Piezoceramic material gets a measure of Ford fuel

Morgan Electro Ceramics has provided materials expertise and product for a new fuel-level sensor being used in the 2005-model Ford GT.

Morgan Electro Ceramics has provided materials expertise and product for a new fuel-level sensor being used in the 2005-model Ford GT.

The fuel sensor is the first in the automotive industry to use a piezoceramic material, and forms part of a highly innovative fuel tank system developed for the GT by TI Automotive, the world's leading provider in the supply of fluid storage and delivery systems for the automotive industry.

The first-of-its-kind fuel tank encloses fuel pumps, level sensors and other components inside a blow-moulded plastic fuel tank with only one or two openings in its shell compared to the six or seven usually required.

This new technology, which TI Automotive calls "SIB" (ship in a bottle), significantly reduces the evaporative emissions and provides additional space for a larger fuel tank - such as that required by the GT's 373kW engine.

"Float gauges are the most common method of level measurement in automotive applications", explains John Forgue of TI Automotive.

"But these aren't ideal for high-performance vehicles".

"There is a lot of movement within the tank, and float-based sensors simply can't deliver as accurate a reading as the ultrasonic equivalent".

The sensor is installed at the bottom of the interior of the fuel tank.

An electric current is sent to the piezoceramic material, which responds to the current by oscillating.

This then sends a sound wave into the liquid that returns to the transducer registering the current fuel level based on a "time of flight" measurement.

TI Automotive chose Morgan Electro Ceramics' PZT5A2 piezoceramic material for its sensor because of several key advantages.

A compact, solid-state transducer, it does not have any moving parts.

It has proven robustness within harsh fuel environments, having been used in industrial applications for more than 50 years.

"Morgan Electro Ceramics has a solid track record in producing a range of innovative materials for automotive applications", explains John Forgue, Principal Engineer at TI Automotive.

"We chose to work with them because we knew we could rely on their knowledge and expertise to deliver the best material for our requirements".

"We also know they are able to deal on a global level which reflects our interests in North America and Europe".

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