1. Increased reliability: By using two or more valve springs, the engine can maintain valve operation even if one spring fails. This redundancy reduces the risk of valve damage and catastrophic engine failure.
2. Reduced spring surge: Multiple valve springs help control the valve's motion and prevent a phenomenon called "spring surge." This occurs when the valve spring oscillates excessively, causing the valve to bounce off its seat. This can lead to valve damage and reduced engine performance. Using multiple springs with different rates helps dampen these oscillations and keeps the valve motion under control.
3. Improved valve seating: Multiple valve springs provide more consistent pressure on the valve, ensuring that it seats properly and creates a tight seal against the cylinder head. This proper seating helps prevent combustion gases from leaking past the valve, which can lead to reduced engine efficiency and power loss.
4. Higher RPM operation: Aircraft engines often operate at high revolutions per minute (RPM). Multiple valve springs help maintain adequate spring force and valve control at these high RPMs. This allows for increased engine performance and efficiency.
The use of multiple valve springs is an important design feature in aircraft engines, ensuring reliability, preventing valve damage, improving engine performance, and enabling high-RPM operation.
