Abstract

Racing engines are continuously evolved and fine-tuned to allow them to achieve extraordinary levels of performance, albeit with great complexity. However, MotoGP regulations restrict engine development by constraining some of the main design parameters. This means that traditional design methods increasingly fall short and so designers are progressively turning to new CAE methods to achieve performance improvements.

This technical paper describes a method that was used to optimize the fluid dynamics in the intake valves and ports of the Aprilia RS-GP motorbike in order to enhance the engine’s volumetric efficiency and minimize pressure losses to maximize the intake mass-flow rate – while guaranteeing design feasibility. To save time and computational processing power for the simulation, the engineers followed a two-step optimization procedure after which the new designs were validated through physical experiment.