Cylinder Knock

Understanding Causes, Symptoms, and Progression

 Introduction to Cylinder Knock
 Normal Combustion – flame ignites at the spark &
travels uniformly across the cylinder
– Compresses unburned gas in cylinder as it spreads evenly
• Unburned gas heats up from the compression & radiation of the
advancing flame front

 Knock – oscillations created by spontaneous ignition

in portions of the air/fuel mixture before or after the
spark event
– Often occurs in the presence of high cylinder pressures
– Can lead to further pressure oscillations in the cylinder
– More likely as temperatures in the cylinder increases
– Sometimes referred to as Spark Knock or Pinging
– May or may not be audible
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 Normal Flame Propagation
 Stage One – Spark ignites mixture at spark plug gap
– Mixture : fuel, air, EGR, residuals from previous cycle
– Higher cylinder pressure can lead to higher spark voltage
 Stage Two – Flame spreads from the initial
flame front to the remaining portions of
the cylinder
– Rate of propagation depends on:
• Temperature of flame front
• Temperature & Density of
the air/fuel mixture in the
remaining portions of the cylinder
• Amount of Turbulence & Swirl
in the cylinder

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 Causes of Abnormal Combustion
 Detonation– gases throughout cylinder
spontaneously ignite ahead of the flame front
following spark event
– Stage One : Flame Front increases compression & heat
– Stage Two : Flame Front ignited by heat and compression
rather than normal propagation
 Abnormal cylinder conditions can occur from:
– Fuel Quality–constituents in fuel (low methane number*)
– Compression Ratio – higher ratios are more prone to knock
– Temperature of Mixture – heat increases likelihood of knock
– Mixture Strength – insufficient EGR added to mixture
– Engine Speed – Advancing the ignition timing tends to
increases cylinder pressure and temperature**
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 Results of Abnormal Combustion
 Pinging – a high pitched sound associated with two
flame fronts colliding with each other
– Generated by acoustic vibration of combustion chamber
contents at a resonant frequency
 Physical Damage–destruction of
cylinder components
– Can lead to gradual deterioration of
the piston crown
– Shock waves can cause pitting of the
boundary layer
– Knock intensity can create hot spots in cylinder components
– Can lead to significant loss in power
 Pre-Ignition – Can become so hot in cylinder the
air/fuel mixture begins to ignite before spark event
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Progression from Detonation to Pre-Ignition
 Hot Spots – Shockwaves from knock can increase
temperatures in components prone to absorb heat
– Combustion deposits such as Carbon
– Spark Plug Insulator or Electrode
– Hot spots in the cylinder can lead
to gases igniting before the spark
event (Pre-Ignition)
– Leads to further breakdown of
piston & cylinder wall
– Shockwaves/damage can be
more significant with Pre-ignition
– Breakdown of the cylinder walls
eventually leads to component failure
– Pre-ignition can transition from light
to heavy knock*
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Knock Detection Example
 Light knock threshold - Protects against light to mild
knock. Actions taken include a combination of spark
timing adjustments and mild throttle de-rating. Amber
warning lamp with a mild de-rate.
 Heavy knock threshold - Activated if the light knock
protection fails to eliminate knock or if a severe knock
condition is detected. Results in a severe throttle de-
rate with a red lamp will light during this condition.
 Cold knock threshold - Provides severe protection
while the engine and sensor system is reaching a
stable operating temperature. Amount of time for this
threshold is a function of coolant temperature at the
time of startup

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 Methods of Controlling Knock (Engine)
 Retard Engine Timing – decreases cylinder pressure
 Decrease Fuel – decreasing the concentration of fuel
to the mixture can decrease temperature of flame
 Cooled EGR* – incorporating EGR into the cylinder
can absorb combustion heat
 Inlet Air Temperature – incorporating charge air
cooling can significantly decrease air temperature
 Cooling – monitoring of coolant temperatures ensures
optimum cylinder temperatures can be maintained
 Mixture Pressure** – monitoring pressure before
entering the cylinder provides information to the ECM
critical to avoid pre-ignition
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 Methods of Controlling Knock (Technician)
 Fuel Quality - Ensure the fuel meets the Cummins
specifications for the particular engine
– Constituents/additives can ignite at lower temperatures
– Octane rating or methane number must be sufficient
 Cooling – Ensure proper deaeration of coolant to
maintain optimum cylinder temperatures
 Ensure charge air cooling system is functioning
 Ensure the correct Cummins spark plug is installed**
 Ensure EGR Valve/Systems is free of obstruction
 Ensure Throttle is working properly
 Ensure Wastegate Control Valve is not stuck*
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 Octane Rating of Fuels

 Octane Rating –
measurement of how
much a gas can be
compressed before
spontaneously
igniting.
– Higher octane rated
fuels require higher
compression &
temperature to ignite
the fuel
– Gasoline – 87 to 93
– CNG – 120-140 *

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 Methane Number of CNG

 Methane Number– scale to

calculate knock potential of
natural gas relative to the
reference fuel.
– Uses a scale from 0 to 100
using two distinct gases as
references
– Low Reference - Hydrogen
– High Reference - Methane
– Methane Number can vary
depending upon ambient
environmental temperatures

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 Evidence of Knock
 Spark Plugs – Damage to the spark
plug is evidence of detonation or pre-
ignition in the cylinder
 Bore Scope – small camera
to observe cylinder
– Observe Piston, Valves or
Cylinder wall damage
– Scope inserted through the
spark plug seat
 Exhaust Manifold– inspect valves
and exhaust manifold on the for signs
of detonation debris

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 Piston Damage from Knock

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 Piston Damage from Knock cont.

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 Knock Sensor Functionality
 Knock Sensors - vibration sensors that are
suitable for detecting acoustic oscillation.
– Piezoceramic element oscillates in the same
rhythm as the vibrations causing them.
• Voltage is generated in the ceramic plates
in the knock sensor.
• Transmits AC signal to ECM for analysis
• If voltage is beyond programmed threshold, logs a
fault code
– Fault Code varies depending up on level of knock
detected
– False fault codes can be present under some conditions*
– AC signal cannot be measured with a volt meter

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 Knock Control System Overview
Crankshaft
Speed
Position Sensor
Outputs
Increase
Process Mass Air Flow Decrease
Derate*
Mass Gas Flow Decrease
Input
Retard
Input
Retard

Increase
Input

Feedback
Front Increase
EGR
Valve

Feedback Rear
Mass
Air *ECM commands a Torque Derate if other methods
of controlling knock are not affective
Flow

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