Officials with the AERA Engine Builders Association have announced its Engine Professional Industry Conference (EPIC) presented by Motor State Distributing will take place 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 6, prior to the PRI Show, December 7-9 in Indianapolis. Register online here.

The full-day event is headlined by four technical presentations:

Randy Neal, CWT Industries
Understanding Harmful Harmonics Triggered by First and Second Order/Torsional/Bending Vibrations

• This presentation will dismiss the mystique of how "harmonics" are generated within internal combustion engines (ICE). Neal will show the direct linkage of first and second-order/torsional/bending vibrations that create hostile variable frequencies resulting in vibrations that attack all engine and drivetrain components. He will lay out procedures and products to minimize damaging events before their imminent failure.
   

Dan Begle, MAHLE
Engine Failures

• As engines evolve, new failure modes continue to arise. This educational seminar will look into the technical operation of engine bearings, including wear indicators and how common failures happen. The primary focus will be on engine bearings, but additional topics on other engine components will be discussed. 
   

Lake Speed Jr, Total Seal
Fuel is the Enemy of Your Engine

• How can fuel be the enemy of your engine? We all know that engines need fuel, air and spark to run. Okay, diesels don't need spark, but you get the idea. Liquid fuel is the real problem. Neither gasoline nor diesel engines burn the liquid fuel we pour into them. What burns is the vaporized fuel, but not all of the fuel vaporizes. This seminar will cover the effects of unburnt liquid fuel and what you can do about it. 
   

Ben Strader, EFI University
Optimizing Engine Performance with Combustion Analysis

• Engine tuning and power development have long been relegated to "trial and error" approaches. Using a dyno for initial testing and the race track for fine-tuning has become the accepted method to define the best package, but this still leaves many unanswered questions. Using in-cylinder pressure transducers and high-speed data-logging, builders can access the engine's internal workings during all phases of the 4-stroke cycle and answer many of those questions through a process called "combustion analysis." Strader's presentation will cover the concepts required to view and understand the collected data and how it applies to component selection and final engine calibration to shorten the learning curve and get results quickly for racing engine developers.
   

The event will take place in the Indiana Convention Center, 500 Ballroom (Lower Level). Registration is available online for $50 per person (including breakfast and lunch).