English Task 6: Machine and Motors

Author: Nazhmi Fadhila

Petrol and diesel engines are internal combustion engines. The purpose of internal
combustion engines is the production of the mechanical power from the chemical energy contained
in the fuel. In internal combustion engines, as distinct from external combustion engines, this energy
is released by burning or oxidizing the fuel inside the engine. The fuel-air mixture before combustion
and the burned products after combustion are the actual working fluids. The work transfers which
provide the desired power output occur directly between these working fluids and the mechanical
components of the engine. The difference between the two types of engines are petrol engines are
spark-ignition engines or S.I engines and diesel engines are compression-ignition or C.I engines.
In S.I engines, the correct proportion of air and petrol is mixed in the carburetor and fed to
engine cylinder where it is ignited by means of a spark produced at the spark plug. In C.I engines,
only air is supplied to the engine cylinder during suction stroke and it is compressed to a very high
pressure, thereby raising its temperature from 600 oC to 1000oC. The desired quantity of fuel (diesel)
is now injected into the engine cylinder in the form of a very fine spray and gets ignited when comes
in contact with the hot air.
Jet engines are also called gas turbines. Gas turbine is also, by definition written above, an
I.C engine. Conventionally, however, the term is used for S.I and C.I engines. The operating principles
of gas turbines are fundamentally different. Jet engine propels by thrusting a large weight of air
backwards. A ram Jet engine for example consists of a duct with a divergent entry and a convergent
or convergent-divergent exit. When forward motion is imparted to it from an external source, air is
forced into the air intake where it loses velocity or kinetic energy and increases its pressure energy
as it passes through the diverging duct. The total energy is then increased by the combustion of fuel,
and the expanding gases accelerate to atmosphere through the outlet duct.
The principal parts of an I.C engines are as follows:
1. Cylinder and cylinder liner
The function of a cylinder is to retain the working fluid and to guide the piston. Since the
cylinder has to withstand high temperature due to the combustion of fuel, therefore,
some arrangement must be provided to cool the cylinder. The single cylinder engines
(such as scooters and motorcycles) are generally air cooled. They are provided with fins
around the cylinder. The multi-cylinder engines (such as of cars) are provided with water
jackets around the cylinders to cool it. In smaller engines. the cylinder, water jacket and
the frame are Internal Combustion Engine Parts made as one piece, but for all the larger
 engines, these parts are manufactured separately. The cylinders are provided with
cylinder liners so that in case of wear, they can be easily replaced.
2. Piston, piston rings and piston pin or gudgeon pin
The piston is a disc which reciprocates within a cylinder. It is either moved by the fluid or
it moves the fluid which enters the cylinder. The main function of the piston of an
internal combustion engine is to receive the impulse from the expanding gas and to
transmit the energy to the crankshaft through the connecting rod. The piston must also
disperse a large amount of heat from the combustion chamber to the cylinder walls.
The piston head or crown is designed keeping in view the following two main
considerations, i.e.
a. It should have adequate strength to withstand the straining action due to pressure
of explosion inside the engine cylinder, and
b. It should dissipate the heat of combustion to the cylinder walls as quickly as
possible.
The piston rings are used to impart the necessary radial pressure to maintain the seal
between the piston and the cylinder bore. These are usually made of grey cast iron or
alloy cast iron because of their good wearing properties and also, they retain spring
characteristics even at high temperatures.
The portion of the piston below the ring section is known as piston skirt. In acts as a
bearing for the side thrust of the connecting rod. The length of the piston skirt should be
such that the bearing pressure on the piston barrel due to the side thrust does not
exceed 0.25 N/mm2 of the projected area for low speeds engines and 0.5 N/mm 2 for
high speeds engines. It may be noted that the maximum thrust will be during the
expansion stroke. The side thrust (R) on the cylinder liner is usually taken as 1/10 of the
maximum gas load on the piston.
The piston pin (also called gudgeon pin or wrist pin) is used to connect the piston and
the connecting rod. It is usually made hollow and tapered on the inside, the smallest
inside diameter being at the center of the pin.
3. Connecting rod with small and big end bearing
The connecting rod is the intermediate member between the piston and the crankshaft.
Its primary function is to transmit the push and pull from the piston pin to the crankpin
and thus convert the reciprocating motion of the piston into the rotary motion of the
crank.
 It consists of a long shank, a small end and a big end. The cross-section of the shank may
be rectangular, circular, tubular, I-section or H-section. Generally circular section is used
for low speeds engines while I-section is preferred for high speeds engines
4. Crank, crankshaft and crank pin
A crankshaft (i.e. a shaft with a crank) is used to convert reciprocating motion of the
piston into rotatory motion or vice versa. The crankshaft consists of the shaft parts
which revolve in the main bearings, the crankpins to which the big ends of the
connecting rod are connected, the crank arms or webs (also called cheeks) which
connect the crankpins and the shaft parts.
5. Valve gear mechanism
The valve gear mechanism of an I.C. engine consists of those parts which actuate the
inlet and exhaust valves at the required time with respect to the position of piston and
crankshaft. The main components of the mechanism are valves, rocker arm, valve
springs, push rod, cam and camshaft.
The fuel is admitted to the engine by the inlet valve and the burnt gases are escaped
through the exhaust valve. In vertical engines, the cam moving on the rotating camshaft
pushes the cam follower and push rod upwards, thereby transmitting the cam action to
rocker arm. The camshaft is rotated by the toothed belt from the crankshaft. The rocker
arm is pivoted at its center by a fulcrum pin. When one end of the rocker arm is pushed
up by the push rod, the other end moves downward. This pushes down the valve stem
causing the valve to move down, thereby opening the port. When the cam follower
moves over the circular portion of cam, the pushing action of the rocker arm on the
valve is released and the valve returns to its seat and closes it by the action of the valve
spring.
The operating cycle of an I.C. engine may be completed either by the two strokes or four strokes of
the piston. Thus, an engine which requires two strokes of the piston or one complete revolution of
the crankshaft to complete the cycle, is known as two stroke engines. An engine which requires four
strokes of the piston or two complete revolutions of the crankshaft to complete the cycle is known
as four stroke engines. The two stroke petrol engines are generally employed in very light vehicles
such as scooters, motor cycles and three wheelers. The two stroke diesel engines are generally
employed in marine propulsion. The four stroke petrol engines are generally employed in light
vehicles such as cars, jeeps and also in airplanes. The four stroke diesel engines are generally
employed in heavy duty vehicles such as buses, trucks, tractors, diesel locomotive and in the earth
moving machinery.
The majority of reciprocating engines operate on what is known as the four-stroke cycle. Each
cylinder requires four strokes of its piston-two revolutions of the crankshaft-to complete the
sequence of events which produces one power stroke:
1. An intake stroke, which draws fresh mixture into the cylinder. To increase the mass
inducted, the inlet valve opens shortly before the stroke starts and closes after it ends.
2. A compression stroke, when both valves are closed and the mixture inside the cylinder is
compressed to a small fraction of its initial volume. Toward the end of the compression
stroke, combustion is initiated and the cylinder pressure rises more rapidly.
3. A power stroke, or expansion stroke, the high-temperature, high-pressure, gases push the
piston down and force the crank to rotate. About five times as much work is done on the
piston during the power stroke as the piston had to do during compression. At the end,
exhaust valve opens to initiate the exhaust process and drop the cylinder pressure to close
to the exhaust pressure.
4. An exhaust stroke, where the remaining burned gases exit the cylinder via the exhaust valve.
The inlet valve opens shortly after and the cycle starts again.
Whilst the two strokes are:
1. A compression stroke, which starts by closing the inlet and exhaust ports, and then
compresses the cylinder contents and draws fresh charge into the crank-case. The
combustion is initiated.
2. A power or expansion stroke, most of the burnt gases exit the cylinder in an exhaust
blowdown process. When the inlet ports are uncovered, the fresh charge which has been
compressed in the crankcase flows into the cylinder. The piston and the ports are generally
shaped to deflect the incoming charge from flowing directly into the exhaust ports and to
achieve effective scavenging of the residual gases.
Each type has its own advantage and disadvantages. Two stroke engines are designed to run at a
higher RPM, therefore they tend to wear out faster, a four stroke engines is more durable. This
information allows engineers to decide which type is the best to choose and is the reason why very
light vehicles use two stroke engines due to a much simpler design, easier to fix and more powerful
while heavy duty vehicles use four stroke engines due to more linear, predictable thrust throughout
the rev range, better power at lower rpm and only make power a quarter of the time versus half the
time like two strokes engines.