42

43

Pure Efficiency
Developing combustion engines
from the perspective of a supplier

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44

Developing Combustion Engines

Brazil, Russia, China and India, will see the

majority of this growth. However, there are
many first-time car buyers in these countries who cannot afford the costs associated with drive electrification. Therefore in
these kinds of markets, automotive manufacturers that use efficient combustion engines to shift electrical drive components
into heavy vehicles as far as is possible will
be especially successful.
The second key reason, this time for
the developed markets such as in Europe
and the United States, is the expectation
of car buyers for standard consumption
figures to be approximately achieved in
real life. For plug-in hybrids, this is particularly the case if the distances travelled
far exceed the electric range and the vehicle must bear the additional weight of
the electrical drive components and the
battery. For instance, Volkswagen has announced that the plug-in version of the
Golf to be introduced in 2014 will be 250 kg
heavier than its comparable gasoline engine version. An efficient combustion engine with a high weight-to-power ratio can
help to fulfill the expectations of end customers in this regard.

Average CO2 in g/km

At the end of 2013, the European Union

agreed new CO 2 limits. As of 2020, these
specify fleet emission values of 95 grams
of CO 2. This figure corresponds to a consumption of approx. 3.6 l/100 km for diesel vehicles and 4.1 l/100 km for gasolineoperated vehicles. These limits will be the
most stringent in place anywhere in the
world. It is expected that it will only be
possible for premium vehicle manufacturers (with a virtually identical mix of vehicles) to achieve this limit value by partially
electrifying large and heavy vehicles. The
plug-in hybrid drive is set to play a significant role in electrification, as it is favored
by applicable legislation.
Despite increasing electrification, engineers across the entire automotive industry
will focus on optimizing the combustion engine for many years to come and for a number of reasons. The most important reason
is the tremendous growth trajectory that the
global automotive
industry can expect
over the coming
180
years. Increasing
prosperity means
160
that the number of
newly registered
140
passenger cars and
EU Limit Value Curve
light commercial
2015 target
vehicles will grow to
120
around 105 million
units by 2020,
100
which corresponds
EU Limit Value Curve
to a growth of 40 %
2020 target
compared to 2012
1,100
1,300
1,500
1,700
[1]. Emerging economies, as well as
Average mass in kg
newly industrialized
countries such as
Figure 1
CO 2 fleet consumption of vehicles sold in the EU

18.4 % tyres
0.9 % transmission
1.0 % clutch + axle drive
100 % fuel energy

Efficiency as the primary

development objective

45

3.0 % accesories
8.4 % engine friction
4.1 % charge cycle
29.4 % heat loss

Source: Nizzola

Figure 2

34.8 % exhaust gas heat

Typical power losses on the efficiency chain from tank to wheel

Finally, it should be noted that the European CO2 limits are particularly strict, but
international legislation aiming for similar
values has experienced some setbacks
(Figure 2 in [2]). From the point of view of a
European supplier, there is the possibility
of bringing consumption-reducing technologies onto the domestic market at an
early stage and thus gaining a competitive
advantage on a global scale.
Both EU limit values of 130 g CO 2 /km
for 2015 or 95 g CO 2 /km relate to a vehicle
weight of 1372 kilograms; limit values for
vehicles of different weights are calculated using the straight-line method and a
weighting factor. As Figure 1 shows, no
manufacturer in the EU currently meets
the limit value for 2015; the limit values are
currently only met by segments of some
manufacturers fleets. In addition, the
weighting factor is reduced for the 2020
target, which represents a huge disadvantage for manufacturers of heavier vehicles. On the whole, it is apparent that all
manufacturers will need to put great effort
into boosting the efficiency of their vehicle
fleets.

Approach to improving efficiency

The efficiency of combustion engines can
only be increased if the actual engine comes
as close as technically possible to the attainable thermodynamic optimum. Therefore, the engineers first priority must be to
focus on losses that occur in actual engines. Losses for a typical cycle, in which
the vehicles aerodynamics are not taken
into account, can be seen in Figure 2.
In modern powertrain concepts, the engines special operating states also play a
vital role when it comes to standard and actual fuel consumption. This applies to transient states, such as increased acceleration. During acceleration, engines with high
weight-to-power ratios and low displacement exhibit relatively high deviations from
their optimum operating point. One of the
reasons for this is full-load enrichment,
which often needs to be applied at relatively
low speeds to avoid knocking combustion
and protect exhaust components from excessive temperatures. Other operating
states that should be considered in particular include engine warm-up after a cold

46

start, and more and more frequently situations in which an engine is partially shut
down (cylinder deactivation) or even completely stopped (start-stop/coasting).
Furthermore, the efficiency of modern
engines must not be detrimental to the engine-out emissions of exhaust pollutants
nor should it result in reduced comfort for
end customers.

Potential for efficiency

enhancement
There are two ways of minimizing the losses
that occur within combustion engines, and
they must be initiated simultaneously: first,
increase the actual combustion efficiency
and, second, minimize losses, especially
friction and pumping losses.

Reducing pumping losses

Atkinson
LIVC

IC
IC

Cylinder pressure

Cylinder pressure

EIVC

Volume
Dethrottling by changing intake valve timing

IC
IC

Volume

47

Variable Valve Train

Pumping losses depend heavily on how

much the engine must be throttled at a specific operating point. Or put another way:
how often can operating points with low
throttling, i.e. high load at low speed, actually be achieved through the transmission
curves.
The combination of direct injection
and exhaust-gas turbo charging to enable this kind of operation has become
established on the market. It results in
high specific output that can be used for
reducing eingine displacement (downsizing). Engines of this type tend to be operated more frequently at dethrottled map
points. Cylinder deactivation has a similar effect, also resulting in a higher indicated mean effective pressure in the cylinders still running and thus resulting
in dethrottling.
Extensive dethrottling can be achieved
by closing the intake valves early (EIVC) or

Miller

Figure 3

Developing Combustion Engines

Valve Timing
Continous
Hydraulic
Electric

Figure 4

Valve Lift
Discrete (switchable)
Two-Step
Electric
Tappet
Pivot Element
Finger Follower
Shifting Cam
Roller Lifter

Three-Step
Shifting Cam

Continous
Electro-magnetic
Mechanical
e.g. Valvetronic
Electro-hydraulic
UniAir

Different types of variability in the valve train

late (LIVC). Both methods reduce the effective compression ratio and are also known
as Miller or Atkinson cycles (Figure 3). With
the valve opening times thus modified, fourstroke engines experience lower pumping
losses but suffer the challenge of reduced
combustibility. This effect can be counteracted by increasing the charge motion in
the combustion chamber, thereby enabling
improved mixture formation and more efficient combustion.
Ideally, to achieve complete dethrottling,
it would be possible to freely select the
opening and closing times as well as the
valve lift for all operating states.
Today camshaft phasers, which only
allow partial dethrottling, have already become established on the market. Elements in the valve train for deactivating
cylinders continue to be used. The first
applications of mechanical and electrohydraulic fully variable valve trains are now
available (Figure 4).

Camshaft phase control

Camshaft phasers are manufactured in
large quantities. Hydraulic systems have
taken hold, and electromechanical systems are being developed at the same
time. The latter provide optimum adjusting
speed and variability (Figure 5). However,
electromechanical systems are also more
costly. With this in mind, Schaeffler is not
only working towards the start of production for electromechanical cam phasing
systems, planned for 2015; we are also
continuously optimizing the performance
of hydraulic systems.
The adjusting speed of hydraulic camshaft phasing units is largely determined
by the performance of the oil circuit. Engine oil pressure has been consistently
lowered over the past few years to reduce
the power consumption of engine oil
pumps. Low oil pressure is a challenging
constraint when it comes to designing new
and developing existing camshaft phasers.
This is because the lower the oil pressure,
the less energy is available to adjust the
camshaft.

48

Hydraulic VCP
with central valve

Electric VCP

Retard position

Hydraulic VCP
with cartridge valve

800
600
400
200
0
-200

Advance position

Shifting velocity in CA 1/s

Developing Combustion Engines

-400
-600
-800

Engine: V6 Gasoline

-1,000
1,000

Figure 5

2,000
3,000
Engine speed in rpm

Switching elements
Another way to increasing valve train variability is provided by switching elements
that vary the lift of individual valves. These

Fully variable valve train

Electromechanical or electrohydraulic fully
variable valve train systems offer a high degree of variability, the latter are already in

4,000

Adjusting speed of hydraulic and electrical camshaft phasers

Schaeffler is therefore showcasing a phaser

with a secondary oil reservoir for the first
time: the additional oil reservoir is located in
additional bores in the camshaft phaser rotor in other words, right next to the oil
chambers that trigger phasing when they
are filled. This tank is not pressurized, it improves adjustment speed by providing volume that does not have to be supplied by
the oil pump [3].

combine cylinder deactivation with switching between two discrete strokes, or allow
switching between three strokes. Schaeffler is developing a mechanical solution for
3 step switching, designed to be robust
enough to meet all standard requirements
regarding valve train service life.
Using a switchable finger follower, a
second valve stroke can be performed
outside of the specified first stroke contour. This enables internal exhaust gas
recirculation to be performed by either
pushing the exhaust gas back into the
intake manifold or by re-breathing exhaust gas by opening the exhaust valve
a second time during the intake phase.
Schaeffler has adapted a system of this
kind for a Japanese diesel engine.

kinds of systems are aimed, in particular,

at cylinder deactivation, partial dethrottling
and internal exhaust gas recirculation,
and are available in a range of designs (Figure 6):
The simplest example merely involves
shutting down individual valves and
therefore also the cylinders via a
switched pivot element; these types of
elements have been used successfully
on the market for several years.
Switchable finger followers or bucket tappets are also used for two-stage lift switching and therefore for partial dethrottling. By
using a sliding cam system, it is even possible to vary the valve stroke in three
stages. 3 step cam shifting systems either

49

volume production. The electrohydraulic

systems are still driven by the camshaft.
Electromagnetic systems without a camshaft have been the subject of research for
some time, but they have yet to be introduced which is not only attributable to the
demanding electrical power requirements.
The camshaft also acts as a safety element,
preventing faulty actuations and thus the
valve and piston coming into contact.
In 2009, Schaeffler started volume production of the UniAir electrohydraulic valve
train system. This Schaeffler system includes:
The electrohydraulic actuator module
The software required to control valve
timing; this software is integrated in the
customers engine control unit
A calibration data set for the relevant
application
Since 2009, this system has been
adapted for various production engines with
capacities between 0.9 and 2.4 l, and delivered in high volumes to customers in Europe and North and South America.

Switchable
pivot element

Switchable
tappet

Switchable roller Cam shifting

finger follower
system













Electro-Hydraulic Actuated
Electro-Mechanical Actuated
(Enlarged Temperature Range)
Valve Deactivation
(1 Valve per Cyl.)
Cylinder Deactivation
(All Valves per Cyl.)
Internal EGR
(Retain)
Internal EGR
(Re-breath)
Crossing of
Valve Events
2-Step
3-Step

Figure 6

Switching systems for varying valve lift









50

Reducing friction losses

Early valve closing

Multilift

Cylinder deactivation
Late valve opening

Engine speed

Valve lift curves in different engine map ranges

UniAir not only enables continuously variable setting of the valve lift; it also enables
largely free configuration of the valve lift
event within the maximum contour specified by the camshaft envelope. In this way,
dethrottling is possible within broad engine map ranges (Figure 7). It results in a
fuel consumption reduction of up to 15 %
in the New European Driving Cycle
(NEDC).
Future generations of the UniAir system
will feature new functions which will be preExhaust

Intake

Valve lift

Valve 1

Valve 2

180
BDC

Figure 8

270

450
360
TDC
Crankshaft in

540
BDC

Possible lift curve with individual

valve control

sented in more detail at the Schaeffler Symposium 2014 [4]. One noteworthy function is
individual control of two intake valves. This
kind of activation enables a specific charge
motion to be generated (especially at low
loads), thereby significantly increasing combustion efficiency. Figure 8 shows asymmetric valve lift curves, as enabled by individual control.
From Schaefflers standpoint, the freedom in combustion process design afforded by the UniAir system can be applied to all vehicle segments. Low-cost
engines with a small number of cylinders
can benefit from increased torque, while
simultaneously lowering specific fuel consumption. In this vehicle segment the
cost/benefit ratio is far superior to other
measures, such as adding exhaust gas
turbo charging and direct injection. Large
engines benefit especially from dethrottling in the part load range. New functions
can also support future combustion processes that can exploit the benefits of the
systems extremely fast actuating mechanism.

Valve train

80
Friction in %

Torque

Early valve closing

Reducing friction lossesr has always been a

crucial development objective in engine design. In the past, focus was placed on internal friction in the cylinder, particularly friction
between the piston/piston ring cylinder pairing. On account of increasingly stringent
CO2 legislation, all other sources of loss are
now also being studied. This applies in particular to
Crankshaft
Valve train
Balancer shafts
Camshaft and auxiliary equipment
drives
Losses caused by operating the coolant and the oil pump
In total, these friction values account for
about 50 % of the friction losses of an average combustion engine (Figure 9). In addition, the engine heat-up process becomes
more important due to the relationship between friction and oil temperature. This
power loss has a direct impact on standard

51

Water pump
Oil pump

90

Piston ring

70
60
50

Piston

40
30

Connecting rod

20
10

Crankshaft bearing

0
1,000

2,000
3,000
4,000
Engine speed in rpm

Figure 9

5,000

Typical power loss values of

individual causes of friction over
engine speed for a petrol engine

consumption due to the cold start section in

the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC).
The valve train is responsible for a particularly high proportion of friction losses
that occurs at low engine speeds. Over the
past 20 years, great progress has been
made in this area by means of tribological

Tappet
with hydraulic valve lash adjustment
Tappet
with mechanical valve lash adjustment
Friction mean effective pressure in bar

Early valve closing

Figure 7

100

Late valve closing

Cam phasing

90

Developing Combustion Engines

Roller finger follower

with hydraulic valve lash adjustment

0.20

Mechanical tappet
with optimized
surface structure

0.15

0.10

0.05

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

Engine speed in rpm

Figure 10

Comparison of frictional power for different valve train types

5,000

6,000

52

Developing Combustion Engines

Driving torque single

camshaft in Nm

optimization of bucket tappets; the friction

mean effective pressure has been reduced
by around 50 % (Figure 10). At the same
time, roller finger followers for valve control
have become established they link hydraulic valve clearance compensators with
inherently low friction.
It is increasingly common for modern
engines both gasoline and diesel with
high specific power ratings and few cylinders to be fitted with balance shafts. The
friction on the shaft bearing is particularly
relevant due to its high speed (double
crankshaft speed in a four-cylinder engine).
Switching to a roller bearing arrangement
while simultaneously designing lighter components (Figure 5 in [2]) can decrease a vehicles CO2 emissions by up to 2 %. In a
four-cylinder engine, this kind of solution can
reduce the weight by approximately 0.5 kg
per shaft/1 kg per system.
Significantly lower friction losses can
also be achieved by supporting the camshaft on roller bearings (Figure 11). However,
if this approach is taken, it is essential to
consider the assembly concept for the cylinder head.
The key goal for auxiliary equipment drives
is ensuring seamless functionality over the
service life. Transferring ever-increasing

torques and power ratings results in higher

preloads in the belt drive, resulting in increased power loss. At the same time, dynamic amplitudes in the belt drive are increasing as engines have fewer cylinders, and
higher mean effective pressures; this results in
high rotational irregularities. Innovative belt
tensioners and crankshaft decouplers developed by Schaeffler are able to transfer the increased torque reliably while simultaneously
minimizing any power loss [5].

More dynamics, fewer

losses special operating
states
Optimizing steady state engine map points
alone is not an effective way of improving
the overall combustion engine. On the one
hand, future consumption test cycles will
have higher dynamic content; on the other
hand, hybrid systems, in which there is no
clear correlation between driving conditions
and engine operating points, are being used
more commonly.

Acceleration
2
1

1,000

2,000

3,000

Camshaft speed in rpm

Plain bearing 60 C
Plain bearing 100 C
Rolling bearing 60 C
Rolling bearing 100 C

Figure 11

Drive torques for camshafts with

plain bearings and roller bearings

The dynamic response characteristic of engines with a high degree of supercharging

can be specifically enhanced by setting a
positive scavenging gradient. Extremely
rapid actuation of the camshaft phaser is
desirable to quickly start adjusting the valve
timing as required .
Electromechanical phasers allow extremely high adjusting speeds of more than
250 KW/s [6]. They also provide greater rigidity when torque is applied between the
drive wheel and camshaft, thereby achieving optimum adjusting accuracy.

In addition, electric cam phasing is the only

option that allows valve timing to be selected as required when starting the engine. By
selecting the valve timing, the engine can be
started with minimal compression, which
results in a low-vibration start and requires
considerably less starter power. Electromechanical phasers are largely unaffected by
temperature, while hydraulically actuated
systems only provide useful adjusting
speeds at ambient temperatures of +7 C to
+20 C, depending on the design.
However, this high performance level
goes hand in hand with increased cost.
Schaeffler will put this kind of system into
volume production for the first time in 2015.
The crank angle adjustment range will be up
to 95 in this new system. It is designed to fit
to the series engine cylinder head with only
small changes.
Furthermore, it is of course important to
bring the turbo charger up to maximum
speed as quickly as possible when accelerating under a full load. Two-stage turbo
charger systems are increasingly being
used for this purpose. In these systems, the
first supercharger is relatively small and has
correspondingly low inertia. The use of rolling bearings for turbo chargers results in
significantly lower frictional losses [7] and
thus shorter response times. The reduction
is so great that the charger could be made
larger and yet retain the same response
characteristics. For certain engine power
ratings, a second turbocharger is therefore
no longer required and considerable cost
can be avoided.

time, the test cycles for determining CO2

and exhaust emissions demand a cold
start. To distribute the initial heat produced
in an optimum manner, regarding passenger comfort and emissions, Schaeffler has
introduced a thermomanagement module
(Figure 12).
In the engine warm up phase, the module can completely shut off the coolant entering the engine or set a minimum volume
flow. When the engine is at operating temperature, the coolant temperature can be
regulated quickly to various temperature
levels, depending on load requirements and
external conditions. The component has
two coupled rotary slide valves that use a
single drive. The first volume engine
equipped with a Schaeffler multifunctional
cooling water controller is the 1.8-l TFSI
engine manufactured by Audi (four-cylinder
in-line engine, third generation). The module
heats up the coolant at a rate that is up to
30 % faster than the predecessor engine
which has a wax-type thermostat. In fact,
the time required to achieve target oil temperature is reduced by 50 % [8].

Engine warm up
The high thermodynamic efficiency of modern engines also has its disadvantages: significantly less waste heat is produced, which
is however needed to heat the engine,
transmission and, depending on weather
conditions, the vehicle interior. At the same

53

Figure 12

Structure of the Schaeffler

thermomanagement module with
integrated water pump

54

Developing Combustion Engines

Compact designs for smaller engines and

vehicles and further development of functional integration are the focus for future applications [8]. Development includes a multifunctional module with separate circuits for
the engine block and cylinder head (split
cooling). Schaeffler estimates it is possible
to save up to 4 g of CO2 per kilometer with
skilful application of a thermomanagement
module. A controllable water pump is a particularly good solution for commercial vehicles whose cooling systems are designed
for hill climbs, and thus allow power reduction when driving on level ground.

Engine switch off

Figure 13

Naturally, an engine has the lowest fuel consumption when it is not in operation, which
is why modern vehicles increasingly switch
off the engine not only during test cycles but
also in real traffic situations. The expectation for 2016 is that two thirds of all new vehicles sold in Europe will feature start/stop
systems; from 2019, they will be standard
for conventionally powered vehicles in most
segments [9]. NEDC consumption can be
reduced by up to 4.5 %. In the future cycle
Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test
Procedure (WLTP), the percentage of engine downtime decreases from 23 % to approx. 13 %. This means that using start/
stop does not achieve the same level of reduction. However, the WLTP is more dynamic overall, so that vehicle coasting functions gain in importance.
At its simplest, coasting or better the
restart of the engine at the end of the coasting phase -can be achieved using a beltdriven starter generator. The development
target is to be able to switch from one operating state to the other with the change being barely perceptible or even imperceptible
for the driver. However, compared to conventional belt drives, high torque spikes occur that make new belt tensioner concepts

Schaeffler decoupling tensioner

necessary. The wide variety of possible

concepts range from using twin mechanical
tensioners to a hydraulically actuated tensioner. Schaefflers preferred option is a decoupling tensioner installed on the generator (Figure 13).
The function of this new tensioner is explained in detail in [5].

Outlook
Using the technologies outlined in this article, the efficiency of todays already very
economical combustion engines can be
significantly improved. Schaeffler estimates
the entire remaining potential for increasing
efficiency of current volume engines to be
20 % for petrol engines and 10 % for diesel
engines. However, parts of this potential
have already been implemented in engines
now appearing on the market.
Furthermore, consistent development of
the combustion engine will yield additional
potential, even if existing ideas cannot yet

be covered by technology which is ready for

volume production:
Complete omission of full-load enrichment even on gas-operated engines with
a specific output of 100 kW/l or more. In
addition to fuel savings, this would also
reduce engine-out particle emissions
Replacing plain bearings with roller
bearings in the crankshaft drive. The
fundamental technical feasibility of
this application has already been
proven, even if an acoustically satisfactory solution has yet to be found.
Studies conducted by Schaeffler
have identified potential CO 2 savings
of around 3 %
Cylinder deactivation that shuts down
each cylinder in turn instead of always
shutting down the same cylinder [10];
this prevents individual cylinders from
cooling down
Schaefflers viewpoint is that engine and
transmission development must be even
more closely coordinated in future to fully
exploit this potential. After all, efficient
drives will only be a success on the market if they meet customer expectations for
acoustics and vibration. In turn, the degree by which overall CO 2 emissions from
road transport can be reduced depends
solely on how quickly efficient drives become the norm. The developers of combustion engines and transmissions must
overcome this major challenge by working
together.

55

Literature
[1] Gutzmer, P.; Hosenfeldt, T.: Marktgerechte Reibungsoptimierung. ATZ 115, 2013, no. 11, pp. 876ff.
[2] Gutzmer, P.: Individuality and versatility: future mobility paradigms. 10th Schaeffler Symposium, 2014
[3] Dietz, J.; Busse, M.; Raecklebe, S.: Smart Phasing: Needs-based concepts for camshaft phasing systems. 10th Schaeffler Symposium, 2014
[4] Haas, M.; Piecyk, T.: Get Ready for the Combustion Strategies of Tomorrow. 10th Schaeffler
Symposium, 2014
[5] Stuffer, A., et al.: Introduction of 48V Belt Drive
Systems: New tensioner and decoupler solutions for belt-driven mild hybrid systems.
10th Schaeffler Symposium, 2014
[6] Strau, A., et. al: Quo vadis, hydraulic camshaft
phasing unit? 9th Schaeffler Symposium, 2010
[7] Kropp, M., et al.: Optimising the transient behaviour of turbo chargers, using the example of
a PC diesel engine. 13th International Stuttgart
Symposium, 2013
[8] Weiss, M.: Hot and Cold: Schaeffler thermomanagement for up to 4 % CO2 reduction.
10th Schaeffler Symposium, 2014
[9] Kirchner, E.; Eckl, T.: The Long Path from Discomfort to Customer Acceptance Start-stop
systems yesterday, today and tomorrow.
10th Schaeffler Symposium, 2014
[10] Faust, H.: Powertrain Systems of the Future:
Engine, transmission and damper systems for
downspeeding, downsizing, and cylinder deactivation. 10th Schaeffler Symposium, 2014