Slingluff 1

Mason Slingluff
Professor Jizi
UWRT 1103
12/08/2015
EIP Essay
My original research topic was the performance of a motorcycle in all aspects. After
doing more in depth research I found out I was much more interested in just how the engine
worked. And after further investigation I narrowed down my topic to only the camshaft
operation of the engine. Because of how specific my topic became I was only able to use source
one, two and five effectively.
An operation of a camshaft directly affect the unique characteristics of how an engine
sounds and performs. A camshaft is a long shaft that has lobes on it that spins. When the lobes
spin they push on a rocker arm or a pushrod that is connected to a rocker arm. A rocker arm acts
like a see-saw in that one end is pushed on by the camshaft and the other end pushes on the stem
of a valve. The valves that are being pushed on open and close holes in the cylinder head to
allow intake air and gas in and exhaust gas out. The distance of how tall the camshaft lobe is
referred to as the lift of the camshaft. The lift is determines how far the valve goes into the
cylinder. The larger the lift the more intake air can get into the cylinder faster. But if the lift on a
camshaft is too high there is a greater risk of floating a valve and having the piston head hitting
the valve. This can be very detrimental and expensive to fix. The amount of time that a
camshaft lobe opens a valve is referred to as the duration angle of the camshaft. The longer the
duration the more time the intake valve is open to allow intake air in and the more time the

Slingluff 2

exhaust valve has to allow exhaust fumes out. A camshaft can be set up so that right before the
exhaust valve closes the intake valve opens and both valve are open at the same time. This is
referred to as overlap. The overlap of a camshaft is measure by lobe separation angle. When the
angle is smaller the overlap of the camshaft lobes is greater and vice versa. This is important to
understand because at high RPMs a large amount of overlap can allow more air into the cylinder
because the intake valve is open for a longer period of time. But at lower RPMs it can be
detrimental to the amount of intake air available because the air has time to enter the cylinder
and then leave the cylinder out the exhaust valve because it is still open. This makes an engine
that has a large amount of camshaft overlap have a characteristic of having lower torque and
horsepower at lower RPMs and higher torque and horsepower at higher RPMs compared to an
engine that has no camshaft overlap. How engineers have been able to utilize the characteristics
of low end torque of an engine with no camshaft overlap and the high end torque of an engine
with a large amount of overlap is by having variable valve timing. Variable valve timing is when
the overlap of the camshaft can be adjusted on the fly. This is done by using a computer to retard
the timing of the exhaust camshaft lobe and speeding up the timing of the intake camshaft lobe.
With this technology an engine can have no camshaft overlap at low RPMs and a large amount
of camshaft overlap at high RPMs (Williams). With all these different characteristics of potential
camshaft set ups how is a camshaft set up in a motorcycle engine that is capable of such high
RPMs as 14000 RPM? Why I am interested in camshafts is because I replaced the stock
camshaft in my mustang to a high performance camshaft and loved what it did to the sound of
my car. Ever since then I have been very interested in the functioning and purpose of camshafts.
The affect on society is that camshaft can drastically change the efficiency of engines.
There are many new ways of how to set up a camshaft such as the three elements sliding system

Slingluff 3

that was mentioned in new mechanical variable valve actuation systems for motorcycle
engines. This system uses an extra rocker arm between the cam and main rocker arm to adjust
the lift of the valve (Abagnale). The additional rocker arm can move horizontally back and forth.
On the leftmost side of the additional rocker arm there is a much larger lift and on the rightmost
side the lift is much smaller. This makes it so when the engine needs to accelerate very quickly
the additional rocker arm can slide to the left and when the engine is idling or at a cruising speed
to can move closer toward the left side. New innovations like these can help the gas crisis and
can better the racing industry.
There have been many new design of camshafts over the years and the evolution of the
internal combustion engine. In the early twentieth century the first engines were not even made
with camshafts. The first engines used to let the vacuum created by the intake stroke of the
piston pull on a valve that would then open and allow air into the cylinder. The modern designs
of engines include much more technical aspects. Computers inside of cars are now used to
adjust the timing of a camshaft in real time as the engine is changing RPM (Williams). These
advances in technology helped the internal combustion engine become much more efficient and
powerful. They also help the reliability of an engine. As illustrated in Exhaust emissions of
new high-performance motorcycles in hot and cold conditions, camshafts help an engine start in
cold temperatures and be more efficient in higher temperatures (Iodice).
After researching the different camshafts I noticed how many different ways a camshaft
can be set up. The new designs I looked at made me realize that camshafts are always changing.
They are being redesigned constantly to be improved. The many designs in new mechanical
variable valve actuation systems for motorcycle engines, were the most interesting to me. I

Slingluff 4

found the idea of an extra rocker arm to adjust the lift very interesting. I am excited to see what
kind of design will revolutionize the motorcycle industry in the future.
I now understand the countless possibilities there are in designing camshafts. I learned
the general trends of adjusting things like lift and lobe separation. Learning these things will
help me better understand the entire working of an engine, which will benefit me in my future as
a mechanical engineer. I am still curious about the future of camshafts designs and what an
engine will look like in the future. If I was to keep inquiring I think my next step would be to
look at the octane ratings of fuel and what type of fuels are required with different camshaft set
ups.

Slingluff 5

Work Cited

Iodice, P., and A. Senatore. Exhaust Emissions of New High-performance Motorcycles in Hot
and Cold Conditions. International Journal of Envirnmental Science and Technology
Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. (2015): 3133-144. Print.
Williams, J J. Introduction to Analytical Methods for Internal Combustion Engine Cam
Mechanisms. London: Springer, 2013. Internet resource.
Croccolo, Dario, and Agostinis M. De. Motorbike Suspensions: Modern Design and
Optimisation. London: Springer, 2013. Internet resource.
Martini, G, P Bonnel, C Astorga-Llorens, and A Krasenbrink. "Physical Characteristics of Pm
from 2-Stroke and 4-Stroke Motorcycle Engines." Journal of Aerosol Science. 34 (2003):
525-526. Print.
Abagnale, C, M Migliaccio, and O Pennacchia. "New Mechanical Variable Valve Actuation
Systems for Motorcycle Engines." Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical
Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science. 229.4 (2015): 716-734.
Print.