Decent Engine Books/Primers?

[ed_pratt]

Right, this is maybe one for the engine/drive-train boys out there, VFR and charlie and anyone else who has $0.02 to put in.

I'm a chassis/suspension guy and I want to learn about engines and drive-train. I've had a rummage through the forums and usual places and have turned up a raft of book titles but not a huge amount of information on any of them.

I'm basically looking for the engines equivalent to the Milliken's RCVD or Rowley's Intro to Race Car Dynamics, i.e. something to start from basics but progress to a reasonable level of understanding.

I've listed a few titles bellow if anyone can comment on them or has any other suggestions they'd be much appreciated.

Thanks

Ed

Gordon P. Blair - Design and Simulation of Four-stroke Engines
Willard W. Pulkrabrek - Engineering Fundamentals of the Internal Combustion Engine
John B. Heywood - Internal Combustion Engine Fundamentals
John L. Lumley - Engines an Introduction
Richard Stone - Introduction to Internal Combustion Engines
Heinz Heisler - Advanced Engine Technology
Charles Taylor - The Internal Combustion Engine in Theory and Practice
Kevin Hoag - Vehicular Engine Design

[ed_pratt]

Right, this is maybe one for the engine/drive-train boys out there, VFR and charlie and anyone else who has $0.02 to put in.

I'm a chassis/suspension guy and I want to learn about engines and drive-train. I've had a rummage through the forums and usual places and have turned up a raft of book titles but not a huge amount of information on any of them.

I'm basically looking for the engines equivalent to the Milliken's RCVD or Rowley's Intro to Race Car Dynamics, i.e. something to start from basics but progress to a reasonable level of understanding.

I've listed a few titles bellow if anyone can comment on them or has any other suggestions they'd be much appreciated.

Thanks

Ed

Gordon P. Blair - Design and Simulation of Four-stroke Engines
Willard W. Pulkrabrek - Engineering Fundamentals of the Internal Combustion Engine
John B. Heywood - Internal Combustion Engine Fundamentals
John L. Lumley - Engines an Introduction
Richard Stone - Introduction to Internal Combustion Engines
Heinz Heisler - Advanced Engine Technology
Charles Taylor - The Internal Combustion Engine in Theory and Practice
Kevin Hoag - Vehicular Engine Design

[Mikey Antonakakis]

I haven't read most of Blair's book (I started but dropped it), but it's a good one. Lengthy, and devoted mostly to engine simulation, but you get a good background from reading it. If you want a REALLY easy read, get Maximum Boost by Corky Bell, it doesn't have a whole lot on engineering theory stuff, and it is focused on implementing turbochargers, but it is a good (cheap) place to start on very basic engine theory.

[FormulaJuan]

I'm currently reading blair's book. It can be a tough read.... especially for people who don't like to read... It has great information, and a bunch of it is more than what we would need for FSAE.

All you would need after reading that, is something that is more application and analysis based, but is on par with the quality of blair's book.

[Wesley]

Advanced Engine Technology, by Heisler.

Goes decently in depth, and can provide an overall idea of engine workings. It's a good book to start with.

[VFR750R]

I own Lumley and Heywood, and another called Internal combustion engines by Ferguson and Kirkpatrick. I also own Maximum Boost, and Turbochargers by Hugh MacInnes.

Lumley's book is a very good introduction. It's very easy to read and understand but in no way dumbs down the material. I highly recommend this for a first engine book.

Ferguson is specailized toward the actual combustion, and the chemistry. It deals alot with fuels and devotes a whole chapter to alternative fuels, and the chapters on the chemistry include everything from diesel to nitromethane. Although the book doesn't cover E85 directly, any team thinking about running E85 should consider this book.

Heywood is very good, very indepth, but isn't very current and is an overall advanced read (not the first book you should get). To understand how big this book is, both the other two mentioned above use Heywood as references throughout.

I have not read Pulkrabek's book cover to cover but what I have read disappointed me. My friends that went to NC state were all required to get this book for their automotive class. I found several things in the book to be poorly worded, or plain false. Although much of the book is probably correct, I feel there are far fewer errors in the other books to consider this one.

I have read some of the blair book, and agree with FormulaJuan. I found it useful on the team, but with it being so simulation based it is tedious to read.

Maximum Boost is an excellent book and everyone interested in engines should buy it. Turbochargers should also be on the short list for those interested in turbos.
But either of these books don't cover the fundamentals of engine design deep enough to be considered 'engine' books. They are turbo books, and all the other books listed above have space devoted to forced induction.

[ed_pratt]

Thanks for the quick replies,

I'm going to go for the Lumley one and maximum boost to get me going I think.

I'm not afraid of a bit of work on this, and I actually did more thermo/heat transfer/gas dynamics in my undergrad than vibration and chassis stuff.
So once I'm through those what do you reckon would be the best next step? Or would it be a case of starting to study a particular area of the engine at a time?

VFR, FormulaJuan and Mikey, would this then be a good point to get going with Blair's?

Thanks guys, I appreciate the help.

[VFR750R]

Once you read those, I think your curosity will take over. It's one of those things, where the more you learn the less you know. You'll spend alot of time on the internet looking stuff up, but with a new understanding.

I don't know I would get Blair's book. I'd probably get Heywood next. You are right to think that eventually you'll be looking at specific parts of the engine at a time. It really is a complex system of many different fields of engineering. Statics, Dynamics, heat transfer, Fluids, Hydraulics, Quality control, materials...

[ed_pratt]

thanks for the help,

now to embark on some hardcore reading....

Ed

[FormulaJuan]

Chapter 2 of Blair's book is probably the most difficult thing i've ever read.....

I swear if i read "superposition" one more time in his book i'm going to shoot myeslf...