Development of Vacuum-Operated Engine Test Rig

An automobile engine on the assembly line undergoes various fitments of a large number of components until it is ready for its final dispatch. It so happens sometimes that some of the components may be missed out due to high and continuous workload. Such faulty engines are not ready for dispatch and have to be sent back for rework after the testing process has been performed. This leads to losses in terms of resources and time of the company. The engine test rig is an apparatus developed to check the engine fitments on the engine assembly line. The concept was to manufacture an engine which has zero defects. The test rig works on the principle of vacuum generation in the oil pathway of engine block. The amount of vacuum generated for a zero defect engine has a standard datum value. Deviation from the standard value of vacuum generated gives an indication of missing components. Greater the number of missing components more is the vacuum generated. Thus the fault is detected much earlier (on the assembly line itself) even before it is sent for testing and dispatch.