GASOLINE ENGINE

 A petrol engine (known as a gasoline engine in North America) is

an internal combustion engine with spark-ignition, designed to run on
petrol (gasoline) and similar volatile fuels.
 Most widely used form of internal-combustion engine, found in
most automobiles and many other vehicles. Gasoline engines vary
significantly in size, weight per unit of power generated, and
arrangement of components. The principal type is the reciprocating-
piston engine. In four-stroke engines, each cycle requires four strokes of
the piston — intake, compression, power (expansion), and exhaust —
and two revolutions of the crankshaft. In a two-stroke cycle, the
compression and power strokes of the four-stroke cycle are carried out
without the inlet and exhaust strokes, in one upstroke and one
downstroke of the piston and one revolution of the crankshaft. The size,
weight, and cost of the engine per horsepower are therefore less, and
two-stroke-cycle engines are used in smaller motorcycles, most marine
motors, and many handheld landscaping tools.
 It differs from a diesel engine in the method of mixing
the fuel and air, and in the fact that it uses spark plugs to
initiate the combustion process. In a diesel engine, only
air is compressed (and therefore heated), and the fuel is
injected into the now very hot air at the end of the
compression stroke, and self-ignites. In a petrol engine,
the fuel and air are usually pre-mixed before
compression (although some modern petrol engines now
use cylinder-direct petrol injection). The pre-mixing was
formerly done in a carburetor, but now (except in the
smallest engines) it is done by electronically-
controlled fuel injection. Pre-mixing of fuel and air
allows a petrol engine to run at a much higher speed than
a diesel, but severely limits their compression, and thus
efficiency
 The invention of the gasoline engine represents a landmark in
the history of mankind.  The gasoline engine was the first
attempt to make use of the liquid fuel for transportation.  The
internal combustion engine was not the first engine to be
invented. Steam engines had become very popular before the
first IC engine was invented. However, it had been conclusively
proved that steam and coal engines were not suitable for
personal transportation.  A steam engine was good enough to
carry hundreds of passengers at once. However, it could not be
fitted into a vehicle to carry just one or two individuals.  
Gasoline engine history was made when the Otto cycle was
perfected.  The four stroke engine involves:
 -inflow of air and fuel during the first stroke
-compression of the air fuel mixture in the second stroke 
-combustion of the mixture in the third stroke 
-removal of exhaust from the engine in the fourth stroke. 
 Other types of gasoline engines like the Wenkel rotary engine caught the fancy of
car manufacturers for a short period of time. However, nothing came close to
overtaking the standard gasoline internal combustion engine.

Over the years, modifications to the gasoline engine have increased.  However, the
basic design continues to remain the same. Gasoline engine parts consist of
cylinders, pistons, crankshaft and camshaft that the work in tandem with valves and
connecting rods to transmit the torque generated by the engine to the transmission.  

The earliest cylinders were made of iron.  Today, cast iron and aluminum is
preferred to make the engine block.  Aluminum is preferred for pistons because of
its ability to withstand heat. The process of engine manufacturing has changed
beyond recognition.  However, this is only because of the changes that have taken
placed in the past two or three decades.  It was only when electronics became
popular did the gasoline engine manufacturers make basic changes to the design.
The carburetor was replaced by fuel injection system.  The fuel injection system
was mated to its electronic control which in turn was converted into a computerized
chip.
 The quality of gasoline used has changed with additives and detergents cleansing
the engine even as the fuel is burnt.  The quality of oil has changed. The first
gasoline engine made a lot of noise and consumed gallons of oil just to push the
automobile a few kilometers. Today, makers are fitting super powerful and compact
engines that offer unimaginably high mileage as compared to the early versions.  
 The process of improvement has not have come to an end. 
Gasoline engines cause more pollution as compared to all other
types of engines. Further, it is universally acknowledged as the
truth that diesel engines generate more power and work more
efficiently as compared to these engines.  However, a lot of time
has been spent in overcoming the flaws of the diesel engine.  This
is often cited as the reason why gasoline engines have become
more popular despite not being the best option available.
 Gasoline engines revolutionized the personal transportation
industry. Popular perception plays a major role in people
preferring gasoline engines over diesel engines. The diesel engine
is considered ideal for trucks and heavy vehicles and petrol
engines are considered suitable for passenger cars. However, the
gasoline engine has been vilified for causing a lot of pollution.
The boom in auto production that followed the 2nd World War saw
more emphasis on profits and volumes rather than protection of
the environment. It was only in the 70's that concern about drying
up of fossil fuels and negative impact of even the best gasoline
engine on the environment became a matter of concern.
 Automobiles are one of the biggest polluters in the world today.
Combustion of fuel leads to emission of carbon dioxide and other
green house gases. Further, improper combustion of fuel in the
engine leads to emission of poisonous gases like SO2 and
NO2 into the atmosphere. Conditions are certainly not bad as they
were a few decades ago. More and more importance is being
attached to manufacturing zero emission engines. From
government intervention to growing awareness amongst the
masses- numerous factors have played a role in the manufacture
of better and less polluting engines.  
 Your best precautions will go waste if you do not maintain the
engine properly. Poor maintenance is the primary reason why the
engine pollutes the environment. From the quality of the engine
oil to the frequency of engine servicing and tune-ups, all these
factors are very important as far as emission control is concerned.
 WORKING CYCLES
 Four Stroke Cycle

 1. INTAKE stroke: On the intake or induction stroke of the piston , the piston descends from the top of the
cylinder to the bottom of the cylinder, reducing the pressure inside the cylinder. A mixture of fuel and air is
forced by atmospheric (or greater) pressure into the cylinder through the intake port. The intake valve(s) then
close.
 2. COMPRESSION stroke: With both intake and exhaust valves closed, the piston returns to the top of the
cylinder compressing the fuel-air mixture. This is known as the compression stroke.
 3. POWER stroke.: While the piston is close to Top Dead Center, the compressed air–fuel mixture is ignited,

usually by a spark plug (for a gasoline or Otto cycle engine) or by the heat and pressure of compression (for a 
diesel cycle or compression ignition engine). The resulting massive pressure from the combustion of the
compressed fuel-air mixture drives the piston back down toward bottom dead center with tremendous force.
This is known as the power stroke, which is the main source of the engine's torque and power.
 4. EXHAUST stroke.: During the exhaust stroke, the piston once again returns to top dead center while the

exhaust valve is open. This action evacuates the products of combustion from the cylinder by pushing the
spent fuel-air mixture through the exhaust valve(s).