Digsy Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 As it says on the tin: A link to a pukka SAE paper on the design and development of the Ford GT supercharged lump by Ford and Rousch. Good reading for the deeply techies (and its also the kind of stuff I do for a living). Clicky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandan Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 Do you work on actual engine development? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbourner Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 I'd love a job in automotive R&D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digsy Posted July 11, 2006 Author Share Posted July 11, 2006 Do you work on actual engine development? Strictly speaking, no. Not what I would call "Development" anyway. I'm a Design Engineer. In a compnay like Ford or GM that would probably mean that I sit at a computer all day and draw parts, then throw them over my cubilce wall to someone who would get the part analysed, manufactired, tested, etc. Where I work things are a lot more hands-on, so all of the a lot of the stuff you read about in that paper I have a direct fee into, or from. Depending on the part I can find myself doing everything from concept layout design, through analysis, detailed design and then go out to talk to the suppliers about getting it manufactured, as well as dealing with problems that arise along the way. Typically, I'll aim to "own" the design of a part right from concept to production. For example, if I was to be responsible for a valvetrain I would do the packaging of the parts into the cylinder head myself, but someone else would give me the spring rates based on nominal valve masses and yet another person would give me the cam profiles and timings. I would have to ensire that the desired performance can be actually made to work and that the parts will be manufacturable and durable. I would also have to ensure that the system still worked when the parts varied slightly by their manufacturing tolerances, and other mundane sounding, but very important, stuff like that. Some disciplines are so complex that we have other departments to do them (FE analysis, for example). But other stuff can still be done using pen and paper (or Excel if you're me). Depending on which parts you work on, you get a greater or lesser degree of experience on how that actually work, whereas other components you still end up just drawing a design around someone else's specification. I've been in the business for about 14 years, now, and I've been involved in the design or pretty much all the major engine components to some degee or other. My "specialities" if I had to pick them would be crankshafts, cylinder heads, valvetrain, breather systems and cooling systems and lube systems. I've done lesser work on conn rods, intake manifolds, exhaust manifolds and most of the other minor parts. The one major component I've never done is a cylinder block. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandan Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 So that's pretty much a yes then - cool. Your description sounds pretty much identical to my last job. I never knew the Ford or GM engineers didn't follow things all the way from conception to manufacture - handling the design only up until the drawings are released is a crap way of doing things, I couldn't believe any real companies work that way. My experience has always been from initial conception, testing, development, all the way through all the necessaries right up to production.. and then some too if needed... Anyway, got a bit of reading to do... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digsy Posted July 11, 2006 Author Share Posted July 11, 2006 So that's pretty much a yes then - cool. Your description sounds pretty much identical to my last job. I never knew the Ford or GM engineers didn't follow things all the way from conception to manufacture - handling the design only up until the drawings are released is a crap way of doing things, I couldn't believe any real companies work that way. My experience has always been from initial conception, testing, development, all the way through all the necessaries right up to production.. and then some too if needed... Anyway, got a bit of reading to do... Well, where I work the Development Engineers are the guys that run the engines on the dynos and come and tell us when things break, etc. I don't fall in that category, but yeah I do get involved in the development of new engines, if you see the difference. I don't know exactly how G I agree, though. Personal ownership of a new design is the only way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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