IC Engines

Engine Classification

M. Bilal (02)
Final Year Mechanical

Assignment No. 1

ENGINE CLASSIFICATIONS:
Piston engines all have the same basic parts, but they are classified depends upon following parameters. Cylinder arrangement Cooling system: air or liquid Valve location: head or block Combustion chamber design Cam location: head or block Fuel used: gasoline or alternative fuel Ignition system: spark or compression Number of strokes per cycle: two or four

CYLINDER ARRANGEMENT: An automobile engine has three, four, five, six, or more cylinders. Cylinders are arranged in several ways including: in-line, in a V arrangement, or opposed to Each other. Modern engines come with 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, or 12 cylinders. An in-line engine has all of its cylinders lined up in one row. Some in-line engines have the cylinders vertically arranged and some of them are slanted At various angles. This is so that they can fi t into an engine compartment with a lower hood line for less wind resistance.

ENGINE COOLING:
Engines use either of two types of cooling systems: air cooling or liquid cooling. Air-cooled engines are found on lawnmowers, motorcycles, and some automobiles. Cooling happens when air is circulated over cooling fi ns that are cast on the outside of engine parts. Because of higher running temperatures that cause increased oxides of nitrogen (NOX) emissions (a major component in photochemical smog), production of these engines has been curtailed in recent years. Liquid-cooled engines have water jackets to cool the areas around all cylinders and valve-seat areas. Coolant is pumped through the system by a coolant pump, commonly called a water pump. A coolant mixture with a concentration of about 50% water and 50% anti-freeze provides freezing and boiling protection. The coolant is designed to prevent rust and electrolysis, which causes corrosion. In the bimetal engine found in most of todays cars, the combination of iron cylinder blocks and aluminum cylinder heads is found. These two dissimilar metals promote electrolysis, or the creation of an electrical current. Electrolysis causes much faster deterioration of the metals.

VALVE LOCATION
Engines are also classified by where valves are located. There are two common valve arrangements for internal combustion four-stroke engines: L-head and L-head: L-Head (Vintage) Many automobiles until the early 1950s had L-head engines .The valve configuration resembles an upside-down L. These engines are also called flat heads or side valves and are still used in lawnmowers, generators, and other industrial engines. The advantage of the L-head is that it is less expensive to manufacture. Its main disadvantage is that it produces more exhaust emissions than other engine designs. The flat head is also limited in its compression ratio and valve lift (the height of the valve opening). Increased valve lift would require more clearance in the combustion chamber, which would lower compression. I-Head The overhead valve (OHV) engine found in todays cars is known as an I-head or valve-in-head engine. It breathes better than the flat head because it has a more direct path of air-fuel flow. I -heads also create less smog because they have less surface area in the combustion chamber; more surface area causes more quenched, unburned fuel. Unlike the L-head, an I-head valve job can be performed with the head on the workbench. The head may be cleaned before It is reinstalled so that grinding grit will not enter the engine.

CAMSHAFT LOCATION
The camshaft on I-head engines is located in either the cylinder head or in the cylinder block. The cam-in-block engine is called a pushrod engine, and the camin-head design is called an overhead cam engine (OHC). In a pushrod engine, the camshaft acts on pushrods that operate rocker arms to open the valves. In late-model vehicles, pushrods are found most often on V-type engines. A more popular type of valve operating arrangement for in-line engines is the overhead cam design, or OHC. This type of engine has the camshaft mounted on top of the cylinder head, just above the valve. The OHC is popular for high-speed operation. It has the advantage of having fewer parts and less weight. Some OHC engines have a single overhead cam (SOHC). Each cylinder is provided with two separate Lobes to operate the intake and exhaust valves. Highperformance OHC engines often have two cams per head. This engine design is

called dual overhead cam (DOHC). One cam operates the intake valves; the other operates the exhaust valves.

COMBUSTION CHAMBER DESIGNS

Common combustion chamber designs include the hemi and the wedge. Other chamber designs include the pent-roof and chambers shaped Like a D or a heart. The wedge chamber is mostly used in pushrod engines, with the camshaft located In the block. It has a squish/quench area that causes movement (turbulence) of the air-fuel mixture and cooling of the gases to prevent abnormal combustion. This movement causes more complete burning at lower speeds with less chance of detonation. There are turbulent and no turbulent combustion chambers. Turbulent combustion chambers, like the wedge, can cause air and fuel to separate from each other at high speeds. A no turbulent combustion Chamber, the hemispherical (hemi) design, is more efficient for high-speed use. Because the mixture is centered near the spark plug, the flame spreads evenly. A hemi chamber also allows the use of bigger valves. Sometimes hems have a tendency to spark knock when using lower octane fuels (see Chapter 39). Diesel engines have no chamber in the cylinder head itself. The combustion chamber side of the head is virtually flat. Turbulence and squish in the cylinder Are controlled by the shape of the piston head. A pent-roof combustion chamber is shaped like a V. This design is popular for use with four-valve per cylinder designs. The pent-roof and other newer designs are designed for more efficient combustion and better emission control. In a high swirl chamber, like in the Wedge chamber, areas on the head surface are raised to cause a planned turbulence of the air-fuel mixture.

SPARK AND COMPRESSION IGNITION

Although this text does not deal specifically with diesel engines, most of the automobile engine information included here applies to light-duty diesel engines found in some passenger cars and light trucks. Diesel-cycle and four-cycle gasoline engines share the same basic Principles of operation. The difference is in the way the fuels are ignited. The gasoline engine is called a spark ignition (S.I.) engine. A spark is created in the ignition system. A distributor, geared to the camshaft, times and distributes The spark to the spark plug at exactly the correct instant. Late-model engines have computer-controlled spark ignition. Many new engines have distributor less Ignition systems (D.I.S.) with ignition coils that are triggered by the computer in response to a signal from a camshaft or crankshaft sensor.

Two-Stroke Cycle:
A two-stroke engine can be made smaller and lighter than a four-stroke engine of comparable size. Two strokes, used for years in outboards, chainsaws, and motorcycles, use a mixture of oil and gasoline for lubrication of the crank, rod, and piston. Some of the new designs for automobiles have crankcases lubricated with pumped oil. A two-stroke engine has a power stroke every crankshaft revolution. The twostroke cycle begins with the piston at TDC on the power stroke. The cylinder has Intake and exhaust ports, which are openings in the side of the cylinder .As the piston reaches the bottom of the power stroke, the exhaust port is opened to release exhaust gases. Shortly after the exhaust port opens, the intake port opens and the air-fuel mixture is pushed into the cylinder. This action also helps to push the exhaust out. As the piston moves up on its compression stroke, both the intake and exhaust ports are covered.