At a time when social movements are leading to a relative shortage of petrol and diesel, and when their price continues to rise, fuel is becoming an increasingly precious product.
And yet, its performance is not satisfactory. Indeed, all the fuel refueling the car would not be used to move it, not quite. Some studies even estimate that two-thirds of fuel would be lost.
To understand the origin of this waste, we have to go back to the operation of the heat engine that equips the vehicles we use. Burned with air in a combustion chamber, the fuel actuates a piston, which, through a connecting rod and a crankshaft, converts vertical motion into rotation.
This is what allows the car to move forward, also through the gearbox. But specialists estimate that only a third of the fuel is really used to transform the thermal energy associated with combustion into mechanical energy capable of driving the movement of the wheels.
The impact of friction
But then, what happens to the rest of the gasoline or diesel put into the engine ? According to specialists, the friction would cause the loss of approximately 30% of the fuel. And another part would dissipate as heat.
Friction is a kind of resistance that occurs when two surfaces come into contact. It is this resistance that allows the shoe to adhere to the ground in a way.
But if the ground is too slippery, there is no more friction, and you risk falling ! At the level of the heat engine, the main friction occurs around the piston or in the movements which associate the connecting rod, the crankshaft and the engine block.
Each time, this friction results in a loss of energy, which is dissipated in the form of heat. A third of the fuel is therefore used to limit this friction.
Improving the oil used to lubricate the engine, as well as the development of new protective coatings, could reduce the impact of this friction.
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