Besides running, one of my passions is engineering design. Lately, I've been working on a design project using SolidWorks CAD software.
One of my fascinations ever since I was 7 or 8 years olds was auto engines. I remember building one of those working V-8 engine model kits when I was about 9. Well, with 3-D CAD software, one can build a working engine without using plastic parts and glue. So, I've been building a 4-cylinder engine in a Vee configuration. My main goal is to get it designed so that it works mechanically such that there is not interference between part surfaces and the timing is correct. So far, I have the main block, crankshaft, and pistons all in working order. My next challenge is to add in the valves and camshaft. I haven't decided yet whether to do a single camshaft design with rods and lifters, or a dual overhead cam design. If I can figure out how to post an animation of it working, I'll do so later. But for now, this is a pic of what keeps my overactive engineering mind busy.
1 comment:
8 valves or 16?
After I got my engineering diploma, I looked up words like "grommet" and "flange" in the dictionary, because I thought it was bad form to not know what they meant. Never really used the degree, which probably saved the world some misery. I still have a weakness for Stirling gas turbine engines.
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