Game changer?

[P10crew]

3D printed rods fully rated at 3000 HP and 15,000 rpm. I don't think they have finished testing yet but if these pan out it's going to be a game changer. 6 times lighter than it's Aluminum counterpart.
I'm betting on a Big Bang but I hope it works for them.

 

[spasm3]

The material looks interesting, but i can't see the actual rod design working.

 

[JLTD]

That's going to fly apart....initially. Once they find the right material though, it could turn out to be amazing.

 

[DuckRyder]

I bet the balancing guy quits...

 

[Rat407]

I hope it works and they are tougher than anything out there and last. Now to 3D print a crank!

 

[vw7674]

Not changing anything yet.
Aluminum pistons have an upper threshold as far as 'feet per minute' they can travel in their bores before they start melting, 4,600 feet per minute is about the limit for now.
Making conrods out of feathers won't change that.

 

[AZjeff]

Originally Posted by spasm3
The material looks interesting, but i can't see the actual rod design working.


Because he's out of a job?

The company I work for makes precision parts out of CF and it has some amazing properties but it also has limitations. Hard to imagine a resin that will stand the heat.

 

[ctechbob]

I'm not structural engineer, but aren't sharp corners bad for concentrating stresses and cracking?

 

[demarpaint]

If I had to guess, my guess will be they fail. But I could be wrong. Subscribed.

 

[CarbonSteel]

An article that has some information. Another builder wants $18K for a set...

https://tiremeetsroad.com/2019/11/2...ods-for-evos-can-handle-3000-horsepower/

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Test, Fail, Test again, Fail again, rinse and repeat until they either make it work or abandon it all together. I envy people who do this type of work.

 

[jeepman3071]

It's a neat idea for sure.

 

[WyrTwister]

Connecting rods for pistons ? What about temperature tolerance ?

Best wishes to them .

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted by demarpaint
If I had to guess, my guess will be they fail. But I could be wrong..


I can see these being very strong in tension....but then again, so is a steel cable.

As far as handling compression loads? I have my doubts. Serious doubts.

I don't think the designer has a "stress analysis" background.

 

[MarkM66]

Wouldn't that webbing trap a lot of oil? So their 6x lighter than aluminum may not be accurate. And they would never be balanced depending on the amount of oil inside them.

 

[supton]

I wonder if that webbing would give a bit of "give" and reduce peak stresses on the crankshaft? But I don't know if the material would stand up to repetitive compression like that.

Interesting, as are the comments. Like so many other things, I guess we get to sit back and watch. I remember seeing oval pistons in some Honda motorcycle in the early 90's, I guess that went nowhere. As did Wankel engines, although those still seem pretty cool (if not niche).

 

[meep]

Originally Posted by Linctex
Originally Posted by demarpaint
If I had to guess, my guess will be they fail. But I could be wrong..


I can see these being very strong in tension....but then again, so is a steel cable.

As far as handling compression loads? I have my doubts. Serious doubts.

I don't think the designer has a "stress analysis" background.


Lots of software out there does this surprisingly easily ... I think solidworks is pretty readily available even. And really, which loads are the hardest on rods? High RPM unloading is from what I understand stresses them the most. But yeah - carbon fiber? Fatigue after many hot/cold cycles? Tolerance of chemicals and bi-products? It has to melt to be spat out of the print nozzle, after all, so there's a limit to the fiber length... it'll be neat to see if this catches on. Half of the piston weight could then be removed with similar tech - that'd be a light assembly!

 

[1978elcamino]

NFW

Threads cut in to the resin?

ARP = "you're on your own guys"

 

[P10crew]

 

[P10crew]

When time stops !

Enjoy Perfection and Innovation!

Our new Carbon Composite rods for our Mitsubishi evo. 77grm weight. 10 times lower weight than steel and 6.5 times lower than aluminum. Tensile strength over 2600mpa

Designed for +15.000rpm and over 3000hp.

We will test them on the dyno in few days.

Like we told, we are going to abandon the CNC technology, our Gen3 pistons and rods are already in testing procedure. Gen3 pistons and rods will be an evolution in automotive and motorsport. Additive manufacturing, 3D printed Ceramics and 3D printed titanium alloy and carbon will replace Gen2 CNC materials.

Leaving back generative design to Topology optimization.

As we speak we built our ceramic pistons and new ceramic rods to test.