Motorsport technologies prepare for take-off in EU Clean Sky 2 project

Northampton-based Ilmor Engineering, which builds motorsport engines for Formula 1 and IndyCar racing, developed the technology for a General Aviation diesel engine as part of an EU Clean Sky 2 project, funded by the Horizon 2020 programme.

The project’s aim was to improve the power density of the engine by increasing power and reducing weight, while also maintaining fuel efficiency, according to David Robertson, design engineer at Ilmor Engineering.

The company worked alongside SMA, the piston engine division of Safran Aircraft Engines, which supplied the 227hp, four-cylinder, four-stroke, horizontally-opposed engine, typically used in Cessna 182 aircraft.

By replacing the engine’s iron liners, within which the piston runs up and down, with a plasma bore coating, Ilmor was able to reduce the overall mass by 2.6 per cent, said Robertson.

“We basically replaced the iron with aluminium, which removed a substantial amount of weight,” he said.

However, while iron is a very good material to use for surfaces that interface with a moving piston, aluminium is not, so the new liners needed careful treatment, he said.