c Introduction

The four-stroke engine was first patented by Alphonse Beau de Rochas in 1861.
Before, in about 1854±57, two Italians (Eugenio Barsanti and Felice Matteucci)
invented an engine that was rumored to be very similar, but the patent was lost.

In 1862, a man by the name of Alphonse Beau de Rochas earned a patent for the
invention of the four-stroke engine. He had the ideas and design for it, but he never
built an actual working engine. German inventor Nikolaus Otto began expanding
on Alphonse Beau de Rochas' ideas, and 14 years later, in 1876 he assembled the
first four-stroke internal combustion engine along with the help of two gentleman
named Wilhelm Maybach and Gottlieb Daimler. The original Otto engine used
only one cylinder and several parts were mounted on the outside of the engine,
which caused problems due to the collection of dirt and grime that interfered with
the engine's performance.

Otto cycle is considered to be one of the most commonly used practical cycles.
Present days¶ all four stroke internal combustion (IC) engines used in your
gasoline cars, trucks, motorcycles, constructions machines etc work on the
principle of four strokes of Otto cycle. The internal combustion engine working on
the principle of Otto cycle is called Spark Ignition (SI) engine in which used
gasoline as the fuel. The four strokes of the Otto cycle or four-stroke engine are
suction of fuel, compression of fuel, combustion and expansion of fuel and exhaust
of burnt fuel.

Otto cycle and Otto engine are common terms used interchangeably to represent a
four-stroke internal combustion engine as seen on most cars. The term arose from
the original engine's inventor, Nikolaus Otto. He created an engine that would
evolve into the four-stroke engine mass produced for most vehicles. Running in an
ideal state, the engine is meant to be thermally efficient, meaning it produces a low
amount of heat and waste in proportion to the material it consumes. Key
characteristics that define Otto engines are the use of cylinders and spark plugs to
ignite the gaseous mixture which will drive the vehicle forward.
 c £orking of Otto Cycle

To understand how a propulsion system works, we must study the basic

thermodynamics of gases. Gases have various properties that we can observe with
our senses, including the gas pressure p, temperature T, mass, and volume V that
contains the gas. Careful, scientific observation has determined that
these variables are related to one another, and the values of these properties
determine the state of the gas.

A thermodynamic process, such as heating or compressing the gas, changes the

values of the state variables in a manner which is described by the laws of
thermodynamics. The work done by a gas and the heat transferred to a gas depend
on the beginning and ending states of the gas and on the process used to change the
state. The state is changed during each process, but the gas eventually returns to its
original state. Such a series of processes is called a cycle and forms the basis for
understanding engine operation.

The four strokes of the cycle are intake, compression, power, and exhaust. Each
corresponds to one full stroke of the piston; therefore, the complete cycle requires
two revolutions of the crankshaft to complete.

’ Intake

During the intake stroke, the piston moves downward, drawing a fresh charge of
vaporized fuel/air mixture. The illustrated engine features a poppet intake valve
which is drawn open by the vacuum produced by the intake stroke. Some early
engines worked this way; however, most modern engines incorporate an extra
cam/lifter arrangement as seen on the exhaust valve. The exhaust valve is held shut
by a spring

2 Compression

As the piston rises, the poppet valve is forced shut by the increased cylinder
pressure. Flywheel momentum drives the piston upward, compressing the fuel/air
mixture.
·
ower

At the top of the compression stroke, the spark plug fires, igniting the compressed
fuel. As the fuel burns it expands, driving the piston downward.

4 aust

At the bottom of the power stroke, the exhaust valve is opened by the cam/lifter
mechanism. The upward stroke of the piston drives the exhausted fuel out of the
cylinder.

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cdibliograpy:

c http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-stroke_engine
c http://www.eng.warwick.ac.uk/oel/courses/engine/ic018.htm