Bearings improve fuel efficiency of rally cars

Vehicles competing in the forthcoming Dakar Rally 2010 will be equipped with specially sealed, compact throttle valve needle roller bearings manufactured by the Schaeffler Group.

These bearings are designed to protect the engine and withstand the pressure peaks that originate from the fuel combustion chamber.

The specially sealed needle roller bearing is a key component in modern turbocharged engines, playing an important role in exhaust gas recirculation, helping to improve engine efficiency and reduce fuel consumption.

These high-precision throttle valve bearings are airtight in the event of both excess pressure and vacuum conditions.

The seal on both sides of the bearing offers extreme resistance to high operating temperatures.

Corrosion-resistant materials also ensure that the bearing is resistant to fuel, mineral oil, grease and acidic 'blow-by' condensate.

Due to their integrated seals, the bearings can operate in temperatures from - 40C up to 150C without any additional sealing.

Schaeffler engineers developed the first throttle valve bearing in 1980, a solution that prevented the fine Saharan dust particles from causing throttle valves to jam, causing the engine to seize.

The solution was a specially sealed needle roller bearing with a compact design that is now considered a standard component in automotive manufacturing, according to Schaeffler.

This bearing not only prevented defects on Dakar Rally vehicle engines, but also improved vehicle safety and saved on fuel.

The risk of a throttle valve jamming while it is open is now a thing of the past.

However, It wasn't until low friction bearing supports were developed for the throttle valve shaft that idle engine speed could be reduced in a controlled manner.

While idle speed often exceeded 1,000rpm until the early 1980s, speeds today are as low as 600 crankshaft rotations per minute, resulting in significant fuel savings.

These small but critical engine components have also enabled the implementation of electronic 'by-wire' throttle valve controls.

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