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Why jenson buttons engine blew

Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 12:41
by anna87
can anybody here tell me the reason for button engine to blow. u do have any tech update abt it.

Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 12:52
by Steven
Check this: viewtopic.php?t=2323

As to why exactly is never really known, the manufacturers mostly keep that for themselves. The blow with Button is nothing much different from any other blow, like those of Heidfeld or Villeneuve in earlier races.
I'm not sure what the reasons basically are, but you get these flames when they still keep on the throttle even after the engine passed by.

Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 13:02
by Jason
Locked it up Tomba, blew engines are common. Revving at 20,000 rpm and estimated 725hp of course it will blew :P

Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 13:16
by Steven
Jason wrote:Locked it up Tomba, blew engines are common. Revving at 20,000 rpm and estimated 725hp of course it will blew :P
They all do, but the question is why they blow, I mean what fails before there is a white smoke.
I think I'm going to ask this in the next renault chat ;)

Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 13:22
by Jason
Cooling problems, oil preassure etc. just that easy....

Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 14:22
by DaveKillens
Jenson had a hard race, and about all phases of the race he was in close combat with someone, defending from a pass. Of all the contenders, he most likely put the hardest duty cycle on his engine, and exceeded the expected stresses. And in the end, when Fisi was challenging him, he drove that car the hardest. If you recall the last laps, he was jumping on the throttle quicker than Fisi, and was at full throttle a higher percentage for the entire track.
Alonso had a comfortable lead, he was able to be gentle on his engine, Fisi just wasn't aggressive most of the race, his engine is also in good shape. And although Kimi was aggressive at the very beginning and end, throughout the mid phase of the race, he had a bad understeering problem, and was thus easier on the engine.

Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 14:31
by zac510
Jason wrote:Cooling problems, oil preassure etc. just that easy....
Obviously you don't know what you are talking about beyond that statement.

Either of those problems will not instantly cause an engine to fail but a prolonged drop in oil pressure will cause metal on metal contact and bearings to wear. once the bearings wear, tolerances increase and the rods, cams and bearings start knocking around and eventually vibrate themselves to pieces.

Big flame and smoke like Jenson's are caused by oil and fuel getting into the combustion chamber and subsequently exiting straight out into the hot exhaust, probably through a jammed or broken exhaust valve. The piston pushes the oil and fuel up and out past the broken valve, the spark plug ignites it. big flames :)

There are so many ways the engine can fail but the top 2 would have to be component fatigue or oil system failure.

Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 16:03
by nae
or honda have a special button to allow them a new engine at the next race (well when i say button i mean ignition map)

they want a win big style and they seem to have targeted imola having gone comparativly well there ..


</cynic>

Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 19:26
by Tom
The way I understand it is that something very large gets caought in the combustion chamber. This is usually a valve which has brocken due to extreme heat from the exhaust. This would also explain why engines blow easier with less cooling. When the metal gets hot the valve expands and does not fit into its airtite case properly. This allows hot exhaust air into the valve more often, reducing the valve strength.

The result is similar to a cam belt failing on a road car (F1 engines of course use gears instead of flimsy rubber belts) However at 20,000 rpm it makes a much bigger bang. Any engine is extremely powerful. I snapped a cambelt at less than ideling speed and it snapped two valves and left huge dents in the cylinder. Also I would imagine on an F1 car shards of metal would fly through the side of the engine and possibly into other cylinders.

That is just my understanding and it may be wrong.

Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 19:31
by m3_lover
I think sometimes the pieces of the metal from the engine go through the exhaust and shoots out onto the track.

Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 19:32
by Tom
Possibly, but they are probably more likely to go through the side of the exhaust. Whatever a big mess is ensured.

Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 19:35
by m3_lover
I know the new series 3 engine for cosworth was designed to fix the problem that Rosberg had in Malaysia. I think acouple of times last year Mclaren mentioned what caused there engine failures.

Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 19:36
by m3_lover
I know the new series 3 engine for cosworth was designed to fix the problem that Rosberg had in Malaysia. I think acouple of times last year Mclaren mentioned what caused there engine failures.

Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 19:42
by zac510
Yeah Tom, I forgot to mention something like a cam gear failing. So many moving parts, so many potential ways it could fail.

Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 19:56
by Tom
The guy in the worshop next to us keeps buying Asia Rockstas of e-bay (Crappy Jeep rip off with Mazda engine) and he keeps showing us gaping holes in the side of the block where the con rod has snapped and hammered its way through!