno control
exhaust system. Data were collected with the Innovate
module which allows the user to change between control
Motorsports Wideband hardware (Innovate! Technology,
methods (speed, torque, or inertia simulation) and to specify
Inc.) and monitored and recorded with the LogWorks3
speeds and loads accordingly. Torque and speed
software. To log AFR data, tables were created in
measurements are reflected in this screen as well, along with
LogWorks3 that matched the dimensions of the fuel tables
AFR.
within the ECU. These tables allowed the average AFR value
for any engine operating point to be recorded in cells. The
AFR was also graphed versus time to monitor changes in
AFR as the engine temperatures varied. Samples of these
tables can be seen in Figure 5. An important aspect to note is
that an average AFR resulted only after sufficient residence
time was achieved at each engine speed/throttle position
combination.

Figure 6. Main dyno control and acquisition screen

Figure 5. Sample AFR log showing running averages

against number of data points per operating region

In a similar fashion, MegaTune® was used to generate

detailed logs of engine data for each dyno run performed for
the closed-loop studies.

CONTROL CENTER
A system of four monitors was set up with one PC in order to
efficiently collect data and safely control dynamometer test

Figure 7. Deatiled LabVIEW® dyno control screen
Figure 7 illustrates the LabVIEW® dyno control screen that
includes the clutch control system and a gear position sensor.
A capability has been included that allows the user to
suppress the MDT-70 software controller altogether and
operate the dyno directly from this screen, reflected by the
‘Dyno Speed Control’ input.
COOLING, LUBRICATION, AND
SAFETY
The stock radiator used to cool the engine on the motorcycle
was also used for cooling it on the engine dyno stand. For
purposes of cooling the dynamometer itself, and for air
circulation through the engine's radiator, three high velocity
industrial fans were used and run from a single control switch
operated remotely. The fans were directed at crucial cooling
points in the test system to maintain nominal operating
temperatures. The stock radiator cooling fan was also used in
the setup to further increase airflow through the system. Even
with substantial cooling within the test cell, a cooling tower
system is being explored that ties into the building's dedicated
water cooling system.
In order to safely monitor oil pressure while performing dyno
test runs, a mechanical oil pressure gauge indicated main oil
galley pressure. The gauge was positioned for clear viewing
from the control center so that electronic failures would not
be an issue when monitoring it. Electrical systems are
disabled automatically if oil pressure falls below a specific
level after engine start-up. In addition, a dry sump oil
lubrication kit (West Performance, Ltd., Peel, England) was
implemented with this engine. This system was integrated
with a customized oil tank with baffles from Stef's
Fabrication Specialties.
In the event of an emergency, a main cut-off switch disabled
all electronics within the car and was mounted to the frame.
This switch was also incorporated within the dyno control
station. In the event of a malfunction with the dyno, the
engine and all electronics could be quickly shut down at the
control station. The starter switch was also relocated to the
remote control area so that the engine could be started from a
safe distance through a key lock-out. Laboratory procedures
require that no one can be in the engine room for start-up or
operation; electronics are completely disabled if the engine
room door is opened.
BASE MAP DEVELOPMENT
The spark charge time was first set to near stock
configurations to prevent the ignition coils from overheating.
The charge time (approximately 4 milliseconds) was
determined by measuring the ignition coil saturation point
with an oscilloscope. This charge time was set for all tuning
conditions.
Because of hardware limitations of both ECU's, and for
simplicity in developing a basic tuning scheme, injector
timing was set to a bank injection configuration with two
banks. Sequential configuration is normally seen in stock fuel
systems. This setup limits the user's ability to strictly control
injector timing and individual cylinder fuel quantities (useful
with unique intake manifold geometries). However, the basic
tuning process is greatly simplified as injectors are fired
together in two banks before the intake valve is opened and
injector timing advance and retard do not need to be
considered during tuning.
In order to ensure that the engine could at least operate (not
necessarily optimally) throughout its operating range, a basic
sweep was performed to make sure the AFR's were at least
close to stoichiometric. Extreme conditions would result in
damage to the engine. A preliminary fuel map was then
generated to allow the engine to start. Minor adjustments
were made by using two potentiometers which controlled
spark and fuel in order to get the engine to start. Then,
mixtures were logged in a broad sweep through the engine's
operating range to determine how far away the engine was
from stoichiometric operating conditions. The fuel map was
then adjusted accordingly. Studies were performed to
determine estimates for the ignition curve; basic linear
relationships were used to generate this initial relationship.
Stock settings were used for idle spark advance at 4.5 degrees
BTDC, where values reached 45 degrees BTDC around
12,000 RPM.
The required restrictor made tuning for idle a daunting task,
being that the restrictor only allowed for a single throttle
body. The manifold air pressure remained the same as in
stock configurations, but now could only be modulated to a
fourth of the precision as with a single throttle body. Throttle
sensitivities were increased, thereby allowing the engine to
overspeed from idle conditions significantly faster than stock.
To compensate for this phenomenon, the ignition timing map
was used to help maintain the idle speed of the engine at full
closed throttle conditions. This goal was achieved by severely
retarding the spark timing in the area of the spark map that
the engine would normally idle. A “pocket” of retarded spark
settings was mapped at low speed and closed throttle
conditions of the map. Immediately surrounding this pocket
at both slower and faster engine speeds, the spark settings
were greatly advanced to allow for quick throttle response,
and more importantly, to prevent the engine from stalling.
MAP GENERATION
An iterative tuning method was developed and used to bring
the mixture at each speed/load point to the desired AFR. This
method utilized the dynamometer's speed control feature,
whereby the engine would systematically be limited to a
constant speed while a sweep of all throttle positions was
performed. The point of maximum torque was then identified
by varying the AFR potentiometer control for each of these
throttle position/engine speed combinations.
The same stepwise tuning methodology was again
implemented to incrementally bring the engine's spark timing
map near optimality, or in this tuning instance, maximum
torque. This process was repeated several times because
altering fuel settings would change optimal spark settings
slightly and vice versa. Each sweep through the engine's
operating range would bring the engine maps closer to
maximum torque output. When the maps were very close to a
desirable performance, varying any setting in spark timing or
fuel enrichments would only decrease torque at the
dynamometer. These characteristics signified that a closed-
loop tuning method could be used to fully optimize the
engine's fuel and ignition maps to operate at near
stoichiometric conditions.
In order to maintain optimal operating conditions with the
closed-loop tuning, the base maps were imported into the
Megatune® closed-loop control system and burned to the
MicroSquirt® ECU. The base maps were used as the starting
point for further optimization of the engine tuning.
Closed-loop tuning is capable of automatically adjusting
mixture settings based on the AFR detected by the oxygen
sensor (EGO correction). A base AFR table must be
generated to dictate the desired AFR operating range to the
ECU, which in turn, used this look-up table throughout the
engine's operating range to determine if any enrichment or
leaning of the air-fuel mixture was required. The AFR table
was set so that the engine ran ∼10% richer than
stoichiometric at areas where maximum power was required
and slightly leaner than stoichiometric at areas where the
engine was decelerating or idling.
The base maps generated in the previous step were all within
10% of the desired settings to develop maximum power for
the engine. Therefore, the controller authority was set to be
20% to eliminate any chance of deviation from optimal
tuning. This setting allowed the fuel settings in the imported
volumetric efficiency map (VE map, or fuel map) to be
changed by ± 20% to attempt to match the AFR detected at
the oxygen sensor with the user specified air-fuel ratio in the
AFR table. The controller authority was never set any higher
than 20% to eliminate the risk of severely unfavorable (and
potentially dangerous) running conditions in the event of an
oxygen sensor failure. Controller authority was also set to be
inactive at coolant temperatures less than steady state engine
operating temperatures which were determined
experimentally on the test stand.
INERTIAL MAXIMUM TORQUE AND
POWER TESTING
Calculations were performed to determine an optimal
dynamometer inertia simulation that could model the inertia
values that the engine would see in normal operating
conditions on a motorcycle or a race car.5 The simulated
inertia was maximized to ensure that losses in torque due to
dynamometer acceleration would be minimal. These values
were used to perform maximum power tests in the closed-
loop tuning configuration. The overall torque and power
output of the engine at 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% throttle
were determined. Torque curves were generated for each
scenario.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Final tuning configurations yielded desirable results for
torque and maximum power characteristics. Once the engine
was assumed to be operating at optimal conditions for
maximum power output, torque curves for four loading
configurations were recorded. These curves are shown in
Figure 8.

Figure 8. Graphs of torque versus speed for inertial
simulation scenarios
The torque curves developed were representative of the
characteristics of a restricted engine. The sudden drop in
torque at approximately 10,000 RPM was due to the effects
of increased compressibility from the restrictor geometry that
ultimately begins to severely restrict the flow of air into the
intake manifold. Peak torque was approximately 105 lbf-ft
recorded at the dyno around 9800 RPM.
The test was run with the engine in third gear, yielding a gear
reduction of 1:3.237 from the engine crankshaft. Therefore,
when factoring in the gear reduction, the maximum
crankshaft torque seen in the test was 32.4 lbf-ft. At a
crankshaft speed of 9800 RPM, this converts to a maximum
horsepower of 60.5 HP. This peak horsepower occurred at an
engine speed approximately 24% lower than the stock
horsepower peak (12,800RPM) with a maximum output of
40% less than the stock peak output (100HP).
Overall, the torque curves were relatively flat, a desirable
result for engine controllability, especially for the FSAE®
competition. The drastic decreases in torque, or ‘dips’, seen
in these curves were attributable to a number of factors.
Experimental sampling rate of the dynamometer software and
the noise within the dyno load cell may be two contributing,
yet minor, factors. During track testing though, the dips were
noted to correspond with areas of diminished power output.
After this observation, the engine tune was eventually
corrected by altering the EGO controller authority and
response time on the track with somewhat positive results. It
is understood that without a properly designed intake system,
as in this case, the negative effects of diminished volumetric
efficiency can be profound.
What is especially interesting to note is the great throttle
sensitivity. The 50%, 75%, and 100% throttle positions
curves fall fairly close to each other and are many instances
indistiguishable from one another. This result clearly shows
that both the throttle body and intake manifold must be
redesigned. Both of these systems are currently under
development and will be detailed in future studies.
CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORK
The results obtained from the maximum power dynamometer
test runs represent a successful in-lab tuning method and
closed-loop engine control system. The most important
contribution of this work is that a safe, robust, flexible, and
economical engine test stand has been implemented for both
steady-state and transient studies.
In addition, further tuning must always be performed during
actual driving conditions at a closed course. The closed-loop
engine control system demonstrated reliable results in the lab
and has been able to adjust for a variety of running conditions
during actual driving events. Continued track time has
indicated that considerable research is necessary to address
weather conditions, throttle responsiveness, and intake
manifold geometry.7 Furthermore, incorporating a knock
sensor in the closed-loop control method during
dynamometer tuning is a probable next step.
The dry sump system was implemented because of a
catastrophic oil starvation event at the 2008 FSAE®
competition. This system was successfully raced in 2009 but
its operation has not been fully characterized. In-depth track
studies on the effects of running this system on engine
performance are necessary to understand and thereby
optimize its operation. Comparisons between oil pressures
logged during static and dynamic tests are now necessary.
A similar engine has currently been implemented in this stand
to study the effects of higher compression ratio and decreased
valve overlap on torque output at engine speeds below 9,000
RPM. Weisco® pistons have been installed in this
performance engine, increasing the compression ratio to
13.3:1. A custom intake cam, modified to have a duration
time 12% less than stock cam geometry, was also installed in
this engine.8 This engine setup will undoubtedly require a
knock sensor control signal.
Finally, advanced hardware-in-the-loop experimentation,
which bridges the gap between a simulated vehicle modeled
in a virtual proving ground and a real engine on a test stand,
is a major goal of this research. The intent is to incorporate
automatic clutch actuation and gear shifting through software,
thereby increasing the test stand's use as a design tool
extensively.
 REFERENCES experiment. The authors also greatly acknowledge The
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art for
1. Heywood, J.B. Internal Combustion Engine the institution's extensive and continued support and funding
Fundamentals, McGraw-Hill, NY, ISBN 007028637X-1:930, for this project. John Consiglio was particularly helpful in
1998. developing the LabVIEW® portion of this test stand and the
2. Ball, J.K. and Stone, R., “Automotive Engineering dyno control methods. His assistance and guidance were
Fundamentals,” SAE International, PA, ISBN invaluable to our work.
978-0-7680-2745-7, 2004.
3. Pulkrabek, W. Engineering Fundamentals of the Internal
Combustion Engine, Prentice Hall, NY, ISBN
0135708540-1:411, 2003.
4. Franklin, M.L., Kittelson, D.B., Leuer, R.H., and Pipho,
M.J., “Synchronous, Simultaneous Optimization of Ignition
Timing and Air-Fuel Ratio in a Gas-Fueled Spark Ignition
Engine,” SAE Technical Paper 940547, 1994.
5. Consiglio, J. and Delagrammatikas, G., “A Cost-Effective
Engine-in-the-Loop Powertrain Testing System,” SAE
Technical Paper 2010-01-0192, 2010.
6. Consiglio, J. Design of a Vehicle Simulation Based
Hardware in the Loop Testing System for Automotive
Powertrains, Department of Mechanical Engineering, The
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art,
Master's Thesis, May 2009.
7. Vaughan, A. and Delagrammatikas, G., “Variable Runner
Length Intake Manifold Design: An Interim Progress
Report,” SAE Technical Paper 2010-01-1112, 2010.
8. Taylor, J., McKee, R., McCullough, G., Cunningham, G.
et al., “Computer Simulation and Optimisation of an Intake
Camshaft for a Restricted 600CC Four-Stroke Engine,” SAE
Technical Paper 2006-32-0071, 2006.

CONTACT INFORMATION
George Delagrammatikas
georged@cooper.edu

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors gratefully acknowledge West Performance Ltd,
from the Isle of Man in the United Kingdom for their
assistance with implementing the dry sump system for this

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doi:10.4271/2010-01-0310