MECHANICAL COMPONENTS FEATURE
Racing to victory Developing a race engine that maintains efficiency
consistently over 24 hours is no easy task, especially when it is at full throttle for 70% of the lap at Le Mans. So, needing a
bearing that would reliably withstand the harsh race conditions, Gibson Technology turned to SMB Bearings
H
aving been chosen by the FIA/ACO as the sole engine supplier for
LMP2 class sports cars from 2017 to 2020, all the LMP2 teams competing in the WEC, the Le Mans 24 Hours, ELMS, IMSA WeatherTech Championship and the Asian Le Mans Series (from 2019 onwards) will use Gibson Technology’s GK428 engine. This technically advanced engine has been specifically developed for endurance racing. The GK428 made its debut at the 2017
Le Mans. There were, in fact, 25 cars powered by Gibson engines, in total supplying and supporting 19 different teams. Despite the extreme temperatures and conditions, 21 of the Gibson- powered LMP2s finished the 24 hours, with the only four retirements unrelated to engine issues. These reliable, consistently performing engines are a testament to the engine design, manufacturing and validation process.
SOURCING COMPONENTS Ten years ago, the engineering department at Gibson began sourcing bearings for the throttle barrels that would be able to function in the hostile environment of a race engine. The throttle system is an extremely important part of the engine, designed to control the flow of air or fuel mixture into each cylinder of the engine. The throttle system has been highly
Above: All the LMP2 teams competing in the WEC, the Le Mans 24 Hours, ELMS, IMSA WeatherTech
Championship and the Asian Le Mans Series (from 2019 onwards) will use Gibson Technology’s GK428 engine
A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is the type of sports prototype race car used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and Asian Le Mans Series. For a car to be compliant for entry in either the LMP1 or LMP2 category, certain design criteria must be fulfilled. In a previously LMP1 dominated
race, the 2017 Le Mans 24 hour race saw two LMP2s on the overall podium.
developed to ensure that good driveability and optimum performance are achieved, along with a reduction in the level of friction which is generated during the rapid throttle movements. For this, thin section bearings were needed – but they had to be capable of withstanding extremely
high temperatures and very high levels of
vibration that would create considerable stress and load. To meet the demands,
SMB’s EZO thin section ball bearings were chosen for the engine
SMB supplied the EZO thin section ball bearings, which are suited to applications when
weight reduction is required and where space is at a premium, as was the case with the throttle barrel.
Using the interference data sent from
SMB bearings, the Gibson engineering departments undertook work to enable the installation of the bearings into the engine. Once this was completed, the bearings were installed and validated without any issues. The engines were evaluated on a test
bed, enduring the equivalent cycles of two races of Le Mans (48 hours). All parts were then stripped and analysed. Satisfied with the performance, SMB’s bearings have now been used in the assembly of every single Gibson Technology engine for the last ten years. “The success of these bearings in
Gibson’s engines has been a huge testament to the skilled manufacturing that goes into EZO’s bearings,” said Chris Johnson, managing director of SMB Bearings. “The endurance, as demonstrated out on the Le Mans track, has been amazing to watch. It is fantastic to have such a loyal customer in Gibson Technology, and we’ll always be on hand to assist with any problems they might have.” There is an exciting season ahead
for Gibson Technology in 2018 to demonstrate the true capabilities of ongoing engine developments. Race teams have now announced their entries for WEC, ELMS and the IMSA WeatherTech Championship, as well as confirmation of who will be competing at Le Mans 24 hours this year. In LMP2 there will be a total of 17 cars
in ELMS, seven in WEC, 20 in the Le Mans 24 hours and six in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, all powered by Gibson GK428 engines. In LMP1, three cars will take to the grid at Le Mans and WEC powered by the new Gibson GL458 engine.
SMB Bearings
www.smbbearings.com
DESIGN SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2018 33
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