Downsizing

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Downsizing (English reduction , reduction , reduction , downsizing ) means a reduction-related variables (for example, weight, displacement , etc.) in the same or similar efficiency. This reduces energy consumption . The term has been used most frequently in connection with vehicle engines in recent years, as well as in the real estate sector (see also Small House Movement ).

Technical advances and rising energy and raw material prices are cited as triggers for downsizing. Manufacturers try to improve their market position by downsizing.

Automotive industry

history

In February 1980, at Audi with the 200 Audi for the first time larger six-cylinder engines replaced by smaller emission turbocharged five-cylinder engines. The Audi Sport quattro S1 took both victories in the 1984 World Rally Championship .

Working principle

The best-known downsizing in the automotive industry consists of reducing the cubic capacity of the internal combustion engines to increase efficiency , but at the same time increasing the specific cubic capacity so that these downsized engines have roughly the same output as the larger-capacity engines before. The performance is usually increased by several measures, for example

  • Supercharging the engine, often with the use of more complex supercharging technology (for example with variable turbine geometry or register supercharging ), which enables higher performance at lower speeds.
  • Engine control improvements
  • Reduction of internal friction through low-friction material pairings
  • Reduction of the moving masses (e.g. lighter connecting rods or camshafts )
  • Reduction in the number of cylinders

With the same load, the consumption of an internal combustion engine depends largely on its displacement . An engine with a smaller displacement has lower friction losses due to smaller cylinder wall and combustion chamber surfaces . If cylinders are switched off in partial load operation, this is called dynamic downsizing. Usually a smaller engine is lighter and warms up faster. If the engine weight is lower, the overall weight of the vehicle decreases accordingly, which reduces the load on the engine; the vehicle reaches comparable speeds / acceleration with less engine power. In individual cases (e.g. with the Mercedes E500 4-matic V8), downsizing engines can also be significantly heavier than their predecessor engines that were not downsized due to the additional weight of the turbocharger (sometimes two turbochargers are installed) and the intercooler but usually also more power.

Outstanding "downsizing engines" are z. B. the Fiat Twin-Air 875cc, the Ford EcoBoost 1.0l, as well as the VW 1.4l TSI engines . The VW TSI and Ford EcoBoost engines are powerful enough to enable the use of these engines up to the middle class, in which the cubic capacity was rarely less than 1.5 liters. The VW engine replaced almost all 2.0l naturally aspirated engines in the Group's models.

Controversy over the durability of the engines

The durability of downsized engines is highly controversial. Critics often cite higher stress on the components due to the higher loads at lower revolutions, a major factor in faster wear. Proponents see the car manufacturers responsible for the engine durability, the durability depends in particular on the construction and the materials used, which have to cope with the higher loads. In particular, the timing chain defects in the 1.4L TSI Volkswagen engines were considered a negative example; however, these defects were due to production errors in the timing chains and also occurred in large-volume engines. The additional turbochargers installed in downsized engines are considered to be very robust if properly maintained.

criticism

  • The development of soot particles, which in some cases makes efficiency-reducing exhaust gas adjustments ( soot particle filters ) necessary , is particularly problematic in Otto engines .
  • In the case of diesel engines, on the other hand, downsizing increases the problem of the already higher NOx emission values ​​in contrast to gasoline engines, so that exhaust aftertreatment technologies such as selective catalytic reduction are necessary.
  • The reduction mainly leads to increased efficiency in partial load operation. Often no improvement is achieved under full load; Occasionally the result is even higher fuel consumption.

Effects

Another downsizing measure is the offering of cars - for example small cars - with equipment features that were previously only available in significantly higher vehicle classes. This can encourage customers to buy a vehicle that is significantly more economical. In a very similar way, some manufacturers have merged the models of the middle class and upper middle class - the new models combine the weight and dimensions of the middle class with optional equipment features of the upper middle class or upper class .

Real estate sector

In America in particular, the size of the living space in single-family homes has increased steadily over the past 50 years, although statistically speaking the number of people living together in one household has decreased. Increasing environmental awareness in the last ten years and not least due to the financial crisis from 2007 , which began with the real estate crisis in the USA, created a countermovement: the Small House Movement . The proponents of this (healthy) shrinkage process emphasize on the one hand the financial advantages of smaller houses, on the other hand the conservation of resources and a simplification of life by concentrating on the essentials.

Information technology

In information systems , instead of several servers, a very large server is often purchased for one purpose each, on which virtualization is then used. As a result, the resources are largely distributed dynamically; this concept consumes less electricity.

Instead of full-fledged, but actually oversized personal computers, small systems such as thin clients or nettops are used as workstation computers . These have no multimedia capabilities - which are superfluous in this area. [Receipt?]

management

In the Anglo-American region, the term downsizing is often used in the area of management and describes a reduction in expenditure ( e.g. through mass layoffs ) while maintaining output . This increases the productivity per employee. Often these measures are also associated with outsourcing and plant closures. The word has a euphemistic connotation because it sounds like a company is being downsized (less input, less output). In fact, more performance is required ( work intensification , job enlargement and / or job enrichment ).

According to a UK study, the way in which downsizing is carried out is critical to keeping employees motivated , more than the size of the layoffs in itself. A poorly executed process of downsizing will be interpreted as a breach of the psychological contract , and it will reduce the commitment of the remaining employees.

literature

  • Rainer Golloch: Downsizing in combustion engines: an effective concept for reducing fuel consumption (VDI book). Springer-Verlag, 2005, ISBN 978-3540238836 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ For example, six cylinders of 400 cm³ have a larger inner surface than four cylinders of 600 cm³. A larger inner surface means more friction surface for the pistons.
  2. ^ Richard von Basshuysen: Handbook Internal Combustion Engine, ATZ / MTZ Fachbuch, 2007, p.395
  3. ↑ Rainer Golloch: downsizing of internal combustion engines, VDI-Book, 2005, p.75
  4. ↑ Fiat Twin-Air was (among others) Engine of the Year 2011
  5. ↑ Ford EcoBoost 1.0l: Engine of the Year 2012, 2013, 2014
  6. ↑ VW 1.4l TSI: Engine of the Year 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
  7. ↑ https://www.aachener-zeitung.de/news/auto/kleine-motoren-grosse-leistungs-downsizing-bietet-nicht-nur-vorteile-1.1096409
  8. ↑ http://www.handelsblatt.com/auto/nachrichten/1-4-tsi-motor-vw-bestaetigt-motorschaeden-durch-produktionsrechner/6505670.html
  9. ↑ http://www.auto.de/magazin/exklusiv-ein-turbolader-ist-eigentlich-unzerstoerbar/
  10. ↑ Thomas Imhof: Particle filter: The long unrecognized risk of the economical gasoline engine. In: welt.de . November 28, 2013, accessed October 7, 2018 .
  11. ↑ https://www.heise.de/autos/artikel/Studie-Ottomotoren-profitieren-mehr-vom-Downsizing-als-Dieselmotoren-1578291.html
  12. ↑ "Auto, Motor und Sport" about additional consumption under full load
  13. ↑ Michelle Stevens: The way redundancies are handled is more important than job losses themselves: Bad practice seriously erodes employee engagement, Roffey Park research shows. Retrieved December 26, 2015 .