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Seoul 2000 FISITA World Automotive Congress June 12-15, 2000, Seoul, Korea

F2000A043

Lightweight Design A Challenge for modern Passenger Car Engines


Frank Beste1) *, Wolfgang Schffmann1), Ralf Marquard1)
1)

AVL List GmbH, Hans-List-Pl. 1, A-8020 Graz, Austria

During the past years advances in fuel efficiency of car engines did not result in the expectable reduction of the overall fuel consumption of new car generations. One reason is the increasing vehicle weight. In an overall-weight analysis of an automobile the engine and as part of it, the crankcase represents a single component with a high weight reduction potential. The application of lightweight materials for new crankcase concepts implies comprehensive design considerations to achieve weight reductions as close as possible to the potential of the selected material. This paper discusses weight reduction strategies using lightweight materials and modern design approaches. Different design concepts were investigated to ensure a stiff overall crankcase structure. FE analysis was conducted on deep-skirt concepts with standard bearing caps and alternatively with cast-in reinforcements and on bed-plate concepts with thick main bearing shells and optionally with reinforcing cast-in structures. The analysis takes static, dynamic and thermal loads into account and results in the peak firing pressure limits of each concept. The limits in combination with other relevant parameters are used to define the best-suited lightweight design concept for the specific structural requirements of each engine type. The results show, that AVLs new lightweight design strategies allow a significant reduction of engine mass compared to conventional concepts and represent an important contribution to reduce the overall vehicle weight. Keywords: crankcase, lightweight design, magnesium, aluminum, CGI This development is non reversible. The continuously growing customer demands and stricter standards support the trend toward heavier cars. Therefore, it is important to identify the most convenient way to reduce the mass of a car engine while maintaining the engines performance. Special attention was given to the crankcase which contributes 20-25% to the overall engine weight. Most challenging is the diesel engine crankcase. Peak firing pressures of up to 160bar result in the comparably highest specific part loads. Fig. 1 shows the weight contribution of the core components of a typical 2,0Litr. gasoline engine.

INTRODUCTION
The demands on the automobile have increased significantly in terms of ecological aspects and are generally set to continue with regard to future transportation concepts. This customer induced pressure is accompanied by tightened legal requirements especially in the USA and in Europe. In anticipating this fact, answers need to be found to the central question of fuel consumption, emissions and recycling strategies. Progress was made in the development of car engines during the past years. A significant increase in power output in combination with a decreased specific fuel consumption and emissions have been obtained through enormous development efforts. The most remarkable advances were achieved through applying direct injection, exhaust-gas turbo charging and multi-valve technology [1]. The resulting efficiency increase did not or just marginally show when a new car model replaces its precursor with a comparable performance. One reason for the stagnating or even decreasing overall efficiency is an increase of 15-20% in the mass of cars over the past 15 years. Despite the growing use of lightweight materials and the designers sensitivity towards lightweight design, the weight reductions have been more than compensated. Reasons are: additional new features improved safety and security improved comfort aspects in regard to NVH increased power output to maintain or improve car performance improved reliability * Corresponding author. e-mail: frank.beste@avl.com

Fig. 1: Weight contribution of main engine components The conditions of use for the various suitable crankcase material need to be improved and the applicability of new, lightweight materials must be valued from technical as well as economic viewpoints. The purpose of weight reduction is not merely reduced consumption and emissions, improved vehicle performance and weight distribution, it is also suitable to reduce the costs of individual components. This paper discusses the conception of modern high

performance engines with regard to the achievable weight reductions.

LIGHTWEIGHT-ENGINE CONCEPT
Engines with a high power-weight ratio and torque have the highest potential to reduce the engine weight. Direct injection and exhaust gas turbo charging are the key technologies for a maximum power density of modern diesel engines. Nevertheless, the scope for further increases in power-weight ratio and engine torque is more and more narrowed by tightening emission laws. Therefore, structural approaches will win a growing importance to engine development in future. Modern crankcase concepts employing lightweight materials and adapted design concepts are one central contribution to the necessary vehicle weight reductions.

Fig. 3: Material substitution CI Al [2] Crankcase design revisions with some flexibility in the machining process and crankcase designs allow significantly more freedom in the crankcase concept. One example is the make of a crankcase following the AVL trussing concept [3]. The main core package comprises a singlepiece crank core with two stiff grid cores on each side (Fig. 4). The AVL trussing system unites a high weight reduction potential with a stiff structural concept. Other advantages are the acoustical behavior and the design of the oil retaining channels with connecting horizontal spaces which allow the integration of the crankcase ventilation.

DESIGN CONCEPTS
Different single or combined strategies can be employed to effectively reduce the weight of a typical engine. The basic engine concept, the component design and the material are strongly linked due to the accompanying calculations of structural strength and acoustical behavior. The dominant boundary conditions for crankcase design result form the production process and functional requirements. Innovative design approaches are essential to utilize the potentials of lightweight materials resulting from their advantage in material density. Because of higher material costs and the in some cases more costly processing simple material substitution from ferrous to lightweight materials yields higher component costs. Only the combined use of lightweight materials and an innovative approach to engine concept and component design can result in a lighter-and-cheaper component (Fig. 2).

Weight

standard design Material substitution only material plus new concept substitution (Al, Mg)

Fig. 4: Core package of the AVL trussing concept At first this trussing concept was designed as a material optimized concept for compacted graphite iron (CGI) crankcases [4] but has generally proven to be a base concept for weight optimized crankcases [5],[6] and [7]. A stress-sensitive design is especially important for the numerous flange areas of a typical mass-produced crankcase. The resulting weight optimization potential of top-deck flange, timing-drive flange etc. is significant relative to the costly reduction of the minimum wall thickness.

Costs Fig. 2: Component optimization and lightweight costs The effort to find the optimum design for specific lightweight material properties is widely limited due to additional requirements imposed by engine family concepts. Dedicated production lines, for example, call for constant main dimensions like bore spacing and top-deck height. Nevertheless, increasing the marketing value of an existing crankcase is also feasible through material substitution while keeping the machining and assembly process constant. Redesigning is performed only on the casting itself to adapt it to the changed material properties.

MATERIAL CONCEPTS

bearing wall excluding the cylinder liners and the mainbearing oil supply bores. Any lightweight-crankcase development should strive for avoidance of reinforcing inserts (including cast-in CI cylinder liners). Additional costs, machining of different materials within one surface, not fully understood residual stresses and for most insert technologies only form-fit connectivity with the base material requires extensive development efforts to avoid gab corrosion, oil leakage and excessive internal stresses over the engines working temperature and load range. Nevertheless, acoustical development objectives, the reduction of oil consumption and/or structural requirements may not be feasible with a monolithic crankcase structure. Therefore, the development of necessary reinforcing measures around the main bearings should focus on small adapted structures which are less costly and which have only small influence on the crankcase weight. Tensional strength/ [(m/s)2x103] 100 75 50 CI 20000 25000 30000 E-Modulus/ [(m/s)2x103] CGI Mg-alloy Al-alloy

Fig. 5: CI/CGI crankcase [10] and [11] Compacted graphite iron (CGI) offers, despite nearly identical material densities with CI, the superior material strength and a potential weight advantage of about 10% if combined with a consequent lightweight design approach (Fig. 5). CGI constitutes the crankcase material for topstrength applications and achieves an engine overall-mass reduction mainly via down-sizing concepts.

Fig. 7: Relative material strength In Fig. 7 the tensional strength and the E-modulus of crankcase materials were divided by their material densities. Aluminum and magnesium emerge due to their high relative strength yielding good stress-sensitive design potentials. The small E-modulus of these alloys must be compensated by geometric measures to ensure the high structural stiffness good acoustical properties required for modern diesel and gasoline engine crankcases. Today especially aluminum with a lightweight potential of up to 40% substitutes the former, proven ferrous designs. Especially die-cast crankcases made of secondary aluminum with cast-in CI liners have proven to be a suitable solution for mass production. Decisive reasons beside the dominant weight-reduction potentials are superior thermal conductivity potential for advanced manufacturing technologies supporting complex and filigree structures like cast-in oil feeds high integration potential tighter range of tolerances possible marketing advantage Magnesium as the lightest material suitable for crankcases constitutes a design challenge especially for high-speed diesel engines. Nevertheless, the current value of the 3

St-Compound Fig. 6: Compound concepts

Al-Compound

Compound concepts with reinforcing structures are special solutions (Fig. 6). A complex skeleton frame made of a ferrous material carries the gas and bolt forces and integrates cylinder liners and threat bosses for the cylinder head and main bearing wall bolts. For the St-compound solution the sealing outer skin is made of cast-in sheet metal [9]. The ferrous skeleton frame of the aluminum compound solution is enveloped with an aluminum alloy. The extensive use of ferrous skeleton structures results in a high structural strength combined with a well developed cylinder-liner technology but allows only minor crankcase mass reductions. The applicability of both concepts for standard low-cost inline crankcases is limited due to the additional costs caused by the complex skeleton frame. An alternative to this technology facilitating lightweight materials even for high-speed diesel engines are less complex, separate inlays made of CGI or spherical graphite iron (SGI) in each main

minimum wall thickness for aluminum and magnesium makes it impossible to reduce the weight according to the materials full potential. Basic risks in the use of magnesium naturally exist, but research programs constantly result in design solutions for mass-production magnesium crankcases. The specific material properties of magnesium an aluminum alloy require innovative solutions. The main focus of a specific lightweight-engine development project is mainly dependent on the type of engine. Gasoline engines with a high power density require special attention on the thermally stressed area between the cylinder bores. Innovative cooling, adapted high-temperature alloys and/or reinforcement solutions can be necessary to achieve the required top-deck strength. The focus for the development of a crankcase for a modern high-speed diesel engine is mainly driven by the high combustion forces resulting from peak firing pressures of up to 160bar. Nevertheless, to achieve pointed solutions utilizing the full potentials of magnesium and aluminum requires new concepts for the following main topics: structural strength cylinder-head and main-bearing bolts cooling circuit and contact corrosion cylinder liners thermal widening of the main bearing bore Selecting the material for a typical crankcase involves defined design parameters as well as the question if the specific properties of the pre-selected material fulfill the requirements of the engine to that component. Table 1 summarizes the main material properties. Decisive for the structural stiffness is the ratio of Youngs modulus and material density. The tensional strength and the upper limit of elasticity mainly influence the static strength of the crankcase and the maximum main bearing and cylinderhead bolt forces. Main parameter for the dynamic strength and the endurable peak firing pressure is the bending endurance. Other important material properties for crankcase design include thermal conductivity, mechanical and thermal endurance strength, creep resistance at high temperatures, damping coefficient, thermal expansion coefficient, corrosion resistance against cooling fluids, mineral oil and salt water, specific weight and last but not least the castability and material costs. Table 1: Comparison of main material properties CGI Sec. Al Mg (GGV 40) (AlSi9Cu3) (sand castalloy) Youngs Modulus [kN/mm2] Tensile Strength [N/mm2] Bending Endurance [N/mm2] Density [kg/dm3] 130 160 75 45 160 180 45 55 1,75

LIGHTWEIGHT-DESIGN APPROACH
The current standard for gasoline inline crankcases is a high-pressure die cast Al-crankcase with cast in CI-liners and thick main bearing shells of up to 4.5mm or ferrous inserts representing a modern lightweight concept with small potential for further weight reduction. The crankshaft bearings are carried out as a bed-plate (Fig. 8, left) or as a deep-skirt concept with cut-free main bearing walls and an aluminum ladder frame connecting the skirts (Fig. 8, right). One remaining potential of about 0.5kg per cylinder can be found in replacing the CI-liners by aluminum liners or by a coating technology. Replacing the CI-liners also benefits the heat dissipation from the combustion chambers by avoiding microscopic gaps between the CIliners and the surrounding material. Substituting the crankcase material with magnesium reduces the weight further.

Fig. 8: Inline gasoline Al-crankcase concept The common material for diesel inline crankcases with peak firing pressures of up to 160bar is CI. Modern crankcases correspond to the deep-skirt concept mentioned above with SGI bearing caps and an aluminum ladder frame (Fig. 5). This crankcase design concept is based on the tunnelconcept of the technological demonstration engine AVL LEADER [10] and [11]. The purpose of this concept is the acoustical decoupling of the main bearing walls excited by high combustion gas forces and the sound radiating outer crankcase structure. This design results in a relative flexible main bearing wall while the tunnel constitutes a structure with a high torsion and bending stiffness. A onepiece tunnel crankcase as cast for the first prototype of the AVL-LEADER engine is unacceptable for modern high volume production. Therefore, the shown production optimized crankcase requires a two-piece design [12], oilpump and suction pipe can be integrated in the ladder frame. The use of aluminum alloys for diesel and aluminum inline crankcases within one engine family offers the chance of a combined production. Today aluminum is the standard material for gasoline crankcases. But the broad use for high-speed diesel engines is still prevented by questions regarding the achievable strength of the main bearing wall, the warping of cylinder liners and top-deck and the acoustical behavior. High potential to reduce the crankcase weight while ensuring the high structural stiffness has the compound concept. Investigations are currently conducted for a sand cast alu4

300 500 200 240 160 210 7,1 7,4 70 90 2,75

minum/magnesium compound crankcase. The crankcase shown in Fig. 9 is designed as a bolt-through concept and optionally includes inlays in bed plate and/or crankcase to support the main bearing shells. Thread bosses integrated in these inlays are also capable to replace the bolt-through joint to avoid costly assembly procedures.

considers four bolts per main bearing wall and a thick main bearing shell of 4mm to reduce thermal widening of the main bearings. Similar to the inline crankcase (Fig. 9) one variant of the V8-engine crankcase was analyzed with cast-in structures in bed-plate and crankcase to receive results stating the improvements in the crankcases peakfiring pressure potential in contrast to the weight penalty (Fig. 10, right).

FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS


Extensive finite element analysis was conducted for the half-cylinder 3D models of the inline and V-engine crankcases. The finite analysis model consists of the crankcase and bed-plate sections, the half of the bearing shells and of the cylinder-head and main bearing bolts. Special attention was given to the critical area around the main bearing wall to calculate the endurable peak-firing pressures (Fig. 11).

Fig. 9: Bolt-through crankcase concept Latest production gasoline V-engine crankcases are built, as are the their inline versions, of a high-pressure die cast aluminum crankcase and bed-plate with only a small potential for further weight reductions by replacing the CIliners. Currently, diesel V-engine crankcases are, due to their high peak firing pressures, made of CI. The bed-plate design with the separation plane through the crankshaft centerline and the deep-skirt design with SGI bearing caps have proven to be suitable concepts (Fig. 10, left). Four bolts per main bearing and in case of single bearing caps additional horizontal bolts are essential to relieve the load on the cross guides of the bearing caps. Because of its properties CGI is increasingly taken into consideration for diesel V-engine crankcases. A significant weight reduction relative to CI is possible especially in the high loaded areas around the main bearings. Different design solutions for diesel V-engine crankcases were compared using the finite element analysis. Fig. 11: Finite Element analysis The finite element models of the different variants were loaded with static main bearing bolt forces calculated for different peak-firing pressures and with dynamic loads taking different engine temperatures into account. The peak firing pressure limits listed below resulted from the calculated safety factors and the main bearing deformations under static and dynamic load. The different variants analyzed in this investigation were necessary to take different lightweight materials secondary aluminum (AlSi9Cu3), warm hardening aluminum (AlSi10Mg wa), a sand cast magnesium alloy and compound versions with SGI inserts into consideration. Fig. 12 summarizes the results. Fig. 10: V-engine concepts The chosen sand cast crankcase for this investigation is designed for a 90 V8-engine. The finite element analysis 5

220 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0

6 5 4 3 V-Engine Inline-Engine P/W-ratio 2 1 0

spec. Torque / Mass [Nm/(L*kg)]

Peak Firing Pressure [bar]

instead of one, the necessary offset of the two cylinder banks weakens the wall structure and bolt through solutions with a strait force transmission (cylinder head main bearing cap) are not possible. These constraints reduce the expectable peak-firing pressure limits compared to their inline counterpart. Due to their principle use in upper class vehicles do Vengines allow slightly higher costs for their components. The cast-in CGI or SGI reinforcements are suitable to increase the peak-firing pressure limit to 140bar and above (Fig. 12). For 60-V6 engines the increased offset of cylinder-head bolts and main bearing wall caused by the necessary fence between a split-pin crankshaft requires the use of a complex and costly skeleton frame instead of the separate inlays of a 90-V8 engine. The small offsets possible with the simple split-pin crankshaft of a these engines can be compensated by saddle bends in the thread-arms of the inserts (Fig. 10).

M g A lS i9 Cu 3 A lS i1 0M g M g/ SG I A l/S G I

CI

Fig. 12: Peak-firing pressure limits (cylinder spacing / bore = 1,12) The left bar shows the results calculated for the 90-V8 crankcase, the right bar shows the inline crankcase results. All peak-firing pressure limits were calculated for a ratio of cylinder spacing vs. bore diameter of 1.12 representing a mean value of current mass production aluminum crankcases. Increasing the cylinder spacing allows higher peakfiring pressure limits but reduces the weight advantage of lightweight materials. Engine components like cylinderhead, crankshaft, camshaft, etc. need to be adapted and cause an additional weight penalty. Existing engine families and dedicated engine production lines require fixed main dimension. Therefore, increasing the structural strength by widening the cylinder spacing is not an option for most development programs. The ratio of specific torque vs. crankcase mass represents the achievable mean pressure value vs. displacement and crankcase mass and weights the achievable power-density of each concept. The achievable specific torque is especially characteristic for modern high-speed diesel engines. Previous calculations resulted in a peak firing pressure limit of 135bar for inline high-pressure die cast crankcases of a combined production diesel and gasoline engine as part of an engine family. This bed-plate design was analyzed with reinforcing inlays in the bed-plate. The investigations of the inline crankcase shown in Fig. 12 yielded a peak-firing pressure limit of 115bar when using the sand cast magnesium alloy without reinforcement. The secondary aluminum (AlSi9Cu3) reached its limit at 130bar and peak-firing pressures of up to 145bar require the warm hardening aluminum alloy (AlSi10Mg wa) if no inlays are used. CGI or SGI inlays bedded in the aluminum or magnesium alloy base structure allow peakfiring pressures of 150bar and more. The design of V-engine crankcases for aluminum and magnesium alloys is, because of V-engine design features, more demanding than for inline crankcases. Each main bearing wall has to withstand the load of two cylinders

CG I

MAIN BEARING CLEARANCE


Critical in terms of the acoustical properties of a lightweight crankcase is the thermal widening of the main bearing clearance. The thermal expansion of the aluminum crankcase is about twice that of the ferrous crankshaft (Mg factor 2.5) causing a significant increase in bearing clearance over the working temperature range. As part of this work different measures like thick bearing shells, castin reinforcements in bed-plate and/or crankcase and a deep-skirt concept with ferrous bearing caps were analyzed to reduce this effect. The comparison of the effectiveness of each measure for aluminum and magnesium crankcases is based on a CI crankcase with an acoustical advantageous constant bearing play of 0,05% of the main bearing diameter. The main bearing diameter was assumed to be 54mm with a tolerance of 16m resulting in a CI-crankcase bearing clearance between 27m and 43m. To minimize the bearing clearance of the aluminum and magnesium concepts the relative thermal expansion coefficient between the steel crankshaft (thermal expansion coefficient 11E-6mm/mmK) and the lightweight crankcase (aluminum 21E-6mm/mmK, magnesium 27E-6mm/mmK) has to be calculated. Boundary condition is the free running crankshaft at minimum temperature of -30C guarantied by an assumed minimum clearance of 5m. Fig. 13 and Fig 14 show the achievable results.
160 140

bearing clearance [um]

120 100 80 60 40 20 0 -30 20 70 120 Al-noBS Al-Bedplate-Inlay Al+SGI-BC Mg+4mm BS Mg-Bedplate-Comp. 170

crankcase temperatur
CI Al+4mm BS Al-Comp. Mg-no BS Mg-Bedplate-Inlay Mg+SGI-BC

Fig. 13: Temp. dependence of the bearing clearance

An acoustical advantageous bearing play of max. 0,08% of the main bearing diameter can not be maintained with thick 4,0mm bearing shells for either aluminum or magnesium. SGI bed-plate inserts reach a maximum of 0,09% with an aluminum crankcase and would be sufficient. The higher thermal expansion of the magnesium base structure requires cast-in structures around the entire main bearing. A comparable solution with SGI bearing caps in a deepskirt crankcase is not feasible due to excessive stresses in the joint between bearing cap and crankcase. Deep-skirt magnesium concepts also require a reinforcement in the crankcase.

The consequent lightweight development of crankcases is not a question of the selected material, but of the overall concept and design of an engine. The lightweight concepts presented in this paper are increasingly introduced to volume production and underline the strategy to commit toward lightweight design of crankcases especially for modern high-speed diesel engines.

REFERENCES
[1] R. Glanz, P. Wnsche, Vier Ventile fr den PKW Dieselmotor mit direkter Einspritzung (Passenger car diesel engines with four-valve technology and direct injection), Presentation H.d.T. Essen, Germany, 24th February 1994 [2] R. Arndt, K. Kusenbauch, R. Rsch, M. Stenzel, Das Aluminium-Kurbelgehuse der Audi-Vier-zylinder mit 1,6 und 1,8l Hubraum (The aluminum crankcase of the Audi 1,6 and 1,8l four cylinder engine), MTZ, October 1997, pp. 600 [3] Austrian Registration of Design AT 002 105 U1 and AT 002 109 U1 [4] R. Marquard, H. Sorger, M. McDonald, Crank it up, Engine Technology International, June 1998, pp. 58 [5] F. Anisits, K. Borgmann, H. Kratochwill, F. Steinparzer, Der neue BMW Vierzylinder Dieselmotor (The new BMW four cylinder diesel engine), MTZ-Special BMW, 1998, pp. 104 [6] F. Anisits, K. Borgmann, H. Kratochwill, F. Steinparzer, Der neue BMW Sechszylinder Dieselmotor (The new BMW six cylinder diesel engine), MTZ, November 1998, pp. 698 [7] H. Henkel, F. Winter, Sechszylinder Dieseltriebwerk von BMW (The BMW six cylinder diesel engine), MTZ, November 1998 [8] H. Sorger, H. Hick, Future Trends for Engine Design, Sintercast Compacted Graphite Iron Proceedings, Bad Nauheim, November 1998 [9] Austrian Registration of Design AT 002 544 U1 [10] P. Wnsche, K. Wojik, AVL-LEADER: Die neue PKW-Dieselgeneration konstruiert fr niedrige Emissionen (AVL-LEADER: The new generation of passenger car diesel engines, designed for low emissions), 14. Internationales Wiener Motorensymposium, 1993 [11] F. Knig, K. Wojik, Der HSDI-Motor AVLLEADER im Fahrzeug (The HSDI engine AVLLEADER in a passenger car), 16. Internationales Wiener Motorensymposium, 1995 [12] F. Brandl, W. Schoeffmann, K. Isono, Y. Ohtani, Noise Reduction of Diesel Engines by Structure Modifications of the Cylinder Block, JSAE 9838462

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
A CI lA Al+ no l-B 4 B m S ed m pl ate BS -I A nla l-C y A l+ om SG p. M I-B g C M Mg -no g- +4 B M Be m S g- dp m Be la B dp te-I S la nl te a M -Co y g+ m SG p. I-B C

2,0 1,8 1,6 1,4 1,2 1,0 0,8 0,6 0,4 0,2 0,0

Fig. 14: Main bearing clearance at 120C

CONCLUSION
The lightweight potential of ferrous crankcases even with thin-wall technologies is limited in comparison with lightweight materials because of the approachable minimum wall thickness. Aluminum alloys offer, in addition to their low material density, the possibility of a combined production of gasoline and diesel engines within one engine family. The critical aspects of the use of lightweight materials for modern crankcases are the achievable strength of the main bearing wall, the warping of cylinder liners and topdeck and the acoustical behavior of lightweight crankcases. The application of lightweight materials for V-engine crankcases is restricted in terms of the achievable strength. If no reinforcing measures are conducted results the finite element analysis in a peak firing pressure limit of 145bar for inline and of 140bar for V-engine crankcases. Additional reinforcing SGI or CGI inlays in the main bearing wall are essential to withstand the high peak firing pressures of modern high-speed diesel engines of 150bar and more. Complex cast-in skeleton frames are suitable only for V6-60 crankcases were the primary use in upper class vehicles allows slightly higher component costs. V8-90 crankcases can be reinforced with more cost efficient separate main-bearing inserts. Magnesium as the lightest material suitable for crankcases constitutes a design challenge especially for high-speed diesel engines. Research programs constantly work on design solutions for magnesium crankcases to exploit its potential. 7

bearing clearance in %o

bearing clearance [um]

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