With extensive experience accrued whilst working on numerous programmes for leading racing engine manufacturers, CWE have developed significant expertise and capabilities in a number of key areas of engine design.
Camshafts
Cam profile design has been a principle activity of the company since its inception due to development of CWE’s own advanced cam profile design and dynamics optimisation techniques with a sophisticated suite of programs written by Chris Walters, which consider:
Static and dynamic design of the cam profile
The behaviour of the whole system (including air springs)
All valve train parameters
Flow and tumble behaviour
Manufacturing -requirements and limitations
Crankshaft-to-camshaft gear trains
CWE have extensive experience of the design of crank-to-cam gear drivetrains and optimisation of the surrounding engine structure. This is achieved by:
Dynamics modelling of the complete drivetrain system - from crankshaft to camshaft
Modelling the interaction of crankshaft excited torques and displacements with those created by the phased torques at the individual cam lobes and the inertial response of the drivetrain
Use of CWE programs that allow us to redesign the system for optimal performance
Valve trains - including novel designs:
We have considerable experience of improving performance and reducing interactive destructive forces in camshaft drives and valve trains by means of:
Re-design of system geometry, layout and individual components (cams, buckets, followers, springs, etc.)
Structural revisions
Reduced valve dynamic mis-behaviour and reduction of high dynamic closing loads
Optimisation of valve and port flow/tumble by hardware modifications
Specialist damping techniques
Alternative camshaft drives
Our in-house software programs relate to all valve train types including Desmodromic with coiled wire, torsion bar or air springs. Whilst concentration switched to pneumatic spring systems in F1 some time ago, in other categories our advanced coil valve spring dynamics models now enable us to design reliable high-performance springs for extreme speeds and lifts.
Cylinder heads & other engine hardware
CWE have also designed and optimised the structural layout, functional design and geometry of a wide array of key engine components, as follows:
Cylinder heads - including ports, inlet tracts, combustion chamber shapes
Pistons
Conrods
Crankshafts
Gears
Bearings - including crankshaft, conrod and camshaft bearings
This is done using in-house developed software that provides an essential understanding of the stresses, structural integrity and operational life of the components whilst also providing strong consideration of the supporting structures involved.
Other engine development capabilities
Crankshaft optimisation - balancing, aerodynamic modifications, redesign
Improvement of oil scavenge systems
Performance prediction - especially of racing engines (and rally car performance)
Advanced knowledge of high specification materials and specialist manufacturing processes
Many years of experience in the development and use of measurement techniques relating to ‘solid’ drivetrain system stiffnesses
The ability to build and inspect our own design prototypes
CWE engine design & development results
Power and torque increase through the rev range
Reliability improvements
Improved engine life
Enhancement of engine structural layout and geometry
Combustion efficiency improvements
Overall engine efficiency optimisation