New SAE International Book Delves into Engine Failure Causes and Prevention

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SAE International

May 17, 2012, 04:07 ET

WARRENDALE, Pa., May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --  SAE International announces a new book that delves into engine failures and what causes them.

"Engine Failure Analysis: Internal Combustion Engine Failures and Their Causes" is a translation of a popular German reference work and it sheds light on determining engine failure and remedies. Engine failures result from a complex set of conditions, effects, and situations. To understand why engines fail and remedy those failures, one must understand how engine components are designed and manufactured, how they function, and how they interact with other engine components. To this end, this book examines how engine components are designed and how they function, along with their physical and technical properties.

The authors present a selection of engine failures, investigate and evaluate why they failed, and provide guidance on how to prevent such failures. A large range of possible engine failures is presented in a comprehensive, readily understandable manner, free of manufacturer bias. The scope of engines covered includes general-purpose engines found in heavy commercial vehicles, railway locomotives and vehicles, electrical generators, prime movers, and marine engines. Such engines are technical precursors to automotive engines.

This book is for all who deal with engine failures: those who work in repair shops, shipyards, engineering consultancies, insurance companies and technical oversight organizations, as well as R&D departments at engine and component manufacturers. Researchers, academics, and students will learn how even the theoretically impossible can--and will--happen.

The book is authored by Ernst Greuter and Stefan Zima. After graduating high school, Greuter completed training as a motor vehicle mechanic, after which he passed his journeyman and master's exams, and then attended engineering school. Greuter owned and operated several engine shops in Germany and Algeria, where he specialized in combustion engine technologies (gasoline and diesel). He participated in research, development, and material testing activities with various engine component manufacturers in Germany and abroad, conducting tests of new designs and materials on diesel and gasoline engine test stands. Greuter operated an engineering and consulting office which specialized in planning and establishing engine repair facilities, exchange engine manufacturing, and production of engine components in Germany and overseas. Additional specialties included personnel training, and combustion engine seminars for the motor vehicle repair trade and for engine specialists. Periodically Greuter served as a visiting instructor at various educational facilities overseas.

Zima studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Berlin (majoring in engines and machines). He came into contact with high-speed, heavy-duty engines for special applications when, after obtaining his intermediate diploma with Deutsche Bundesbahn [German Federal Railways], he underwent training to become an engine driver on diesel locomotives of the V 60, V 1002, V 160, and V 2001 series. During his career, he worked in the R&D division of Maybach-Mercedes-Benz Motorenbau (now MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH), and was last employed as deputy head of a design department. In addition, he served as a professor at the Giessen-Friedberg University for Applied Sciences. Zima authored or co-authored number of books on internal combustion engines, including "Hochleistungsmotoren. Karl Maybach und sein Werk," [Heavy-Duty Engines. Karl Maybach and His Work], "VDI-Verlag, Dusseldorf, 1992 and 1995" (co-author); "Kurbeltriebe," [Development of the Crank Assembly], "Vieweg-Verlag, Wiesbaden, 1999;" and "Ungewohnliche Motorkonstruktionen" [Unusual Engine Designs], Vogel-Verlag, Wurzburg, 2003. Zima earned his doctorate in engineering from the Technical University of Berlin with a thesis on "The Development of High-Speed Heavy-Duty Engines in Friedrichshafen."

Chapters include:

  • Introduction
  • The Engine
  • Failure—Definitions and Concepts
  • Causes of Failure
  • Explanation of Failures
  • Engine Failures
  • Preventing Combustion Engine Damage

Book Details

- Published By: SAE International
- Published: June 2012
- Pages: 582
- Binding: Hardbound
- Product Code: R-320
- ISBN: 978-0-7680-0885-2

Price: $98.95 List, $87.60-$98.95 SAE Member (This is a special pre-publication price. Once the book is published, the list price will be $109.95.)

For more information, including free front and back matter, or to order "Engine Failure Analysis: Internal Combustion Engine Failures and Their Causes," visit: http://books.sae.org/book-r-320 .

To request an electronic review copy of the book, email [email protected] . Forward published reviews to Shawn Andreassi at [email protected] or SAE International, 400 Commonwealth Dr., Warrendale PA, 15096-0001, to receive a print copy of the book or another equivalent SAE International book.

Other related books from SAE International include:

SAE International is a global association of more than 133,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. SAE International's core competencies are life-long learning and voluntary consensus standards development. SAE International's charitable arm is the SAE Foundation, which supports many programs, including A World In Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series.

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Contact: Shawn Andreassi of SAE International, 1-724-772-8522 or [email protected]

SOURCE SAE International