The Elio Engine

[skygazer6033]

I would REALLY like to see progress but this isn't it. I see no machining, no holes drilled, nothing. These are the block, head and cam cover we all saw in tech note v22 or v24 several weeks ago stacked together in their relative positions. No more no less.

 

[RMClubfitter]

Am interested in your thoughts Ty... they said this was an aluminum casting of the engine. What does that mean, to those of us that know nothing about building engines?

Does this mean they are close to starting on building the final engine? I read the EM marketers say that the design of the engine is complete. From my point of view in software development, there is analysis, design, build, test. Is there a way to know, from the above casting, that IAV and EM are in the build phase?

This is a post under the picture on facebook. Don't know if it is accurate or not.

This is a sand casting. Sand castings are normally used for prototype or low production runs. It's much cheaper to make than the high pressure die cast tooling that will be in the finally production. This can be machined and tested. It is not machined in this picture, it's only cleaned up and set together. No bolts are holding any of the pieces together.

 

[Jeff Porter]

Jeff, I can't answer that with much more than a guess. IAV may have cast this one in aluminum to ensure fit while keeping it easy to move around. Pulleys and brackets and such will have to be fit to the block. If aluminum is the final material, which I think it is - Flame spray will harden up the cylinders saving weight over sleeving each cylinder with steel. So, yeah, I'd say this is the engine that will get accessories and eventually put on a dyno to check balance, noise, harshness, vibration, power, fuel consumption, etc.

I've built 7 or 8 engines but have never been involved in casting them. My engineering skills are in making the processes more efficient but not in mechanical design. Anyway, it doesn't take long to machine the engine and assemble it. They'll have to ship it to Flame Spray to get the plasma arc spray done on the cylinders before honing them but that shouldn't take too long. I'd guess in a couple of weeks, they'll have it mostly together and then will be designing brackets to hold the AC, alternator, power steering (if not electric or non existent) stuff. So, early September, I'll be looking for videos of the engine on a test stand being checked. Shortly afterwards, it could be in the car... They haven't said what transmission they are using yet, have they? That'll have to be decided before installing it in the car, too.

Awesome, thanks Ty. Excellent information from you. I'm excited to see the block casted, and it's great to get inside info from folks like yourself.

 

[Ty]

This is a post under the picture on facebook. Don't know if it is accurate or not.

This is a sand casting. Sand castings are normally used for prototype or low production runs. It's much cheaper to make than the high pressure die cast tooling that will be in the finally production. This can be machined and tested. It is not machined in this picture, it's only cleaned up and set together. No bolts are holding any of the pieces together.

I believe that most engines are sand casted still... Of course, they use a heat activated binding agent that releases as the metal cools but sand casting is still about the best way to cast all those coolant chanels. It won't take long to machine the block without automated machinery. My engine guy back in Montana could probably do it in a weekend.

 

[Ekh]

This picture looks very strange to me ... I agree, nothing's fastened down, but it doesn't look as though bolt holes are drilled or anything like that. Even stranger, this "engine" is sitting on a sidewalk outdoors, with some sort of package in the upper right background. "Oh, hey, let's take a picture. Pile the pieces up, Jim and Tom, and we'll take a shot ...." NOT a professional photo.

So, the fun questions: where was this taken, why was it taken, who took it, when was it taken, and what is the mystery package in the corner? It's neat to see what the actual engine may look like, minus exhaust, belts, flywheel, pumps, etc etc. But I'd be a lot happier if it were finished, on a test bench, and producing real information to be used in that grant application!

 

[Gas-Powered Awesome]

I think only iron engines are still sand-cast, mostly using the lost-foam technique. Lower-temperature melting point, softer metals like aluminum are die-cast in steel molds so you don't destroy the mold every time you cast a part. That makes die-casting cheaper and faster.

 

[Ty]

This picture looks very strange to me ... I agree, nothing's fastened down, but it doesn't look as though bolt holes are drilled or anything like that. Even stranger, this "engine" is sitting on a sidewalk outdoors, with some sort of package in the upper right background. "Oh, hey, let's take a picture. Pile the pieces up, Jim and Tom, and we'll take a shot ...." NOT a professional photo.

So, the fun questions: where was this taken, why was it taken, who took it, when was it taken, and what is the mystery package in the corner? It's neat to see what the actual engine may look like, minus exhaust, belts, flywheel, pumps, etc etc. But I'd be a lot happier if it were finished, on a test bench, and producing real information to be used in that grant application!

I agree... Let's see it on an engine stand or at least at the machining table.

 

[Ty]

I think only iron engines are still sand-cast, mostly using the lost-foam technique. Lower-temperature melting point, softer metals like aluminum are die-cast in steel molds so you don't destroy the mold every time you cast a part. That makes die-casting cheaper and faster.

I didn't think they could die cast the channels - there's no way to remove a steel mold in those parts.

 

[Gas-Powered Awesome]

Depends on how they lay out the molds. For-sure the cam cover can be (and likely will be) die-cast. Engine block may still be sand-cast, or they may have designed it to be die-cast and then galleys and passages bored as-needed and capped with plugs. This is a very simple 3-banger.

Interestingly, the Wikipedia article and die-casting shows an engine block though the caption says "engine block with ... die castings.":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_casting

 

[Johnny Acree]

I think that because the block is a open deck design they can die cast the cooling passages

I don't know about the head