Four Stroke Engine

The four stroke engine was first demonstrated by Nikolaus Otto in 18761, hence it is also known as the Otto cycle. The technically correct term is actually four stroke cycle. The four stroke engine is probably the most common engine type nowadays. t powers almost all cars and trucks.

The four strokes of the cycle are intake, compression, power, and e!haust. "ach corresponds to one full stroke of the piston, therefore the complete cycle re#uires two re$olutions of the crankshaft to complete.

Intake. %uring the intake stroke, the piston mo$es downward, drawing a fresh charge of $apori&ed fuel'air mi!ture. The illustrated engine features a (poppet( intake $al$e which is drawn open by the $acuum produced by the intake stroke. )ome early engines worked this way, howe$er most modern engines incorporate an e!tra cam'lifter arrangement as seen on the e!haust $al$e. The e!haust $al$e is held shut by a spring *not illustrated here+.

Compression. ,s the piston rises the poppet $al$e is forced shut by the increased cylinder pressure. -lywheel momentum dri$es the piston upward, compressing the fuel'air mi!ture.

Power. ,t the top of the compression stroke the spark plug fires, igniting the compressed fuel. ,s the fuel burns it e!pands, dri$ing the piston downward.

Exhaust. ,t the bottom of the power stroke, the e!haust $al$e is opened by the cam'lifter mechanism. The upward stroke of the piston dri$es the e!hausted fuel out of the cylinder.

This animation also illustrates a simple ignition system using breaker points, coil, condenser, and battery. .arger four stroke engines usually include more than one cylinder, ha$e $arious arrangements for the camshaft *dual, o$erhead, etc.+, sometimes feature fuel in/ection, turbochargers, multiple $al$es, etc. None of these enhancements changes the basic operation of the engine. 0ome "ngines 1ibliography
Copyright 2000, Matt Keveney. All rights reserved.

Two Stroke Engine

The two stroke engine employs the crankcase as well as the cylinder to achie$e all the elements of the Otto cycle in only two strokes of the piston.

Intake. The fuel'air mi!ture is first drawn into the crankcase by the $acuum created during the upward stroke of the piston. The illustrated engine features a poppet intake $al$e, howe$er many engines use a rotary $alue incorporated into the crankshaft.

%uring the downward stroke the poppet $al$e is forced closed by the increased crankcase pressure. The fuel mi!ture is then compressed in the crankcase during the remainder of the stroke.

Transfer/Exhaust. Toward the end of the stroke, the piston e!poses the intake port, allowing the compressed fuel'air mi!ture in the crankcase to escape around the piston into the main cylinder. This e!pels the e!haust gasses out the e!haust port, usually located on the opposite side of the cylinder. 2nfortunately, some of the fresh fuel mi!ture is usually e!pelled as well.

Compression. The piston then rises, dri$en by flywheel momentum, and compresses the fuel mi!ture. *,t the same time, another intake stroke is happening beneath the piston+.

Power. ,t the top of the stroke the spark plug ignites the fuel mi!ture. The burning fuel e!pands, dri$ing the piston downward, to complete the cycle.

)ince the two stroke engine fires on e$ery re$olution of the crankshaft, a two stroke engine is usually more powerful than a four stroke engine of e#ui$alent si&e. This, coupled with their lighter, simpler construction, makes two stroke engines popular in chainsaws, line trimmers, outboard motors, snowmobiles, /et3skis, light motorcycles, and model airplanes. 2nfortunately most two stroke engines are inefficient and are terrible polluters due to the amount of unspent fuel that escapes through the e!haust port. 0ome "ngines 1ibliography
Copyright 2000, Matt Keveney. All rights reserved.

Jet Propulsion
($e grudgingly included this section by popular re#uest. 4ocket and turbo/et engines are fabulous technological achie$ements331ut they(re so simple the animations are boring5 ...,t least think so. 6ou be the /udge5

Rocket

The rocket engine is the simplest of this family, so (ll start with it.

n order to work in outer space, rocket engines must carry their own supply of o!ygen as well as fuel. The mi!ture is in/ected into the combustion chamber where it burns continuously. The high3 pressure gas escapes through the no&&le, causing thrust in the opposite direction.

To illustrate the principle yourself, inflate a toy balloon and release it *without tying it off5+. . ..rocket propulsion at its simplest.

Turbojet

The turbo/et employs the same principle as the rocket. t burns o!ygen from the atmosphere instead of carrying a supply along.

Notice the similarities7 -uel continuously burns inside a combustion chamber /ust like the rocket. The e!panding gasses escape out the no&&le generating thrust in the opposite direction.

Now the differences7 On its way out the no&&le, some of the gas pressure is used to dri$e a turbine. , turbine is a series of rotors or fans connected to a single shaft. 1etween each pair of rotors is a stator 33 something like a stationary fan. The stators realign the gas flow to most effecti$ely direct it toward the blades of the ne!t rotor.

,t the front of the engine, the turbine shaft dri$es a compressor. The compressor works a lot like the turbine only in re$erse. ts purpose is to draw air into the engine and pressuri&e it.

Turbo/et engines are most efficient at high altitudes, where the thin air renders propellers almost useless.

Turboprop

The turboprop is similar to the turbo/et, e!cept that most of the no&&le gas pressure dri$es the turbine shaft 33 by the time the gas gets past the turbine, there(s $ery little pressure left to create thrust. nstead, the shaft is geared to a propeller which creates the ma/ority of the thrust. (8et( helicopters work the same way, e!cept that their engines are connected to the main rotor shaft instead of a propeller. Turboprops are more fuel efficient than turbo/ets at low altitudes, where the thicker air gi$es a propeller a lot more (traction.( This makes them popular on planes used for short flights, where the time spent at low altitudes represents a greater percentage of the o$erall flight time.

Turbofan

The turbofan is something like a compromise between a pure turbo/et and a turboprop. t works like the turbo/et, e!cept that the turbine shaft also dri$es an e!ternal fan, usually located at the front of the engine. The fan has more blades than a propeller and spins much faster. t also features a shroud around its perimeter, which helps to capture and focus the air flowing through it. These features enable the fan to generate some thrust at high altitudes, where a propeller would be ineffecti$e.

9uch of the thrust still comes from the e!haust /et, but the addition of the fan makes the engine more fuel efficient than a pure turbo/et. 9ost modern /etliners now feature turbofan engines. ,s you can see all of these engines are conceptually $ery simple, and ha$e $ery few mo$ing parts, making them e!tremely reliable. They also ha$e an e!cellent power3to3weight ratio, which is partly why they(re so popular in aircraft. .ike most of my illustrations, these are e!tremely simplified. Turbine engines often employ more than one shaft and ha$e other more comple! features that really don(t understand and, frankly, don(t care to in$estigate further. -or some terrific illustrations and a lot more information on these engines, see the N,), web site7 http7''www.grc.nasa.go$':::';31<'airplane'shortp.html ...Now, don(t you think the other engine pages are a lot more fun= 0ome "ngines 1ibliography
Copyright 2001, Matt Keveney. All rights reserved.