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MODELLING AND DESIGN OF SHUTTER VALVES FOR CAMLESS ENGINES

Thesis · July 2020

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.31168.00007

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MODELLING AND DESIGN OF SHUTTER VALVES

FOR CAMLESS ENGINES

By

Muhammad Arsalan Jalees Abro

(18 M.E MECH 14)

Thesis submitted to the MUET for the degree of

Master of Engineering

in

Mechatronics Engineering

Institute of Information & Communication Technologies

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Mehran University of Engineering & Technology, Jamshoro

February, 2020

1
 ABSTRACT

Since the launch of automobile, the focus has been on the improvements in the

performance of the vehicle. The well-known camshaft based engines have proven

their worth in the automobile industry but scope of improvement is still possible. One

particular technique which improves the power drive of a vehicle is to adapt the

camless technology. The camless engines allow the removal of camshaft and other

mechanical components making the overall engine design much lighter and compact

in size and the valves in the cylinder head are operated and controlled through

electronic switching.

These predecessor engines used poppet valves which did produce prominent results

over the years but when it comes to the successor camless engines, the poppet valves

are not the best option of technology to incorporate. These valves limit in terms of lift

profiles, operational ranges at defined RPMs, have plenty of bulky components, have

seating issues and etc. These limiting factors limit the operation of camless engines to

lower RPM values.

This research work focuses to reduce the limitations of the camless engines due to

poppet valves by introducing the shutter valve and modelling it for the control of both

the intake and exhaust shutter valves in the light of the different devised cases. The

modelled valves allow the operation in efficient conditions for better fuel average and

power output of the vehicle, which was investigated and analyzed by two case studies.

The first case is focused towards the efficiency of the intake shutter valve model and

it was proven by conducting a series of simulations through MATLAB. The produced

graphs resulted in an ideal intake shutter valve opening percentage based on the

2
desired fuel average and torque output requirements. The adjustment of the opening is

in the hands of the driver and the type of drive requirements.

In second case study, Dyno runs were performed over varied tire load using a same

engine. The reduction in the dimensions and the weight of the tires resulted in an

increase in the horse power of the vehicle according to the weight power ratio of the

vehicle. These case studies and the proposed Shutter Valve model design will bring a

revolution in Automobile industry in terms of fuel efficiency and optimal utilization

of engine output power.

3
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND

An automobile industry is one of the basic requirements of humans in this

technological era. As an integral component of automobile industry, the vehicles have

become the mandatory part of human life to move faster from one place to another

and saving larger portion of self-energy. For these vehicles to move, they require a

heart which is an engine. The basic purpose of an engine is to produce mechanical

energy from another utilizable form of energy to do work. The energies converted can

either be heat energy, electrical energy, pneumatic energy, chemical energy etc. Heat

engines use the concept of converting the heat produced by a burnt fuel to do work.

The electrical energy conversion into a mechanical energy is obtained through an

electric motor. Compressed air is used by pneumatic motors for the conversion of

energy and molecular motors in a biological system convert chemical energy to

produce force, motors such as the myosin in muscles. This concept of conversion

from one type of energy into mechanical work is the fundamental strength for an

automobile. These human made engines have multiple usages and are incorporated in

numerous transport applications and models such as trains, ships, aircrafts and on-

road vehicles.

Considering their importance, the near past decades have marked a boom in the

automobile industry. Instead of producing chassis with couple of wheels, the industry

has started focusing upon much important issues. These metal based vehicles or

automobiles are wheeled bodies, consisting of seating for at least a single person and

can carry tons of weight depending on their size and structure. A car has different

4
components and the essential groups are the drivetrain, suspension and the chassis. As

the engines are becoming more powerful, they require more fuel in order to work. The

natural fuel resources are limited which has indulged the industry in research for

alternatives or a means by which less fuel is consumed while producing higher power.

There are many efficient modifications carried out recently, and latest one is the

development of camless engines. These engines, as the name suggests, do not have a

camshaft which allows the operation of the valves electronically, thus making a strong

possibility of revolution in automobile industry.

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

The removal of a camshaft in a camless engine demands a reasonable solution to

operate the valvetrain system. Replacing a camshaft with a mechanical component

will be of no use as it will again create similar issues. A better solution was to

incorporate the valvetrain with electronic switching. This allows the reduction in size,

weight and the dimensions of the overall engine which allows an improvement in the

overall aerodynamics of the vehicle. This technology also enhances the control and

precise movement of the valves. The electronic valvetrain is distributed in different

subcategories: electro-magnetic valves, electro-hydraulic valves and electro-

pneumatic valves.

These electronic valvetrain systems tend to be the next generation solution for

engines. The valves used in camless engines are the traditional poppet valves which

are being used in the camshaft based engines. Poppet valves have been serving the

engines from decades and have produced quite an impactful result but when it comes

to camless engines, these valves have reduced performance factors. These factors

include the limited lift profiles of the valves. The lift profile allows to intake the air-

5
fuel mixture in the cylinders or removes the exhaust gases from the cylinders.

According to the revolutions per minute (RPM) values, the lift of a valve is altered. At

higher RPMs, the lifts of the both exhaust as well as the intake valves must be greater

than that compared to an engine running at lower RPM values. This not only allows

the engine to work by delivering proper performance values but also allows the

engine to consume less fuel at lower RPM values where it is not required. In a

camless engine this lift profile can be controlled and altered accordingly but for a

poppet valve, this increases the number of solenoids to hold the lift of a valve at a

certain level.

The other performance factor is the seating issue of the poppet valve. To keep the

valve properly closed at high pressures such as those in a cylinder, strong force is

required which is achieved by using a valve spring. This allows the valve to be tightly

and properly seated but to operate this type of a system requires large equivalent

magnetization force. Due to the limiting factors, the success for camless engines

using poppet valves has been limited to lower RPM values. This might seem as a

temporary solution for an engine under testing but cannot be a solution for the

vehicles that are used for various consumer industries. A vehicle running at lower

RPM values cannot accelerate quickly or reach higher speeds and will be limited to a

certain load carrying capacity.

1.3 RESEARCH MOTIVATION

The limiting factors of conventional valve system which is based on the poppet valve

can be from the list of the following: the adjustable lift profile of the poppet valve,

seating issue of a poppet valve, limited operational range of poppet valve at defined

RPMs, plenty of bulky components and etc. These factors can be resolved by

6
introducing the concept of shutters of a camera, hence the coined name ‘Shutter

valves’. Shutter valves can be controlled through the electronic signals from the

Engine Control Unit (ECU) and operated with the means of a magnetic contact.

1.4 LITERATURE SURVEY

In [1] the potential of the variable valve timing (VVT) based system was investigated,

in which the authors have focused on the design of a small displacement engine for

optimizing both the engine performance, and fuel consumption at part load operation.

Through this, the importance of the VVT system can be understood. In [2], the

authors have analyzed numerically the flexible valve timing system using a small

four-stroke engine. The research work aimed to analyze the effects on the engine

when the intake and exhaust valves are closed either early or late as compared to the

proper closing operation. In the year 2000, a design was made of the multivariable

controller for the engine performance. This design was analysed for the utilization of

air-to-fuel ratio at different camshaft timings [3].

The conventional poppet valves were used in [4] to analyze the wear and tear which

takes place during the engine’s operation. The authors have modeled a flexible-

flexible contact incorporating the mortar contact algorithm and finite element method

(FEM) along with the adhesive wear of the system. In [5], a study was carried out to

determine the intake valve timing effects and the effect of valve lift on the fuel

efficiency in an Internal Combustion (IC) engine. This study has used the Ricardo

Wave software to determine a solution to narrow the gap between current and

expected fuel economy while maintaining performance.

In [6], the camshaft timing was analyzed whilst the engine was set under load. The

authors used adjustable camshaft timing strategies to investigate two small-capacity

7
modern spark based ignition engines. The work was focused on the improvements in

brake specific fuel consumption through maximizing the thermal efficiency of an

engine at a fixed load. Another study for the wear due to the operation of camshaft

was carried out in [7] which developed a numerical approach using frictional and

lubrication analysis. The overall results only focused on the cam/follower wear. In

2004, [8] made a study which looked upon various engines to explain the working

principles of an IC engine. Through this study, various fundamental issues of the

engines and the important factors which allow the operation of a perfect operating

engine are studied. The overall study has placed the focus on the design and analysis

of IC engines.

To compensate the electro-pneumatic issues, in [9] an electro-pneumatic based

variable valve actuation system was developed which focused upon the loss due to the

pumping action at low ranges of the engine’s speed and load conditions. The work is

further explained in [10], which incorporates a shadowgraph technique to characterize

the valve motion. In [11], an overview of the analysis of valve actuating mechanisms

of camless engines was made which included the electromechanical and

electrohydraulic actuators. The study in [12] for engine valve fully flexible camless

actuation used a hydraulic valve control as an open-loop device. The focus was given

to the efficiency analysis of thermodynamic benefits and the corresponding energy

requirements for the operation of such valves.

The researchers in [13] did design an electro-hydraulic camless engine valve actuator

(EH-CEVA) through Atomic Simulation Environment Simulation (ASESim) which

focused on validation of results by the comparison with prototype test bench in the

light of output power, heat and gas emissions, and fuel efficiency of IC engines. The

8
authors of [14] claimed the development of UniAir, which is a fully-variable valve

train system which places its focus on the maximum valve lift at low RPM values.

Another similar study made in [15] focused on the electro-magnetic operated camless

engines. They used MATLAB to validate the valve analytical model which led them

to analyse the model intake valves lift in several operating conditions.

Another factor which limits the poppet valve’s performance as stated above is the

seating issue of the valve. This was addressed by [16] where they have used a PID to

control the seating velocity and the holding force of the valve. The study was limited

on the performance of the electromagnetic valvetrain system. A study in 2017

witnessed the interest in changing the traditional valve system by proposing a design

known as DigitalAir and also provided its design analysis [17]. In [18], a shutter

based valve idea was initiated in 2007 where a design of a shape memory alloy

(SMA) based diaphragm shutter valve is used for the flow of fluids. Later on, in [19] a

shutter valve idea is presented for the regulation of pressure and to control the fluid

flow in various applications which includes camless engine as one of the applications.

1.5 RESEARCH GAP ANALYSIS

Based on carried out comprehensive literature survey, we came across some research

gaps with scope of improvement in this direction. The conventional poppet valves as

seen through the literature survey have limitations specially while using them in a

camless engine technology. These traditional poppet valves have the following

drawbacks: requirement of extended methods for seating issues, limited operation at

high RPMs, and the bulkiness of poppet valves. There is a need to focus on alternate

valves for the growing camless technology. Valves which can allow: operations at

9
wide range of RPMs, should be lighter in weight, having limited or no seating issues

and efficient performance results at diverse RPM ranges.

The presented ideas of shutter valve designs and models are limited to only theoretical

framework and require more focus towards the research fields like: implementation

for a focused application, practical implementation of shutter valves, and analysis of

shutter valves based on market approach.

1.6 RESEARCH QUESTION

“How can optimization, in the light of performance enhancement and fuel resource

management can be achieved through advancements in shutter valves?”

1.7 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

1. To design a CAD model of shutter valves for four stroke internal combustion

engines.

2. The modelling of an electronic engine management system for optimal switching

and flow control of fuel and exhaust gases, and switching signal response.

3. Tuning of shutter valve for better fuel efficiency and performance analysis of

vehicle power output by weight and size reduction.

1.8 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The proposed objectives of this research work were achieved gradually and

systematically. The work started off by achieving the first objective which requires

the design of a CAD model. Before selecting proper software, it was necessary to

figure out the dimensions needed for the shutter valve based on the poppet valves

used in four stroke IC engines. For this purpose, various poppet valves were measured

and analyzed which are locally available in Pakistan [20].

10
For the model design, SOLIDWORKS has been used. It is software to design, create

and analyze in 3D space. One can create different parts or use existing parts required

for the design and assemble them using the assembly feature. To create the parts, first

the user makes a sketch. After this, there are various features which can be used to

extrude a certain point or line, cut a certain region or create holes to create the final

required design. SOLIDWORKS has different measurement units to choose from and

for this project, the millimeter, gram, second unit system has been used. Using the

SOLIDWORKS environment, initially the separate parts of the shutter valve were

created and then by using assembly file type, a complete shutter valve model was

created.

In order to achieve the first part of the second objective, the work started off by

creating a flow diagram for the operation of the shutter valve which then led to the

mathematical representation through which system model was operated. The final part

included the flow control of both the air-fuel mixture and exhaust emissions by the

intake shutter valve and the exhaust shutter valve and designing different operational

cases of shutter valve opening in terms of area wise percentages.

The final objective being the results obtained through the working of the valve

required the use of different platforms which included MATLAB to analyze the

performance at different operational stages obtained in second objective and Dyno

software to prove a certain phenomenon achieved through the shutter valves. For this

purpose, the characteristics of two available engines in Pakistan (i.e., 2NZ-FE and

2AR-FSE) were worked upon and analyzed.

11
1.9 THESIS ORGANIZATION

The presented research work is composed of six chapters. The introduction to the

topic with the background of the research is presented in Chapter 1.

Chapter 2 is based on the information related to engines, discussing the types, the

parts and the importance of engines.

The design of the shutter valve using SOLIDWORKS is discussed in detail in Chapter

3. This includes the importance of each and every component and the

interconnectivity of the components for the operation of the shutter valve.

Chapter 4 explains the operation of an engine and summarizes the control mechanism

and the operation of the intake shutter valve and the exhaust shutter valve.

The case studies and the results of this research work in the light of MATLAB and

Dyno are presented in Chapter 5 providing information of the selected engines.

The research’s conclusion and the future recommendations are presented in Chapter 6.

12
 CHAPTER 2

THE THEORY OF ENGINES

2.1 BIRTH OF AN ENGINE

Karl Benz is the creator of the first successfully commercialised automobile in 1885-

1886 [21]. The vehicle had a single cylinder two stroke engine which created a hype

in the automobile industry and developed the interest for a better, lighter and a

powerful engine development. Extending his own work, in 1896, Karl Benz designed

an engine with pistons in a horizontal manner and successfully published a patent

upon it. The engine worked on the concept of horizontally shaped cylinders. Pistons

move and simultaneously reach the top dead centre which aids in the balancing of the

overall system. These designs are mostly known as flat engines due to their given

shape and profile. The use of flat engines has been spread over some of the Subaru

and Porsche cars, the famous Volkswagen Beetle, motorcycles and etc [22].

The traditional engines have multiple components which allow them to convert the

energy obtained through the combustion process into mechanical work. The inlet of

the fuel mixture and the outlet of the gases produced due to the combustion process is

obtained through the operation of the valves in an engine. The operation of these

valves requires additional components and it depends on the type of an engine. There

are two basic types of engines in this context are: camshaft based engines and camless

engines.

2.2 ENGINE TYPES

The development of an engine is based upon the category it lies in. Different vehicles

require different engines to be mounted in them and this can be distinguished

conferring to two criteria; the energy form that an engine requires to create the cycle

13
of motion and the type of motion the vehicles require as an output. The engines are

broadly classified as: Heat Engine, Combustion Engine, Internal Combustion Engine,

External Combustion Engine, Air-Breathing Combustion Engine and etc.

2.2.1 Heat Engine

The conversion of heat energy into desirable mechanical energy is achieved using

heat engine. This is achieved through the change in temperature from higher state to

lower state of a working substance such as a liquid. The liquid is heated up by a

thermal source allowing work to take place and the heat is transferred to the cooling

sink. The examples include: Thermal power station, IC engine and Steam

locomotive.

2.2.2 Combustion Engine

These engines are basically heat based engines which work on the concept of the

process of combustion. The examples include: Otto engine, Stirling engine, and Five

stroke engine.

2.2.3 Internal Combustion Engine

The IC engines are based upon the energy produced through combustion process. This

combustion takes place when a fuel is mixed with an oxidizer and then lighted up.

The energy produced in the combustion chamber applies a force on the mechanical

components which are the pistons and allow the driveshaft to rotate. The examples

include: Two stroke engine, Four stroke engine, and Rotary engine.

2.2.4 External Combustion Engine

The external combustion engines differ from the IC engines in the manner of the

thermal source placement. The fluid in the external combustion engines is heated

14
through an external source which can be either a heat-exchanger or the engine’s wall.

The examples include: Newcomen’s engine and Stirling engine.

2.2.5 Air-Breathing Combustion Engine

These types of combustion engines utilize the oxygen present in the atmosphere rather

than having a separate oxidizer. The examples include: Pulse jet, Pulse detonation

engine, and Ramjet.

Apart from combustion engines, there are other few examples such as hydraulic

motor, electric motor, physically powered motor, pneumatic motor, nonthermal

chemically powered motor, and the non-combusting heat engines.

2.3 INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES

The focused engine type for this research is the four stroke four cylinder IC engine.

The use of internal combustion engines is continued due to the improvements in the

engine technology from its control using engine control systems such as onboard

computers or electronically controlled fuel injectors to increase in the power output by

either using a supercharger or turbocharger. These advancements have allowed the

use of IC engines in different forms of vehicles. These include vehicles for the sole

purpose of transportation and cars which are designed to run on tracks for racing

industries. Again, there are different types of cars for each of these fields. Some

transportation vehicles focus on the durability of the vehicle and others have the

objective of fuel efficiency. In the racing industry, there are different types of races

some of which require an engine with high brake horse power (HP) just to complete a

quarter mile in few seconds and then there are races which focus on the engine’s

torque generated in order to drift in a beautiful manner.

15
The basic components of an IC engine focused for the design of the shutter valves

include: Engine block, Cylinder, Piston, Combustion chamber, and Intake & Exhaust

valves.

Engine Block: The engine block is the entire body or structure which holds cylinders,

pistons, valves and other parts of the IC engine.

Cylinder: The cylinder is the space where the air-fuel mixture is burnt which is then

turned into power utilized to rotate the pistons and the crankshaft; that will be

discussed in section 4.2. Different engines have different sized cylinders and different

number of cylinders. According to this the power and the fuel efficiency of an engine

is calculated. The basic description of cylinder is shown in Fig 2.1.

Coolant passages, Cylinder, Core Plugs, Deck, Bosses, Oil Filter, Oil main Feed, Oil

gallery plug

Fig 2.1: Internal Structure of Engine block

16
Piston: The piston is placed in a cylinder which operates in a reciprocating motion

due to the combustion process. The Fig 2.2 shows the common design shape of a

Piston used in an engine.

Combustion Chamber: It is the space where the burning of the air-fuel mixture takes

place in an IC engine.

Fig 2.2: Piston design shape

Intake and Exhaust Valves: A valve’s purpose is either to allow the air-fuel mixture

into the cylinder for the process of combustion or to allow the exhaust gases to exit

the cylinder. These actions are achieved through the use of either an intake valve or an

exhaust valve respectively. These are located in the cylinder head. The traditional

valve used in an IC engine is the poppet valve. Fig 2.3 describes the location

placement of intake valves and exhaust valves in the cylinder head.

In this work, our research focus is limited to four stroke IC based camless engines. To

properly understand the basics of camless engines, it is mandatory to have solid

background information and working mechanism of camshaft based engines and the

components involved in order to operate the valves.

17
 Exhaust Valve and Intake Valve

Fig 2.3 Location placement of intake and exhaust valves

2.4 CAMSHAFT BASED ENGINE AND ITS OPERATION

The placing of the camshaft depends upon the location of the valves in an engine. The

valves can be placed in overhead manner known as the overhead valves or they may

be placed in a standard manner that is in the block of the engine. The advantages of

the overhead valves are that they are better in terms of fuel economy and the engine

usually lasts longer. Considering an engine with overhead valves having the camshaft

placed in the engine block, the operation of the valves is assisted by lifters, push rods

and rocker arms to work the valves. The cams on the camshaft operate the lifter or

tappet (old technology) which then operates the push rod allowing the movement in

the rocker arm which then operates the intended valve. For each valve, there are

separate lifter, push rod and rocker arms. This upward motion closes the valve and in

order to open the valve, the rocker arm pivots allowing a downward motion pushing

on the valve’s stem out of the spring. When the cam rotates towards the upward

18
motion, the spring attached to the valve pushes back and holds the valve closed at

high pressures.

2.5 CAMLESS ENGINE

The traditional camless engine, as the name suggests, does not have a camshaft

physically associated with it. This removes the entire concept of the operation of a

camshaft based engine. By removing the camshaft, multiple components of the engine

block are removed including the rocker arms, lifters, and the push rods. This allows

the compression in the size of an engine and also a reduction in the engine’s weight.

The operations of camless engines take place by the help of electromagnetic,

electrohydraulic or pneumatic actuators [23] which are operated by different proposed

control systems. The valves can then be closed or opened using these actuators which

simplifies the working of an engine in terms of both system complexity and the

maintenance.

As understood by the above discussion, a camless engine becomes a lot lighter in

terms of weight as compared to the camshaft based engine. This allows the change in

the aerodynamics of the vehicle and providing more space in the engine bay. The

vehicle can be further streamlined allowing it to have better road grip and better air

cutting design. Another advantage of a camless engine is that the operation of a

camshaft requires power generated by the engine as it is operated by the crankshaft.

This is a loss in the power created by the engine. A camless engine cuts this loss and

this can be further utilized in the performance factors of the vehicle, allowing it to

accelerate at a higher rate. This will also increase the fuel efficiency of the vehicle

making it more economic. Another advantage can be seen by the fact that a camless

engine requires fewer components to operate which means that the overall cost factor

19
of the engine also decreases and with that, the overall maintenance of the engine is

cheaper. Last but not the least, a camless engine requires less mechanical components

which allows fast responses and easily alteration in terms of performance of the drive

by easily tuning the vehicle according to the driver’s drive pattern.

2.6 TRADITIONAL POPPET VALVES

Traditionally, poppet valves have been used in the engines which are also called the

mushroom valves. These allow the control of the amount of air fuel mixture to enter

the cylinder during the first stroke which is known as intake and the valve is termed as

the intake valve and the allowance of the exhaust gases to be released during the

exhaust stroke, known as the exhaust valve. The timings and the performance of the

engines rely immensely on the working of both the intake valves and the exhaust

valves. The poppet valve consists of a rounded or oval groove which is placed in the

combustion chamber and a disk-shaped plug at the end of the valve stem which is the

shaft which acts as the valve’s guide when it moves up and down and it assists the

valve spring [25]. This valve spring is held by a retainer lock. The point where the

groove and the plug meet is known as the valve seat which is an issue in most of the

camless engines. The basic structural diagram of Poppet Valve seating is shown in Fig

2.4. A poppet valve has the following mechanical components: Valve spring retainer,

Valve spring retainer lock, Seat, Valve spring, Valve spring seat, Guide oil shield,

Valve stem seal and Valve stem.

20
 Valve, Retainer, Valve Seat, Valve Spring, Valve Guide, Valve Keeper

Fig 2.4: Basic structural diagram of poppet valve seating

2.6.1 Operation of Poppet Valve

The operation of a poppet valve involves the movement of the stem as guided by the

cam and the cam followers. The timing and the lift of the valve is determined by the

shape and the placing of the cam. For the valves to operate some other components

are also involved such as the rocker arms and push rods which make the overall

system bulky. To change the timing and lift of the valve, the shape of the cam is to be

altered or the camshaft needs to be moveable which allows to alter the height of the

cams allowing the valve lift to vary. This is based in engines with VVT technology

and onwards. The valve lift changes as the engine’s RPM changes allowing either

more fuel to enter the cylinder during a particular stroke or more exhaust gases to be

released. For an engine to run smoothly, the timing of the valves needs to be perfect

otherwise knocking is produced and the engine stops performing optimally.

21
 CHAPTER 3

MODEL DESIGNING OF SHUTTER VALVE IN SOLIDWORKS

3.1 ENGINE VALVE GEOMETRY

The valve geometry depends upon the allowed space above the combustion chamber

which includes the position of a spark plug. The size of the cylinder bore is the

maximum space allowed for valves to be placed. This includes the placement of both

the intake and the exhaust valves because each cylinder needs to be equipped with

both types of valves whereas there is no limit to the number of each valve. For this

purpose, several different engines available in the Pakistani automobile markets had

been considered for the estimation of space for the correct dimensions of the shutter

valves. Table 3.1 shows the selected data ranges of engines with a displacement in the

range of 1700-2000 cubic centimeters (CC).

TABLE 3.1: Selected Engine Data Range

Manufacturer Introduction year Engine Name Displacement Cylinder Bore

(CC) (mm)
Toyota 1999 2ZZ-GE 1796 82
Suzuki 1998 J20A 1995 84
Honda 2001 K20A 1996 86
Toyota 1990 7A-FE 1762 81

From Table 3.1, the average assumption of the diameter of a cylinder which is round

up to 85mm is calculated. Keeping in mind that the chosen engines are sixteen valve

engines that is the cylinders have four valves each.

22
3.2 SOLIDWORKS-A DESIGNING TOOL

The well-known mechanical software known as SOLIDWORKS, facilities the

designers bring their imagination and creativity into a real form. SOLIDWORKS was

invented by an MIT graduate known as Jon Hirschtick in the December of 1993[24].

The software allows them to easily produce their design with precise dimensions and

parameters which allows them to even print out the design using a 3D printer. The

models are well defined using different features of the application and can be

redesigned with ease due to the feature called relations. Setting relations between

different points, lines, or parts allows the change to be carried out in the entire project

when a single measure is edited. The designs can be presented as 3D models or

drawings from different angles having a table reading the parameters of the model.

3.3 SHUTTER VALVE GEOMETRY DETERMINATION

The initial step of selecting a valve is based on the type of blades. For fast operational

shutter valve which can withstand high pressures, interlocking blade mechanism was

chosen as shown in Fig 3.1.

Fig 3.1: Interlocking mechanism of shutter valve blades

The interlocking mechanism allows one blade to overlap a part of the adjacent blade

when the blades close. The diameters of intake and exhaust shutter valves are

23
assumed to be equal that can be different depending upon the purpose of the engine.

This allows the maximum aperture diameter of 21.24 mm for a sixteen valve engine

with a proper space for the sparkplug. The same can be modified to 42 mm maximum

aperture diameter for the valves allowing the cylinder to each have two valves but

increasing the number of valves increases the engine’s performance [26]. After

analyzing the opening of the shutter valve and considering the limitations such as

complexity of the system, weight increment due to additional blades and the frictional

loses due to blades; the numbers of blades were set at six.

3.4 PROPOSED SHUTTER VALVE DESIGN

The idea of a shutter valve is based on the operation of a camera’s shutter [27]. The

design allows the camless engines to operate in a much efficient manner. This is an

electromagnetic valve which means that the operation of the valve requires electric

signals and magnets. The concept of the valve is to control it through ECU and

operate using an electromagnet which operates the entire valve. The basic components

of shutter valve are: Front cover, Back cover, Slider, Blade, Arm, Bar rack, Spring,

and Rack enclosure.

3.4.1 Front Cover

The front cover of the valve is a disk-shaped lid to enclose the components of the

valve. This has the following parts: Valve opening, Slider guides Coolant jacket and

Coolant inlet & Outlet. The Fig 3.2 shows the shutter valve’s front cover model

designed in SOLIDWORKS. The valve opening allows the flow of either the air-fuel

mixture or the exhaust gases whether in the cylinder or out of the cylinder

respectively. The slider guides allow the slider inside the valve to remain on a guided

track and it also allows the safety of the valve by limiting the slider’s movement in

24
conditions where the slider due to high pressure tries to open the valve further and

breaks it. The coolant jacket allows the flow of fluid in the valve to control the

temperature of the blades and the other components present in the valve. The coolant

inlet and the outlet allow the flow of the coolant in or out of the valve respectively.

Fig 3.2: Front cover of shutter valve

3.4.2 Back Cover

The back cover of the valve is shaped in the same manner as the front cover with a

slight change in design to keep the fuel mixture or the exhaust gases from entering the

valve. The Fig 3.3 shows the shutter valve’s back cover model designed in

SOLIDWORKS.

25
 Fig 3.3: Back cover of shutter valve

3.4.3 Slider

The slider is a hollow gear which operates the blades of the shutter valve. The slider

has pins at different positions in order to interact with the guides of the covers. The

designed model of slider is shown in Fig 3.4.

Fig 3.4: Slider of shutter valve

3.4.4 Blade

The blades of the shutter valve operate to either allow the materials to pass through

the valve or to restrict their flow. The designed model of blade is shown in Fig 3.5.

The design feature of the blades includes an interlocking mechanism which allows the

blades to sustain high pressures and temperatures without bending. One side of the

blade upon closure inserts its head in another blades tail. This creates the interlocking

mechanism. The number of blades can be varied but increasing the number more than

six creates a more complicated system and increased parts of the shutter valve reduces

its efficiency. Reducing the number of blades less than six causes inefficient results.

26
As seen by the experimental results, six blades are the most efficient and optimal

design feature.

3.4.5 Arm

The purpose of the arms is to connect the blades with the slider. These are arc shaped

components as shown in Fig 3.6.

Fig 3.5: Blade of shutter valve

Fig 3.6: Arm of shutter valve

3.4.6 Bar Rack

The bar rack is toothed gear which operates the slider by being operated by the

external magnetic contact. The designed model of shutter valve’s bar rack is shown in

Fig 3.7.

27
3.4.7 Spring

The spring allows the bar rack to retract and hold it in position when the external

contact is not active. The spring is placed in between the bar rack and the bar

enclosure and is connected to each of the respected walls through a circular groove in

both the bar rack and bar enclosure. The designed model of shutter valve’s bar rack in

SOLIDWORKS is shown in Fig 3.8.

Fig 3.7: Bar rack of shutter valve

Fig 3.8: Spring of shutter valve

3.4.8 Bar Enclosure

The bar enclosure covers the bar rack and the spring and holds them in position as

shown in Fig 3.9. This also allows the safety of the components by protecting them

from external factors.

28
 Fig 3.9: Bar enclosure of shutter valve

3.5 OPERATION CYCLE OF DESIGNED SHUTTER VALVE MODEL

As the magnetic contact is magnetized, process explained in the Chapter 4, the bar

rack starts to move in a linear movement. The bar rack is connected to the slider in a

rack and pinion mechanism allowing the slider to rotate in the direction of the bar

rack. This is shown in Fig 3.10.

Fig 3.10: Interconnectivity of bar rack and slider

The arms are connected with the slider at one end and the back cover and the blade at

the other end. The connection is made with the help of pins. As the slider rotates, the

arms start to rotate allowing the connected blades to rotate. The clockwise movement

29
of the slider allows the valve to open and the anti-clockwise movement closes the

valve. The complete design of the shutter valve is shown Fig 3.11.

Fig 3.11: Complete designed model of shutter valve

30
 CHAPTER 4

SWITCHING AND CONTROL MECHANISM OF SHUTTER VALVE

4.1 INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE COMPONENTS

The focus of this research is placed over the IC engines. As mentioned, these engines

require the mixing of fuel and an oxidizer which is the atmospheric air in order to

create energy through the combustion process [28]. The modern day IC engines are

made up of multiple components which include: ECU, Crankshaft, Exhaust camshaft,

Inlet camshaft, Piston, Connecting rod, Spark plug, Valves (exhaust and intake) and,

Cooling water jacket.

4.1.1 ECU

The ECU acts as the controller in an automobile. Its job is to oversee, regulate and

alter the various ongoing operations of a vehicular electronic system [29]. Most of the

systems of the vehicle are controlled by the ECU through obtaining readings from

various sensors and sending out signals to the specified actuators. Systems such as the

fuel injection, valve control, anti-lock braking and etcetera are controlled and

monitored by the ECU. The outlook of ECU is shown in Fig 4.1.

Fig 4.1: Outlook of an ECU

31
4.1.2 Crankshaft

The function of a crankshaft is to convert the reciprocating movement of the pistons

into a rotational movement. This conversion is achievable with the conjunction with

connecting rods. The crankshaft has cranks and crankpins. These are where the

attachment of the connecting rods takes place. The overview of crankshaft is shown in

Fig 4.2.

Fig 4.2: Overview of a crankshaft

4.1.3 Camshaft (Inlet and Exhaust)

The inlet and exhaust camshafts are basically the same in terms of operations but

differ in terms of the placing and the control of the components. The function of a

camshaft is to operate the opening and the closing of valves at set timings with the

help of cam lobes each separate for different valves. This rotation of camshaft allows

the fixed timing factor of a stroke. The camshaft is driven with the means of

gearwheels, a timing belt or a chain. The camshaft is held in place by journals which

have a bearing around each journal to allow it to rotate freely. The model view of

camshaft is shown in Fig 4.3.

32
 Timing Belt, Camshaft pulley, Camshaft journals, Cam, Thrust Plate

Fig 4.3: Model view of a camshaft

4.1.4 Connecting Rod

The main objective of this component is to interconnect the piston and the crankshaft.

This allows the rotation of the crankshaft by converting the to and fro motion of the

piston.

4.1.5 Spark Plug

The purpose is to ignite the compressed air-fuel mixture contained in the combustion

chamber by conducting an electric spark which is triggered through the ignition

system.

4.1.6 Cooling Water Jacket

The water jacket is a casing which surrounds the engine block’s walls and is filled

with either water or coolant. The jacket has inlet and outlet vents which allow the

liquid to flow in and out of the block. The purpose of the jacket is to control the

temperature of the engine.

4.2 WORKING OF A FOUR STROKE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

The term four stroke represents the idea of four different positions and the objectives

of the pistons to complete a single cycle or a single turn of a crankshaft. The piston

travels in both the upward and downward directions for a vertical engine and the left

33
and right directions for a horizontal engine. Each movement is carried twice for a

single cycle. The four stroke engines are one of the most popular IC engine types. The

strokes are separately termed as: Intake, Compression, Combustion, and Exhaust.

Intake: This stroke is also known as the suction or induction stroke. The piston starts

the movement at the top dead center (TDC) and moves towards final position that is

the bottom dead center (BDC). This is shown in the Fig 4.4. During this stroke, the

opening of the intake valve allows the fuel mixture to be deposited in the cylinder.

Thus, the piston’s movement allows the suction of the mixture.

Crankshaft, Intake Valve, Sparkplug, Exhaust Valve, TDC, Cylinder, BDC, Piston

Connecting rod

Fig 4.4: Structural view inside an engine’s cylinder

Compression: The starting point of this stroke is at BDC which ends at TDC. This

allows the compression of the air-fuel mixture during which the valves remain closed.

34
Combustion: Another name for the third stroke is the power stroke during which the

compressed mixture is ignited by the help of a spark through a spark plug in a petrol

IC engine or is ignited due to the heat in a diesel engine. The piston travels from TDC

to BDC allowing mechanical work produced by the engine for the rotation of the

crankshaft. During this stoke, both the valves remain closed.

Exhaust: This is last stroke of the cycle allowing the gases produced during the

combustion stroke to release out of the cylinder. The piston travels from BDC to TDC

pushing the gases through the exhaust valve.

All of the four strokes of an IC engine are shown in Fig 4.5.

Fig 4.5: Four stroke representation of an IC engine

4.3 SHUTTER VALVE SYSTEM MODELING

Let 𝑠 denote starter motor which cranks the engine to move the crankshaft 𝐶 whose

position is denoted by 𝐶𝑝 . The 𝐶𝑝 is read through the crankshaft position sensor 𝐶𝑝𝑠

and signal is input to 𝐸𝐶𝑈. The processed output signal from 𝐸𝐶𝑈 is denoted by 𝐸𝑐𝑝𝑠 .

This linkage is represented as shown in Equation 1.

𝑠 = 𝐶𝑝 ∈ 𝐶𝑝𝑠 ∈ 𝐸𝐶𝑈 ∈ 𝐸𝐶𝑈𝐶𝑝𝑠 … … (1)

35
Where, the initial position of 𝐶𝑝 is assumed at 00 having piston 1 near TDC position

activating 𝐶𝑝𝑠 . Traditionally, the 𝐸𝐶𝑈𝐶𝑝𝑠 is input directly to injectors for fuel supply.

We are modeling the same signal simultaneously to injectors shutter valves, so that

the intake/exhaust operations in cylinders can take place. The sequential signal block

diagram of basic shutter valve operation is illustrated in Fig 4.6.

Fig 4.6: Signal block diagram of shutter valve

4.3.1 Operational Modelling of Shutter Valve

From 𝐸𝐶𝑈, the 𝐸𝐶𝑈𝐶𝑝𝑠 will energize the magnetic contact denoted as 𝓂𝑐 which will

magnetise the bar rack. The position of bar rack is denoted as 𝛿. On the linear

movement of 𝛿, slider rotates and rotation angle is denoted by 𝜃. The rotation of slider

moves the shutter blades whose angular displacement is represented as 𝜌, and the area

adjustment of shutter valve denoted as 𝜌𝑠𝑣 .

This operational mechanism is described by Equation 2.

𝐸𝐶𝑈𝐶𝑝𝑠 → 𝓂𝑐 ∝ 𝛿 ∝ 𝜃 ∝ 𝜌 … . . (2)

The relation between 𝜌 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝜌𝑠𝑣 is illustrated in Equation 3.

36
 𝑚

𝜌𝑠𝑣 = ∑ 𝜌 … … (3)
𝑖

Where 𝑚 and 𝑖 indicate the maximum and minimum number of blades in shutter

valve.

In this research work, six blades have been considered as the maximum number of

blades for shutter valve. The process block diagram of internal operation of shutter

valve is shown in Fig 4.7.

Fig 4.7: Internal operational block diagram of shutter valve

4.3.1.1 Tangential Force of Bar Rack

The tangential force of bar rack is described in Equation 4.

𝐹𝑅 = 𝑀 × 𝑔 × 𝜇 + 𝑀 × 𝑎 + 𝐹 … . (4)

Where 𝐹𝑅 is tangential force, 𝑀 is Mass of Bar Rack, 𝑔 is gravity, 𝜇 is friction

coefficient, and 𝐹 defines the external forces.

4.3.1.2 Electromagnetic Force of Magnetic Contact

The Electromagnetic force of magnetic contact is expressed by Equation 5.

(𝑁 × 𝐼)2 𝜇0 𝐴
𝐹= … . (5)
(2𝑔2 )

37
Where, 𝐹 is Electromagnetic force of magnetic contact, 𝑁 number of turns, 𝐼 is

current, 𝜇0 equal 4 × 10−9 , 𝐴 is area, and 𝑔 is gap between magnet and bar rack

4.3.1.3 Torque

The torque in slider rotation is expressed by Equation 6.

𝐹𝑅 × 𝑑
𝑇𝑠 = … . (6)
𝑙

Where, 𝑇𝑠 defines slider’s torque, 𝑑 pitch circle of slider, and 𝑙 is length of bar rack.

4.4 CYLINDER’S FUEL FLOW CONTROL

In this work, for the variable opening of shutter blades, five different positional cases

are considered to analyse efficient fuel consumption according to different drive

patterns. These shutter blade position are set at following cases: 0% opening (Initial

Position), 25% opening, 50% opening, 75% opening and 100% opening (Final

Position). The operational flowchart and case selection of shutter valve blades is

shown in Fig 4.8.

38
 Fig 4.8: Operational flow chart and case selection

4.5 CASE SELECTION FOR SHUTTER VALVE OPENING AND CONTROL

4.5.1 Shutter Valve Opening

For the analysis of the working of the shutter valve, a comparative study was made

considering the bar rack position, slider rotation angle, slider arc length, and the

shutter valve opening area [30]. This importance of the comparison leads to

understanding the design flow of the valve. The measurements are made according to

the realistic values presented in Table 3.1. Table 4.1 is the comprised resultant values

of shutter valve parametric changes and the openings through case selections. The

graphical representation of bar rack position, slider rotation angle and shutter valve

opening area are illustrated in Fig 4.9 and Fig 4.10 respectively.

39
Table 4.1: Relationship between bar rack position, slider rotation angle and shutter

valve opening area

Bar Rack Position Slider Rotation Angle Slider Arc Length Shutter Valve Opening Area
(%) (θ) (mm) (mm2)
0 0 0 0
25 90 46.85 88.6
50 180 93.70 177.85
75 270 140.54 256.78
100 360 187.39 354.37

Fig 4.9: Bar rack position v/s slider rotation angle

40
 Fig 4.10: Bar rack position v/s shutter valve opening area

4.5.2 Intake Shutter Valve Control

For the intake shutter valve, the control signal is straightforward. The valve needs to

operate at the same moment as the fuel injector designated to its cylinder as each

cylinder has a separate injector for the supply of fuel. When the 𝐸𝐶𝑈𝐶𝑝𝑠 is initiated for

the intended injector let us say number 1, that same signal simultaneously goes to the

magnetic contact of the intake shutter valve mounted upon the cylinder 1 and the valve

opens up. Same goes for the intake shutter valves for the rest of the cylinders. This

operation can be understood from the Fig 4.11.

41
 Fig 4.11: Intake shutter valve control

4.5.3 Exhaust Shutter Valve Control

The operation of the exhaust shutter valve is a bit complex. Instead of designing a

separate controller for the valve, the 𝐸𝐶𝑈𝐶𝑝𝑠 intended for the injectors is used to

operate the exhaust valves but in a different order. The order is based upon the firing

order of the four cylinder four stroke engine. 1-3-4-2 is the firing order for the four

cylinder engine. The cylinders are numbered from the front of the engine which is the

portion where the accessory drives that is the pulleys are installed. The 1-3-4-2 states

that first cylinder 1 will fire, then cylinder 3, then cylinder 4 and finally the cylinder 2

will fire.

The exhaust shutter valves need to be operated when the pistons start their exhaust

stroke. The injectors only become active when the intake stroke is initiated by a

piston. According to the firing order, when piston 1 is in intake stroke, piston 3 will

be making the exhaust stroke. So, when the 𝐸𝐶𝑈𝐶𝑝𝑠 for an injector let us say for

cylinder 1 is activated, that signal is used for the operation of exhaust shutter valve of

42
cylinder 3. For the modulation of the exhaust shutter valves, the truth table was

designed as shown in Fig 4.12.

Fig 4.12: Truth table of exhaust shutter valve operation

The signal control of the exhaust valves for all of the cylinders can be understood by

the Fig 4.13. The highlighted regions illustrate the pistons which are activated and the

shutter valves which are being operated.

Fig 4.13: Exhaust shutter valve control

43
 CHAPTER 5

CASE STUDIES FOR PERFORMANCE EVALUTION

5.1 PERFORMANCE EVALUTION OF INTAKE SHUTTER VALVE

MATLAB (matrix laboratory) is a language developed for the analysis of systems on

the basis of mathematical operations. It is a combination of programming, visual

data, and computation. The environment of MATLAB is user friendly and is easy to

use and follow. Typically, it is used for the following operations: Mathematical

computation, development of algorithms, developing a model and simulating a

system, and analysis of data and creating visual representation of that data. The

purpose of MATLAB in this research limits to the modeling of mathematical

equations and the performance analysis of the shutter valve at different stages for the

chosen engine type. With the use of MATLAB, graphs were computed and analyzed

which resulted in an efficient state for the operation of the shutter valves. The

parameters were set and the results depict an ideal situation.

A technology is beneficial when it can produce efficient results. To analyze the

efficiency of the intake shutter valve, and to obtain the optimal intake valve opening

percentage, a mathematical analysis was made using MATLAB. The graphs obtained

were used in order to compare the opening of the intake shutter valve’s percentage,

the air-fuel mixture required by the engine to produce power, fuel average and the

output torque of the engine.

Another data analysis was made to prove the improvement in the performance of an

engine by converting it into a camless engine by reducing the tire weight of the

vehicle. The analysis was made using a Dyno for vehicles which accurately records

44
the vehicular performance in terms of the HP and the torque produced over a RPM

curve. These analyses can be understood through the following case studies.

5.2 CASE STUDIES AND RESULT ANALYSIS

5.2.1 Case Study 1

For this case study, various engines were considered and the widely available engine

in Pakistan was chosen. Toyota 2NZ-FE engine was chosen which is mainly

manufactured for Toyota Corolla since 1999. For the research, the systematic

parameters chosen were the following:

 Engine HP is assumed to same as for CAM engines

 Fuel mileage for 100km vs % valve opening

 Maximum torque @ 4400 RPM

 Engine capacity: 1298 CC

The Table 5.1 shows the Toyota 2NZ-FE specifications.

Table 5.1: Toyota 2NZ-FE specifications

TOYOTA 2NZ-FE SPECIFICATIONS

Creator Kamigo Plant
Engine Name Toyota 2NZ
Manufacturing Period 1999-present
Engine Block Material Aluminum
Formation Straight-4
Valvetrain 4 valves per cylinder, DOHC
Piston stroke, mm 73.5
Cylinder bore, mm 75
Compression ratio 10.5
Engine Displacement 1298 CC
Power output 84 HP @ 6,000 RPM
Torque output 89 lb·ft @ 4,400 RPM

First, for the intake shutter valve the analysis was made to relate the flow of fuel in

the cylinder and the opening percentage of the valve. Fig 5.1 shows a linear

45
relationship between the flow of fuel in the cylinder and the opening percentage of the

intake valve.

Fig 5.1: Relationship between the fuel flow and intake valve percentage opening

As the percentage opening of the intake valve is increased, the fuel supply to the

cylinder for the combustion is increased. The valve timing is kept the same but the

adjustment of the magnetic contact’s position is made allowing the valve to open to a

certain limit. The air-fuel mixture is in CC and the shutter valve opening is in

percentage.

At 0% valve opening, 0 CC of fuel reaches the engine and at 100% opening of the

valve, 1298 CC of fluid reaches the engine. For each cylinder, a quarter of the fluid is

present for combustion as the engine is four cylinder engine. After the comparison of

air-fuel mixture with the shutter valve opening, second comparison was made to

understand the drop in the fuel average with the increase in the amount of fuel burnt.

The result is shown in Fig 5.2. It can be analyzed that with the increase in the amount

of fuel burnt, the fuel average drops. For an efficient engine, the fuel average needs

46
to be as high as possible. But an increased fuel average drops the engine’s power

output allowing it to reach from 0-100 km/h in a much higher time. The increased

power output by an engine requires high amount of fuel to be burnt. This can be

witnessed from Fig 5.3.

Fig 5.2: Relationship between the fuel flow and fuel average

Fig 5.3: Relationship between the fuel flow and torque output

47
It can be seen by the curve in the Fig 5.3 that the increase in amount in CC produces

higher torque output which allows the vehicle to reach 0-100km/h in lesser time. For

this case study, the fuel average is marked at 13km/l which is a median average and

the power output is selected at 61.67lb.ft. These conditions can be achieved by the

engine running upon around 900 CC of fuel. The markings can be witnessed from the

Fig 5.4.

Fig 5.4: Selected engine performance position

According to this analysis, the optimum intake valve opening percentage of the

shutter valve is at approximately 70% which is shown in the Fig 5.5. This allows the

user to select the desired fuel average, and the power output of the vehicle and adjust

the opening of the shutter valve.

48
The engine can be utilized for a power drive or for a fuel efficient drive allowing

more control to the user whereas the traditional methods required the user to either

remap the ECU or to change the engine parts of the vehicle which is a hectic job and

an expensive one as well.

Fig 5.5: Optimum intake shutter valve opening percentage

5.2.2 Case Study 2

The final case study proves the phenomenon that by reducing the weight of the

vehicle, extra HP can be produced. A camless engine has a reduced weight due to the

removal of various mechanical components. This is already mentioned in detail in the

earlier chapters.

To prove this, two Dyno runs were made using Toyota 2AR-FSE engine which has a

maximum output capacity of 177 HP at 6000 RPM in stock condition.

49
During each run, different set of tires were used and wheel power was calculated. The

tires differed in size, and weight. As a remark, with the drop of around 8-10 pounds,

the engine increases power by 1 HP. This ratio is obtained by calculating the

vehicular weight and the engine’s power capacity. The results of this case study can

be seen in Table 5.2.

Table 5.2: Toyota 2AR-FSE Dyno results

Test No. Tire Size Weight (lb.) Horsepower (HP)

Test 1 195/65R15 35 173.7
Test 2 205/65R17 67 169.9
To understand the specifications for the tire size, Fig 5.6 can be referred.

Tire Type, Thread Width, Aspect Ratio, Radial, Diameter, Load Rating, Speed Rating

Fig 5.6: Tire size explanation

In test 1, the tire size was 195/65R15 which is 32 pounds less than that in test 2. This

produces an increased 3.8 HP. Thus, proving the point that with a drop in weight, HP

can be increased as the overall drag of the vehicle is reduced by the change in the

load. This allows the engine to convert most of its produced power to speed up the

vehicle. The results of the Dyno are shown in the Fig 5.7.

50
Fig 5.7: Toyota 2AR-FSE Dyno Results

51
 CHAPTER 6

CONCLUSION AND FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS

6.1 RESEARCH CONCLUSION

For the purpose of improving the overall performance of a vehicle requires alteration

in its power drive, which can be achieved by the removal of a camshaft in a camless

engine. With the aid of electronic switching and control of the intake and exhaust

valves, the overall reduction in size, weight and the dimensions of an engine are

possible allowing an improvement in the overall aerodynamics of the vehicle. The

commonly used poppet valves have been serving the engines from decades and have

produced quite an impactful result but when it comes to camless engines, these valves

have reduced performance factors. These factors include the limited lift profiles of the

valves, limited operational ranges at defined RPMs, plenty of bulky components, the

seating issue of the poppet valve and etc. Due to the limiting factors, the success for

camless engines using poppet valves has been limited to lower RPM values.

To resolve these factors, in this research work the design model of shutter valve is

proposed and modelled for the control of both the intake shutter valves and the

exhaust shutter valves in the light of the different devised cases. These models allow

the valves to operate in efficient conditions both for the fuel average and the vehicle’s

power output. The results were achieved by conducting two different case studies.

In the first case study, the efficiency of the intake shutter valve model was proven by

conducting a series of simulations through MATLAB. The graphs produced resulted

in an optimal intake shutter valve opening percentage based on the desired fuel

average and torque output requirements. The opening can be adjusted according to the

needs of the driver and the type of drive requirements.

52
The second case study was carried out through experimental results conducted on a

Dyno. Two separate parametric car runs were made with a same engine but varied

load at the tires. The weight and the dimensions of the tires were altered which

resulted in a rise in HP with a lesser weighted tire. This proved that using a camless

engine which reduces the weight of the vehicle by removing extra bulky components

can achieve better performance graphs.

This concludes that the camless engines are the way forward solution in the

automobile industry to improve the overall vehicular performance in terms of fuel

efficiency, and power ratings. The fuel efficiency not only saves the human kind from

financial debts but also prevents the quickly decaying environmental conditions which

are one of the major concerns of the world.

6.2 FUTURE RECOMMENDATION

In this work, our focus was on the electro-magnetic shutter valves. The performance

results can be improved further by introducing one unit casing design which allows

separate valves to be enclosed in a single unit. This will allow easy maintenance and

will enhance the operating features as well as the cooling of the valves.

The work was limited to basic 3D modelling without considering the materials. By

selecting materials which not only withstand high pressures but are fire resistant will

allow the performance of the shutter valves to improve. This will widen the scope of

applications for the shutter valves.

The adjustment feature of the valve, the magnetic contact, can be improved by

designing a separate controller which is operated by the user. This will allow the user

to change the drive experience manually and instantaneously.

53
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