Damage Tolerant

In a car, should the engine cease to operate, the driver is usually not endangered, just inconvenienced. In a boat, aircraft, or certain other situations, an ability to continue operating with a damaged engine could be an important life saving benefit. According to our experience so far, the LIM type engine has no self-destructive parts, but there has been an experience with an early version part failing during operation.

In the normal course of engine development, weak links are encountered, analyzed, and re-engineered. We think any LIM type engine will be less prone to part failure than any comparably built counterpart. At one time, in an experimental three-cylinder engine, an experimental valve fell into the cylinder.

In any conventional four-stroke engine, or a Detroit Diesel type two-stroke engine, the same thing could, and has, happened. This is always an emergency requiring the immediate cessation of operation. This is because the loss of a conventional valve into the cylinder is dangerous to the entire structure of the engine.

Jammed between the piston crown and the cylinder head with the engine running, the conventional valve, especially if broken, will tend to punch a hole either in the cylinder head, or in the piston crown. A hole in the piston crown exposes all the oil in the crankcase to the combustion of fuel and air, and also allows the pressure in the crankcase to eject the lubricant through the cylinder into the exhaust manifold. A hole punched in the cylinder head may release nothing at all in a LIM type engine, but in conventional engines either coolant or oil may be released, which can lead to very serious damage, if not the complete destruction of the engine.

A total loss of lubricant will usually cause an engine to seize and become completely worthless.

Should a valve in a LIM type engine fall into a cylinder, there is practically no likelihood of such severe damage to the piston or the head. The cylinder lacking its valve will cease to make power, but the remaining cylinders will be unaffected. In a boat, airplane, or emergency vehicle there would be no compelling reason to cease operations prior to reaching a place of safety, such as a harbor, an airport, or the lifesaving destination.

Since the single occurrence of a valve failure in a LIM type experimental engine, the valves and the valve retaining systems have been redesigned, but the LIM type engine will prove to be efficient, reliable, and rugged.

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