INTERNAL

COMBUSTION
ENGINES

Engineering Utilities II
Jeferson Sabio | BSCE 3A
CE 314
 Introduction

An engine is a device which transforms the

chemical energy of a fuel into thermal energy and
uses this energy to produce mechanical work.
Engines normally convert thermal energy into
mechanical work and, therefore, they are called
heat engines. When fuel burns in the presence of
atmospheric air, a tremendous amount of heat
energy is released. The products of combustion
attain a very high temperature. A heat engine
converts the released heat energy into useful
work with the help of a working fluid.
 Types

Heat engines are broadly classified into External Combustion Engines (EC Engines) and
Internal Combustion Engines (IC Engines).

The main difference between external and internal combustion engine is that in EC
engines, combustion takes place outside the cylinder and heat is then transferred to the
working fluid. On the other hand, in IC engines the working fluid burns inside the cylinder.

There are two principal types of IC engines: rotary and reciprocating engines.
 Types

In rotary engines, a rotor rotates inside the engine

to produce power.

The most successful rotary engine is the Wankel

engine. Developed by the German engineer Felix
Wankel in 1956, it has a disk that looks like a
triangle with bulging sides rotating inside a
cylinder shaped like a figure eight with a thick
waist.
 Types

In reciprocating engines, a piston reciprocates

within a cylinder. The piston moves up and
down. The top portion of the piston where
valves are located is called Top dead center
(TDC), and the opposite extreme down
portion of the piston is called Bottom dead
center (BDC).

The air or air-fuel mixture is drawn into the

cylinder through the Intake valve and the
combustion products are expelled from the
cylinder through the Exhaust valve.
 Types

Reciprocating engines are classified into two types: spark ignition (SI) engines and
compression ignition (CI) engines. Since reciprocating engines are the most widely used
engines, they have become synonymous with the name IC engines. It is this reason that
even the IC engines are broadly classified into these two types.
 Principle

SI engines or petrol engines, work by mixing

vaporized fuel with air, compressing the
mixture and then igniting it at the correct
moment by the electrical discharge of a spark
plug set into the cylinder.
 Principle

CI engines or diesel engines on the other hand

ignite their fuel by the heating effect when a
charge of air is compressed suddenly enough;
finely atomized fuel droplets are sprayed at very
high pressure into the cylinder through the
injector nozzle at the appropriate moment when
the temperature is high enough to cause ignition.
 Difference between SI and CI engines

The main difference between a petrol engine and

a diesel engine is a petrol engine draws a mixture
of petrol and air during the suction stroke
whereas a diesel engine draws only air during the
suction stroke.

The SI engine works on the Otto cycle. It is easy to

start, lighter and cheaper, It has a high running
cost and low maintenance cost.

The CI engine works on the diesel cycle. It difficult

to start, heavier and costlier, It has low running
cost and high maintenance cost.
 Process

In IC engines, the combustion takes place

inside the cylinder, therefore the thermal
energy of the fuel is directly converted into
mechanical work.

The IC engine has a higher thermal efficiency

than the thermal efficiency of EC engines. In
internal combustion engines, when
the IC engine is working continuously, a cycle
may be considered starting from any strokes.
The IC engine has four steps to complete one
cycle as follows:

1 Suction 2 Compression 3 Power 4 Exhaust

 Process

1 Suction

At the beginning of the suction stroke the piston is close

to TDC. The intake valve is opened, the piston starts to
move towards the BDC. Air (or air-fuel mixture) is drawn
into the cylinder. This stroke is called INTAKE because
fresh air/mixture is taken into the engine. The intake
stroke ends when the piston is at the BDC.
 Process

2 Compression

The compression stroke starts with the piston at BDC,

after the intake stroke is finished. During the
compression stroke both valves, intake and exhaust, are
closed, and the pistons moves towards TDC. With both
valves closed, the air/mixture is compressed, reaching
maximum pressure when the piston is close to TDC.
Before the piston reaches the TDC (but very close to it),
during the compression stroke:

for petrol engine: the spark is generated

for diesel engines: fuel is injected
 Process

3 Power

The power stroke starts with the piston at TDC. Both

valves, intake and exhaust, are still closed. The air-fuel
mixture combustion started at the end of the
compression stroke, which causes a significant increase
of pressure inside the cylinder. The pressure inside the
cylinder pushes the piston down, towards the BDC.
 Process

4 Exhaust

The exhaust stroke starts with the piston at the BDC,

after the power stroke finished. During this stroke, the
exhaust valve is open. The movement of the piston from
the BDC towards the TDC pushes most of the exhaust
gases out of the cylinder, into the exhaust pipes.
 Parts
A reciprocating Engine consist of the Camshaft
following parts:
Piston

Flywheel

Connecting rod
Camshaft
Drive Belt
Crankshaft
Sump
 Parts

Cylinder
is made up of steel or aluminum alloys
is where piston makes to and for a motion to develop power
withstand high pressure and temperature

Cylinder Head
is fitted at the top of the cylinder
is made up of steel or aluminum alloys
is provided with copper or asbestos gasket in between the cylinder and the
cylinder head to make it airtight

Piston Rings
are circular rings made up of special steel alloys
are housed in circumferential grooves of the piston
retain elastic properties even at a higher temperature
are provided with an airtight seal
 Parts

Piston
is made of aluminum alloys.
is the moving component of a reciprocating engine
is connected with the connecting rod and transfer power from the engine to the
crankshaft

Connecting Rod
is a link between the piston and the crankshaft
transmits the force from the piston to the crankshaft

Crankshaft
is made of special steel alloys
converts the reciprocating motion of a piston into rotary motion with the help of
the connecting rod
 Parts

Crankcase
is made of cast iron
holds the cylinder and crankshaft of the engine
also serves as a storing place for lubricating oil

Valves
are provided on the cylinder head
are used to take the fresh mixture into the cylinder (inlet valve)
are used to expel burnt gases from the cylinder (exhaust valve)

Flywheel
is a big solid wheel mounted on a crankshaft of an IC Engine
stores excess energy during power and gives out during the compression stroke
transmit the engine power and to smooth out the individual impulses of the
pistons so that the power flows evenly
 Parts

Spark plug
is used for igniting the charge in a petrol engine
also serves as a sump (storing place) for lubricating oi
Fuel Injector
is used in diesel engines where high-pressure fuel is sprayed
controls the timing and quantity of fuel sprayed inside the cylinder

Camshaft
is a pear-shaped lobes which activate the valves ─ usually one inlet and one

Sump
contains the lubricating oil for the engine’s moving parts

Combustion Chamber
is where the fuel or air mixture is burned
Application

Following are some of the applications of internal combustion engine:

used in road vehicles like scooters, motorcycles, buses etc.
it is also used in aircraft
commonly used in motorboats
lawnmowers, chainsaws, and portable engine-generators
 References

Gupta, H N. Fundamentals of Internal Combustion Engines. 2nd ed., PHI Learning Private Limited, 2013.

https://pediaa.com/difference-between-internal-and-external-combustion-engine/

https://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/science/tech/terms/internalcombustion-engine/rotary-engines

https://learnmechanical.com/reciprocating-engine/

https://www.brighthubengineering.com/machine-design/1401-types-of-internal-combustion-ic-engines/

http://www.fao.org/3/ah810e/AH810E09.htm

https://www.theengineerspost.com/internal-combustion-engines/

https://x-engineer.org/automotive-engineering/internal-combustion-engines/ice-components-
systems/how-an-internal-combustion-engine-works/