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Two-stroke future for heavy-duty engine braking

  • Magazine Article
  • 16OFHP08_08
Published August 01, 2016 by SAE International in United States
Language:
  • English

It is thankfully rare that the driver of a heavy truck or bus loses control of the vehicle because of brake failure caused by overheating the foundation brakes. This is partly because of the widespread use of auxiliary braking systems, which use equipment other than the foundation brakes to reduce speed, particularly on long downhill grades.

The compression release brake provides an alternative to traditional exhaust brakes and retarders, with a design pioneered by U.S.-based Jacobs Vehicle Systems in the 1960s. Conventionally, it takes the backpressure retardation principal a step further by controlling the exhaust valve opening on the exhaust stroke to create compression and therefore resistance to motion rather than the usual scavenging. Since the fuel supply is turned off when there is no demand for fuel in a modern diesel engine, there is no interference with the normal functioning of the engine. The exhaust valve remains closed until top dead center.