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The difference in operational regime is true, although it's my impression that automobile engines are pushed through some very severe tests as part of their dev
by lutorm 5y ago
The difference in operational regime is true, although it's my impression that automobile engines are pushed through some very severe tests as part of their development. For example, this movie, https://youtu.be/GNPB3RtHN2M https://youtu.be/GNPB3RtHN2M, claims that KIA tests their engines for 300 straight hours at full throttle.
As for reliability, I'm not convinced. In practical terms, I think automobile engines are far more reliable than aircraft engines. When was the last time your automobile engine broke an exhaust valve, cracked a cylinder head, or had a magneto come apart?
- userbinator 5y agoWhen was the last time your automobile engine broke an exhaust valve, cracked a cylinder head, or had a magneto come apart? Exactly. An automobile engine is subjected to far less stresses in normal operation. 300h at full load is considered an extreme torture test for one, while a typical aircraft engine is meant to run for over 1000h between overhaul ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_between_overhauls https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_between_overhauls ) and spends a significant amount of that time at full load --- that's normal operating conditions.