This Engine Block is Made Entirely out of Carbon Fiber
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As technology continues to advance, engineers and manufacturers are constantly searching for ways to make products lighter, stronger, and more efficient. This is particularly true in the automotive industry, where reducing weight can improve fuel efficiency, acceleration, and overall performance. One material that has gained significant attention in recent years is carbon fiber.
Carbon fiber is a material that has long been revered for its high stress-resistance and lightweight properties. Compared to steel, it offers greater strength and durability, which makes it a desirable choice for many applications, especially in the automotive industry.
Although they are more expensive to manufacture, the prices can come down in mass-production settings. With the technology advancing, it was only a matter of time before carbon fiber found its way into engine blocks, and Nissan has already patented a carbon fiber engine.
But how does it work, and what are the benefits and downsides of using carbon fiber for engine blocks?
Well Nissan's patent describes the engine block as having a main block that includes the cylinders, while a resin outer member is welded to it. The outer carbon fiber acts as an insulator from the heat generated by the cylinders, with gaps between the main block and outer carbon fiber becoming water passages.
However, the block isn't entirely made of carbon fiber, as it still uses steel cylinder liners that the carbon fiber holds in place. While this initial design shows promise, it's uncertain if an entire engine block could be made of carbon fiber.
Now you might be thinking if it is so great why hasn’t this been done years ago, well there are some Downsides when using Carbon Fiber for Engine Blocks
And One significant downside of using carbon fiber for engine blocks is its thermal resistance. While the carbon fiber itself can take a significant amount of heat, the resins used in manufacturing it can only withstand temperatures of around 250 degrees Fahrenheit. And This is why the design includes steel cylinder liners, as they can handle the heat generated by piston friction.
Another issue with carbon fiber is its vulnerability to oil, anti-freeze, and fuel. These fluids can potentially attack the resin, causing delamination of the carbon fiber matte. Again not ideal, and if you have ever worked on an engine you would know, most engines have some oil on the block, wheiter it be from work done, or gaskets starting to fail. It is really difficult to keep an enigne super clean
That said using carbon fiber as the main material in an engine block also has some great advanatages
You see Despite the downsides, Carbon fiber blocks are still really good. You see carbon fiber has a lower thermal conductivity, than steel or aluminium, which means more combustion energy is kept in the cylinder. Carbon fiber also has a higher strength-to-weight ratio, which means that it can provide the same durability as an iron block while being much lighter. And with engines lightness is king, you see the lighter the vehicle, the less energy is needed to move it.
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Look, I'll be honest with you: I HIGHLY doubt that a carbon fiber engine will become a thing, because the proprieties of carbon fiber aren't suitable for such a harsh environment like the interior of a internal combustion engine. Sure, not saying that's impossible, but it's not recommended since billet aluminium and forged titanium parts are more suitable for this and have almost the same effect as carbon fiber. "Ah, but titanium is expensive" as well as carbon fiber is, do you really think that a economic car would have a carbon fiber engine block? Obviously not, the first cars to have new tech are or sports cars or luxury cars, which makes carbon fiber even nore unsuitable since the environment is even more harsh than a normal car. So no, I doubt this will become a thing, at least in this first 20 years.
@rjung_ch
Жыл бұрын
I think it's true. If you look at average or cheap cars, they will use cast iron blocks. Not sure if carbon fiber would hold out with the chemical additives in oils.
@harciogexotic
8 ай бұрын
that was my first thought when I saw the video
@harciogexotic
8 ай бұрын
@@rjung_chthe heat is a also a huge problem
@limnbakpoplolyihong8979
7 ай бұрын
While I agree with what you say but I would say carbon fiber can find its way into the internal parts of an internal combustion engine. I am by no means an expert but I am quite a car engineering enthusiasts and I am a little bit confident to say that I think forged carbon fiber with a long piece of carbon fiber in the middle to act as a strong unibody can maybe be use to build the connecting rods. Also, there is one company out there that makes full carbon fiber pistons and connecting rods already(source from driving 4 answers: kzread.info/dash/bejne/k6eWlsyFh7q6krQ.html) However, I am curious as to how they managed to build it in a way that it is so heat resistant, given the extreme high heat in the combustion chambers of an internal combustion engine. The strength of carbon fiber is not what makes me doubt it, it's the heat. Although strength is kind of a problem due to the resin in the carbon fiber, but carbon-carbon matrix can also be a thing in the future.
@nicholaslandolina
7 ай бұрын
It is because with a metal sleeve it's useful... And after you spend your money on the car the recycled materials are worthless to society which is what the true mandate is... So that societies are financially unsustainable
There's another lightweight potential is ceramic engine blocks. These were first played around with in the 80's I think. Sometime around 2000 on the tv show Towards 2000 (or maybe it's successor Beyond 2000) there was a carbon fibre engine. It was based on a Ford Escort motor or something like that from memory.
@leomux2004
Жыл бұрын
I think ceramics are more suitable for suitable for engine internals than carbon fiber, since we already have pistons made of ceramic in cars like the GMA T.50 and even some early 2000s F1 cars as well.
@danmaycock9238
Жыл бұрын
They've got a higher thermal capacity so higher compression ratio and lower fuel consumption. Think that one in '82 was a 1.6 that put out 295BHP!!! Still remarable even 40 years later.
@leomux2004
Жыл бұрын
@@danmaycock9238 Wow, 295HP from a 1.6L is amazing even for today standards!🤯
@danmaycock9238
Жыл бұрын
Aint it just!! Imagine if it got futurised so it's a diesel based 6-stroke H2 engine 😍
HEY that WAS MY IDEA! 💡 the only difference is 3d printed vs handmade
In ICEs heat is not only a product of the friction between the pistons and the cylinder liners, which is significantly reduced by lubricants and polished surfaces. Heat mainly comes from the combustion process and it doesn’t only affect the liners. In fact, liners are metal components which effectively conduct heat to the block. You can’t solve the problem of a carbon fiber composite block’s poor heat resistance by providing it with steel cylinder liners. It would only protect the block from wearing out, but not from melting down. Moreover, carbon fiber composites are stronger than metals if subject to stresses in the fibers’ directions. For example, if it didn’t suffer from excessive heat, a carbon fiber composite con-rod with longitudinally layed fibers would be very strong. However, an engine block suffers from multidirectional stresses and building a carbon fiber composite one will inevitably result in a set of fibers suffering from transversal stress, thus weakening the entire block. Furthermore, carbon fiber composites are very brittle because of their epoxy resin matrix and, for this reason, a carbon fiber composite block would crack under intense vibration and ultimately fall apart. In addition, carbon fiber composites aren’t suitable for thick components. In fact, F1 monocoques just have carbon fiber composite outer layers. They’re actually sandwich structures with the inner component being a foamy material. So, how would you build a big solid component like an engine block with carbon fiber composites alone? I don’t think it would be possible.
Cool video Chris ive often wondered about doing some motorcycle parts in carbon fiber on my drag bike.
Using a different resin in the carbon fibre can help raise the temp and chemical resistance. I think either casein or PEEK with some graphene additive will make a sufficient glue for the carbon fibre
If only my 1971 sss Datsun had a lighter block
@bakatzen6243
Жыл бұрын
Nissan really overbuild L engines
Graphene or carbon nanotubing are more likely, even though it's difficult to make, since both are used more for solid armor and linings. Carbon fiber is just cheaper and easier to make at this point
Did anyone catch the guy putting the crankshaft in with no lube on the bearings
Carbon fiber could be clear coated to protect the engine coating
Nice to see innovation still happening in ICE land. CF would be sick if they can make it happen
@leomux2004
Жыл бұрын
Same, despite this idea of carbon fiber not being suitable in my opinion, I still think that the ICE still has plenty of room for evolution and inovation, no matrer if it will be used as a primary force or as a generator for a battery electric car. ICEs are far from dead, no matter if you agree or disagree.
sir can you make a video on resign material properties and how to develop the properties of it
Lightweight important in moving parts of engine , for inertia reduction, not the block, but resins used in binding carbon fibre not compatible with chemicals and heat of engine.
I wonder if silicon/silica in the resin formula could help with some things
Weight is the enemy
So it's similar to how BMW overcast some of their performance blocks with a magnesium alloy. They basically had the sleeves and the outer shell of the water jackets and all of the necessary structure cast initially in aluminum, then that core was placed in another mold and overcast it with magnesium alloy, since the bulk of the block didn't need to be quite as strong. Unfortunately, the magnesium alloy did cause some other problems due to it not sealing quite as predictably as they had hoped. I doubt we'll ever see carbon fiber engine blocks in any real volume on production vehicles. While the price of carbon fiber is certainly going down, the complexities of manufacturing an engine block with it cannot possibly be easy to scale.
👍💪✌️ Maybe companies like Koenigsegg may go that route, hardly ever a mass production car. But who can tell what the future holds?
Carbon drive shafts engine blocks cool
0:26 I’m pretty sure that’s SGL carbon, it’s where I used to work. I’m thinking that’s like 3/5 or 5/5. Thats the first half of producing carbon fiber. Definitely didn’t think I’d see footage on a KZreadrs page LOL. That fiber was vicious when it caught on fire too 😅
I think it is good to try to develop carbon fiber engines as it will lead to new understanding of how to develop a higher quality of carbon fiber...any time you put a material to extremes good information is learned...
And the 1972 Polimotor is redone again.
@jareknowak8712
14 күн бұрын
Bingo!!
Sounds like he’s from joburg
For something like an engine, you need a material that is like a clay/matter, not a material made out of different/more materials.
Would Forged Carbon like Lamborghini is using be more appropriate for this role?
So its not carbon fiber block, just the parts that dont have heat or oil
how about high heat plastic reinforced with carbon fiber.in theory you could 3d print an engine block over the weekend maybe peek with carbon fiber or cobalt.
Halleluja for the Popella flight Industrie
At least someone is thinking......
This is interesting. I wonder if hydrogen will save the day as it's clean burning will make it so the oil used to lubricate the engine must be worn out as unlike fossil fuels water doesn't mix with the oil to thin it out like fossil fuels do. If they can solve the oil & coolant problem that delaminates the carbon fiber then yes this will indeed be the way to go in the future.
Ceramic block and parts is far superior...carbon has incredible strength but does not have heat resistance like ceramic...ceramic is superior to iron for heat resistance...ceramic engines were first used in Japan in 80s by Nissan...
@JACKOFALLFATES
8 ай бұрын
let me know how that handles knock from a piece of steel.
"Engine block made entirely out of carbon fiber"....1 minute in..."engine block is not entirely carbon fiber". 🤡🤡🤡
I don't think they will make in large numbers.
@leomux2004
Жыл бұрын
Even in smaller number I think this tech isn't suitable for engine internals, since you'll get the same effect as a billet aluminum block engine with titanium conrods and valves.
@JACKOFALLFATES
8 ай бұрын
@@leomux2004 titanium connecting rods are prone to snapping. Ask the guy at the skatepark that thought titanium spokes were cool He did one 180, and half of them snapped. kid weighed only 180 lbs.
@JACKOFALLFATES
8 ай бұрын
@@leomux2004 the answer: Chromoly, and tungsten. If you're looking to save fuel, you will be light on the throttle. If you're looking to use fuel, you will use 4340, and tungsten carbide for anti-wear instead of teflon.
@leomux2004
8 ай бұрын
@@JACKOFALLFATES Depends of the alloy, if it's Ti6Al4V, then it will last very long, so much so that even road cars like the Honda NSX NA and the Corvette C8 Z06 have conrods and valves of this material.
Title : 1:19 : :bruh
hmm
alamenuim is the solution