Freudenberg to offer seals for international competition

PLYMOUTH, Mich.—Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies GmbH & Co. not only will be a gold sponsor of the 2014 SAE International Supermileage competition, but it also will offer each of the 29 teams two custom crankshaft seals for use in the design process.

The firm scaled down its Energy Saving Seal specifically for the Briggs and Stratton model nine engine used by all teams in the competition.

The goal is to design the most fuel-efficient single-passenger car using the engine.

Freudenberg's ESS line of seals is used in today's automotive market by original equipment manufactures to reduce friction in the crankshaft by about 57 percent, the firm said.

“In this competition, those precious watts that are saved mean an incredible amount to those student competitors,” said Rory Pawl, director of future technology for Freudenberg-NOK. “That's what we're trying to achieve for all of the automotive original equipment manufacturers and the general industry when they try to meet their fuel emissions regulations.”

The competition will be held June 5-6 at the Eaton Corp. Marshall Proving Grounds in Marshall, Mich.

The Stratton motors are very small, starting at 3.5 horsepower. Freudenberg's seals needed to be scaled down from their typical 60-100 millimeter size to about 25 millimeters for the engine's crankshaft.

However, the firm said the seal provides substantial energy savings compared to seals on the original equipment, which utilized about 32 and 15 watts of power. By comparison, ESS seals use a little more than six watts.

“As you can imagine, there is a massive increase in power that they're not wasting on friction on a seal and can instead be put toward those precious miles per gallon that they're competing for,” said Mike Rowe strategic product development manager for Freudenberg-NOK.

This is Freudenberg's first year as a gold sponsor of the event, which the company said cost $3,000. However, to provide all 29 teams with the scaled down seal, Pawl estimates Freudenberg invested at least $20,000 in development.

The firm decided to increase its commitment to the competition after it sponsored the University of Michigan's team in 2013. After attending the event, Freudenberg officials decided to extend its financial and technological commitment to all teams involved.

Any of the 29 teams can contact Freudenberg requesting a sample of two custom ESS seals. The firm has reached out to all via email, notifying them of this option. Pawl said within a week of the announcement, 11 of the 29 teams applied to use the seals.

For those that miss the email or fail to respond, Rowe said the firm will have seals on-site that any of the teams may use.

“It's really exciting to see young engineers,” Pawl said. “Every single car was like a snowflake. They're all very different. They come to a solution for solving a problem. It was exciting to see how they are trying to achieve the highest fuel economy.”

And with the firm surrounded by so many prospective engineers, it will do its best to identify those that may fit with the company in the future. Freudenberg will have its recruiting team at the event to meet with the students.

“These are some of the best and brightest of the student engineers,” Rowe said. “Not only are they learning in the classroom, but they're learning hands on. There are a lot of aspects of engineering that have to be taught in the classroom, but there are also many that can't be. These are absolutely the students we want to be coming to work for Freudenberg in the future.”

The competition itself has very limited design restrictions other than using the engine provided and some safety guidelines, Pawl said. On the first day, cars are inspected to ensure teams followed the restrictions and met all the safety requirements.

The second day each car has to complete a set number of laps. Once done, the fuel is measured to calculate a miles-per-gallon score. That score is combined with a design score received earlier, and the highest combined total wins.

Pawl said the students are not the only ones learning from the competition. Freudenberg may explore possibilities in the market for its scaled-down seals to see if they can be applied to other smaller shafts—such as a camshaft—in automobiles.