Electronic Valve Control

[Frederic Breitwieser]

>Has anyone had any experience with electronic control of  engine valves?
>Ideally no cam would be involved. Any ideas or info, anyone?

Managing the movement of valves without a camshaft is an excellent idea,
since you can use a computer to control the duration and lift, and at high
RPMs, you don't have to worry about the valves not following radical cam
lobes - your desired valve moment is a few clicks or codes away.

In theory.

At lower RPMs, moving valves probably could be done with a solenoid,
however due to the mass of the valve itself, higher RPMs will be pretty
much undoable with current technology.  We all know that injectors can have
problems at high RPMs (9k?10k?11k?) and those solenoids are moving a
teeny-tiny pintle.  A much larger valve will be slower.

Pnuematics offer a possibility, as no longer do you have to use a solenoid
to move the valve stem, but instead control a pnuematic valve.  I believe
some of the Indy F1 cars either use a system like this, or experimented
with such.


Frederic Breitwieser
Bridgeport, CT 06606
http://www.xephic.dynip.com/

1993 Supercharged Lincoln Continental
1989 4-Door Softtop Humvee (Hummer)
2000 Buick GTP (Mid-engine track car)

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