The car giant started by marrying the daughter of the king

"Do you have any specific plans for the design of the W16 engine?"

Jiang Hui thought about it and felt that it was indeed necessary for the BMW Group, which aspired to become a global automotive giant, to develop a large-displacement engine.

The W16 engine basically represents the largest displacement in the automotive industry.

With such a product, we can definitely launch the fastest supercar in the world.

Although you may not make much money, it is very effective in enhancing brand influence.

Especially in the ten years since joining the WTO, the number of wealthy people in China has increased a lot.

That was the golden age of supercars.

BMW Group could not miss this opportunity.

Now the time for China's comprehensive reform has been brought forward to 1989, and various negotiations for joining the WTO are also being accelerated.

It is very likely that in this life we ​​would not have to wait until 2002, but could have joined the WTO in the late s.

By then, the golden period for the development of large-displacement models will be longer.

It is totally worth it for Nanshan Engine to take the risk.

With the current strength accumulated by Nanshan Engine, even if Jiang Hui does not intervene personally, there is still a chance to develop the W16 engine.

It just takes more time.

"Boss Jiang, this is my preliminary design plan. Do you think it is feasible?"

Hu Shuiwen, who came prepared, immediately took out a drawing from his file bag and unfolded it in front of Jiang Hui.

Everyone is a professional, so Jiang Hui can quickly understand the content without Hu Shuiwen's explanation.

This W16 engine consists of four cylinder groups, each with four cylinders, arranged in two rows in a "V shape" and then combined into a "W shape" at a certain angle.

Specifically, the cylinder groups of the two V8 engines are first tilted at a certain angle, and then the two rows of V8s are combined "side by side" to form the final "W-shaped" structure.

Viewed from the side, the cylinder arrangement resembles the letter "W".

This is why it is called "W16".

The overall V-angle of W16 engines from different brands is different, but the layout is similar.

In terms of the key crankshaft drive, the four cylinder groups of the W16 engine share an integral crankshaft.

The power is transmitted to the crankshaft through a complex connecting rod mechanism.

Compared with two independent V8 engines, the crankshaft and cylinder block of the W16 are an integrated whole with a more compact structure, but the manufacturing precision requirements are extremely high.

“This plan seems feasible.”

"But it may not be that easy to implement the specific design and production."

Jiang Hui quickly scanned the overall structural design drawing and made a judgment in his mind.

Nanshan Engine has obviously made some preparations and has come up with an overall design plan.

The next step is to implement the design drawings of each component and then carry out simulation.

If there are no major problems, we can start producing samples to carry out specific testing and improvements.

“Due to its extreme performance requirements and complex structural design, the W16 engine faces many world-class technical challenges during its development and production.”

“It requires breaking through multiple limits in material science, precision manufacturing, dynamic balance, etc. before it can be successfully produced.”

“We are mentally prepared in this regard.”

Hu Shuiwen took a deep breath and prepared to talk to Jiang Hui in detail about the design issues of W16.

Taking this opportunity, he also wanted to listen to Jiang Hui's advice.

The group’s business is now very large, and Jiang Hui cannot lead everyone to develop engines as he did before.

Therefore, the development of the W16 engine mainly depends on Nanshan Engine's own strength.

However, if you can communicate with Jiang Hui in advance on the general direction and make sure you are working in the right direction, you will definitely get twice the result with half the effort.

"Compared to the V16 engine, the biggest advantage of the W16 engine is that it can be smaller in size."

“It has four more cylinders, but the volume is about the same as a V4, which makes it easier to match the car model.”

"But this requires compressing 16 cylinders into a volume close to that of a V12 engine, resulting in extremely small spacing between cylinder banks."

"This results in the valve train systems of adjacent cylinder banks, such as the camshafts and rocker arms, interfering with each other due to insufficient space."

“It needs to be circumvented through unconventional designs such as three-dimensional curved camshafts and tilted valve angles.”

Jiang Hui naturally knew what Hu Shuiwen was thinking.

So I don't mind using my knowledge to give some pointers on the direction of my efforts.

This can also speed up the development of the W16 engine.

Since we are launching this new project, we naturally hope to complete it quickly.

Otherwise, if it takes five or six years, it would be a bit not worth it.

"In addition, the reduction in volume will also bring great restrictions to the combustion chamber design."

"The compact layout of the cylinders limits the installation space for components such as spark plugs and fuel injectors, so the combustion chamber diameter and airflow direction need to be optimized to avoid affecting combustion efficiency."

"You can make full use of computer simulation software to achieve this goal."

BMW Group has been developing CAD software for many years and naturally has many outstanding achievements.

The more you develop high-end products, the more useful these tools become.

"Mr. Jiang, when we discussed the design of the W16 engine internally, we felt that the dynamic balance between the crankshaft and the connecting rod was also a very difficult area."

"Do you have any guidance?"

Now that he had a direction in the most critical volume layout, Hu Shuiwen naturally wanted to press on.

“The vibration control of the W16 engine is indeed a world-class challenge.”

"The four groups of cylinders are connected to the same crankshaft through connecting rods. The ignition intervals of each cylinder are complex, which can easily generate second-order inertia force and torque fluctuations, which may cause crankshaft breakage or resonance of the entire machine."

"It just so happens that the models equipped with these engines are all high-end vehicles, which have higher requirements for vibration control."

“We can consider accurate calculations of the counterweights, such as designing crankshaft counterweights through computer simulation to offset the unbalanced torque.”

“At the same time, we can consider adding a dual balance shaft system, such as setting two balance shafts on both sides of the crankshaft to offset vibrations by rotating 180 degrees in the opposite direction.”

"In this case..."

Jiang Hui spent more than half an hour discussing with Hu Shuiwen the various design difficulties of the W16 engine.

However, Hu Shuiwen was not satisfied and continued to ask: "Boss Jiang, after the W16 engine is designed, it will be very troublesome to produce it."

"It is estimated that the processing accuracy of major parts will need to reach the micron level."

"Do you have any suggestions?"

The larger the displacement of the engine, the higher the machining precision of key parts.

Because even a small error can be magnified and lead to various unpredictable effects.

“The material selection of the cylinder body is critical. You can consider using vermicular graphite iron or aviation-grade aluminum alloy, such as A356-T6, to ensure that it can withstand burst pressures of more than 200 bar.”

"Compared to the explosion pressure of ordinary engines, which is about 80-120 bar, this is much higher."

"The cylinder bore roundness error must be less than 5μm, which is equivalent to 1/10 of the diameter of a hair, and the surface roughness must be less than 0.8μm, which is like a mirror surface." "The relative position tolerance of the four cylinder groups must be less than 10μm, and the milling, boring and honing must be completed in one clamping on the five-axis linkage machining center."

"You can also have a good exchange with Nanshan Equipment regarding this aspect of processing."

After Jiang Hui said this, Hu Shuiwen couldn't help but take a breath.

He predicted that the W16 engine would be difficult to work on, but he didn't expect it to be that difficult.

The parameters that Jiang Hui just mentioned were all ones he had come across when he was developing the V8 engine.

But the requirements are obviously much looser than W16.

It is not a little difficult to improve now.

Parts may look the same to the naked eye, but the differences when measured may be huge.

For example, the cylinder hole roundness error is less than 5μm and less than 10μm, which is actually a very high precision.

The naked eye can't tell the difference.

However, after installation, it will have a significant impact on the overall performance and durability.

This is not so easy to control.

"The manufacturing of the crankshaft is also very critical. I think we can consider using 42CrMo4 alloy forged steel."

"After hot forging at 1200℃, the journal is processed by CNC grinder. The cylindricality error must be less than 2μm and the surface hardness must reach HRC58-62."

“And the crankshaft assembly needs to be dynamically balanced at a speed of 20000 rpm, with a residual unbalance of less than 5gmm.”

After Jiang Hui explained the situation of the two core parts, the cylinder and the crankshaft, he went on to explain the processing precautions of the valve assembly, fuel injection system, etc.

"Boss Jiang, it seems that I thought too simply before."

"I thought it would be easy to develop the W8 engine after having the experience of designing and producing the V16 engine."

"We will start the project now, and if we hurry up, we can get it done next year."

"After listening to you, I feel that it would be great if we can get it done next year."

Hu Shuiwen smiled bitterly, feeling that he had not considered it carefully enough.

Fortunately, Jiang Hui is a professional technician and can provide a lot of specific guidance.

Otherwise, if he works for several years without any results, he will be under a lot of pressure.

"There are only a few companies in the world that have the capability to design and produce the W16 engine, so it is normal that it is a bit difficult."

"If we can do our best by then, it will be a testament to our technical strength."

"You can officially announce that the company has launched the W16 engine project to provide engines for the world's fastest supercar."

At a certain point, the confidentiality attitude of some projects will naturally change.

For example, when launching the W16 engine project, Jiang Hui felt that it was better to keep it confidential than to keep it confidential.

Of course, the so-called non-confidentiality only refers to some big information, and the specific design plan must be kept confidential.

"Understood. I will arrange it as soon as I get back, and then contact some magazines to tell them that we have launched the W16 engine project."

"At the same time, I also communicated with Chitu Automobile and announced the launch of the super sports car project."

Hu Shuiwen soon learned of Jiang Hui's idea, so naturally he had to implement it quickly.

Make this project bring some benefits to the company to the greatest extent possible.

Soon, these actions of BMW Group spread throughout the industry.

"Xiao Jiang, you guys are going to develop a super sports car and produce the fastest mass-produced sports car in the world?"

Zhu Jiansheng called Jiang Hui immediately.

In his opinion, if the price of some false fame is too high, it is not worth it.

He was worried that Jiang Hui was a little too proud.

After all, the BMW Group has developed very smoothly in recent years.

"Dad, it is true. We at Southern Engine have launched the W16 engine project."

"In the future, this engine will be used in super sports car projects, and will also be considered for use in high-end models of the Land Rover Range Rover and Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedans."

"Let us also have models priced over 100 million yuan."

"And if some single-vehicle vehicles need to ensure bulletproof performance and sufficient power performance."

"The current V8 engine cannot meet the requirements. We need an engine with a larger displacement."

"The W16 engine is a good choice."

Jiang Hui quickly explained his thoughts to Zhu Jiansheng.

We must let Zhu Jiansheng know that his choice was not made on a whim.

"That being said, the production volume of the W16 engine is destined to be small, and those models are unlikely to sell well."

"So the amortized cost of some of the equipment you invested specifically for the W16 engine is very high."

"It is highly likely that this project will not be able to recover its costs."

The purpose of running a business is definitely to make money.

This has become a recognized view among many people.

"It also depends on the specific sales performance in the future. It is definitely impossible to make money in a short period of time."

"But I expect that once the W16 engine is developed, it can be produced for at least 20 years."

"With such a long amortization period, it's not easy to make a loss."

"Especially with the rapid development of the domestic economy, the market demand in a dozen years will be completely different from what it is now."

"Perhaps in the future, our domestic market's demand for large-displacement vehicles will be higher than the current global market demand."

Jiang Hui didn't say this casually.

After years of rapid development, the number of wealthy people in China will increase rapidly, and the base will be very large.

Although the proportion is not as high as that of the United States and European countries, the absolute number is definitely not less.

With proper marketing at that time, it is possible that the sales volume of models equipped with the W16 engine could reach tens of thousands or even more per year.

Once the number reaches this level, it is not easy to make a loss.

After all, the prices of these models are very high.

"Since you've made up your mind, that's good."

"But if you encounter any difficulties, there is no need to force it at all costs."

Zhu Jiansheng still gave a slight reminder.

"Don't worry, the R&D and production experience of this engine will be used in our other products in the future."

"Especially now that we have established an aerospace project internally, some of the processing equipment and processes are interconnected."

Since Jiang Hui said so, Zhu Jiansheng naturally had no objection.

However, the project developed by BMW Group still caused a huge sensation in the entire industry. (End of this chapter)