Blog explaining technological advancement that revolutionised motor racing

1. How Pneumatic Valves Revolutionalised Motor Racing
The pneumatic valve closure system was introduced in the mid-eighties in Renault turbocharged RVS-9
1.5 litre Formula 1 engines.
Racing engines often failed at high RPM because mechanical springs were unable to close valves quickly
enough, leading to engine failure when pistons struck incompletely closed valves. By contrast, pneumatic
valveswere used to create the precise pressurized air flow required to help systems operate at peak
performance.
Pneumatic valve springs are metal bellows filled with compressed air that occupy the same space of
metal springs used to close valves in high-speed internal combustion engines. They from part of a group
of components responsible for controlling the pressure, rate, and amount of air as it moves through
a pneumatic system, which relies on the force of compressed air to transmit power.
These lightweight compressed air bellows could respond more quickly and reduce the possibility of valve
crashes, other than from leaking bellows.For Renault, this meant their engines could rev that much higher
and that much safer.
Pneumatic valves gave Renault an advantage with its turbocharged engines, often said to be the most
powerful on the F1 circuit. However, it wasn’t until 1989, when Renault provided Williams with their V10
engine, that their pneumatic valve system brought them success.
When Renault returned to F1 in the nineties as an engine supplier, they again used the pneumatic valve
closure system. The system was soon adopted by every engine manufacturer in F1. Renault won the
Formula One Constructors' Championship with Williams in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1997, and with
Benetton in 1995.
The pneumatics system that revolutionalisedF1 continues to have many modern uses. Pneumatic valves
are also commonly used in industrial applications, including pneumatic pressure power tools, diesel
engines, and air brakes on buses and trucks.
Modern pneumatic cylinders offer fast, accurate power for low-pressure applications, giving a variety of
industries, ranging to include packaging, medical devices and automation control, simple, safe and
powerful controls.
06-06-2016