The Secret to the 2023 Corvette Z06’s Torque Comes From a German Physicist Born 200 Years Ago

By
Mitch Talley
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13
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The Secret to the 2023 Corvette Z06's Torque Comes From a German Physicist Born 200 Years Ago

Photo Credits: Chevrolet, Wikipedia


Who would have thought a man born two centuries ago would have such an important role in the performance of the upcoming 2023 Corvette Z06?

German physicist Hermann von Helmholtz deserves the credit for discovering a phenomenon in the 1800s that will help deliver plenty of torque from the Z06’s flat-plane crank 5.5-liter engine, which by the way will become the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 ever built when it debuts later this year.

Automotive writing legend Don Sherman, in the current issue of Automotive Engineering, explains that Helmholtz discovered that air vibrating inside a closed chamber at a pressure slightly above atmospheric pressure produces the sounds emanating from guitars and whistles.

As Muscle Cars and Trucks explains: “In other words, if you tune the length and cross-sectional area of an intake just right for a given engine, the vibrations through the incoming air actually help maintain pressures higher than atmospheric – even naturally aspirated, without the use of forced induction.”

GM engineers used this so-called “Helmholtz resonance” to create the positive intake manifold pressures that inflate the LT6’s torque curve over a broad range, Sherman says.

Corvette Z06 LT6


Inside the plenum, the Z06 uses a complex series of three “communicator” valves with electric servo motors controlled by the ECU, to connect the two identical halves of the plenum together. The first two valves open at the same time under wide-open throttle beginning at about 2,000 RPM, while the third stays shut until 5,800 RPM. These valves take advantage of Helmholtz resonance to force more air into the engine, thus allowing the Z06’s engine to become the most powerful naturally aspirated powerplant ever without having to resort to supercharging.

We normal folks may not understand the science behind the Z06, but suffice it to say that a 200-year-old phenomenon is helping the new Corvette become more powerful with a higher redline and thus a lot more fun to drive.

As Sherman put it: “Herr von Helmholtz, born two centuries ago, clearly deserves a respectful tip of the hat to celebrate his birthday, and to acknowledge those contributions that enabled the small-block V8’s latest leap forward.”


Source:
Muscle Cars and Trucks via Automotive Engineering

Related:
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[VIDEO] Engineering Explained Takes a Deep Dive into the C8 Corvette Z06’s LT6 Engine
[VIDEO] 2023 Corvette Z06’s LT6 Walk Around and Interview with Chevy’s Dustin Gardner

 



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13 COMMENTS

  2. The new N/A LT6 is a marvel and yes kudos for achieving that level of HP output with natural aspiration. I am sold!
    BUT, let’s face it…this is about feeding more air and less fuel for emission purposes. More air + more RPMs = more power. Torque is a different story and Ill be curious to see the new Z06 do a 60 to 160 autobahn pull with a C7 ZR1. I’ll bet that for all the high revving and sound awesomeness the C7ZR1 would visually pull away in light of of its more advantageous torque to weight ratio. Z06 gears ‘miracles’ notwithstanding… I stand ready to be proven wrong but until then..

  4. When will it be available in crate form for those of us not particularly impressed with the body it originally falls in? I would love to drop one in a c6 or even a c4….

  7. Just more electronic garbage to baffle auto techs once this garbage fails! Manifolds with servos in them made of plastic Chinese crap that binds and fails from carbon build up!way to go …more garbage to come from GM…

  9. So many comments trying to give Ford credit for doing this first.
    The fact is Japanese/Italians been doing this for many years before Ford or Chevy. Chevy been doing it longer than Ford but just not for street cars.
    Let’s just enjoy the ICE before they are all gone.

  10. Just true. Im aford fan from the late 50sIf you look hard enough or remember most of this has been done before hand by the euros and done so in obscurity by the US manufacturers lots of bits and pieces over the last 60 yearsCulminating in the 2020s Hope it’s not abolished by the electrics

  13. Same principle used in 2 stroke pipes (AKA expansion chambers) since the ’70s to retrofill the cylinder and increase compresion at a desired RPM range.
    I think all Coyote engines apply that, where the GT350/Bullit/Mach1 intake manifolds are set to deliver at higher RPM.

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