An Initial Study of Variable Valve Timing Implemented with a Secondary Valve in the Intake Runner

This paper describes an investigation of implementing variable valve timing with the use of a secondary valve in the intake tract The secondary valve acts in series with the conventional poppet valve of the engine, which is actuated in the conventional manner and with fixed timing It is significantly easier to adjust the timing of the secondary valve than that of the main valve There are two possible modes of operation of this device One is to control valve overlap, improving low speed low load performance The other is to use it as a load control mechanism, replacing the conventional throttle and therefore reducing the ‘pumping losses’ associated with conventional throttling We have implemented such a system on a motored single-cylinder research engine using pneumatic actuation Our experiments have demonstrated successful load control, significant pumping loss reduction, and control of backflow from the exhaust to the intake manifold