Engine components
This lecture is part from Prof. Saleh Aboelfadl
lectures
Mechanical Power Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering
Assiut University
Combustion Engines
➢Internal: fuel is burned within the engine (Petrol and Diesel engine)
➢External: combustion is external to the engine (Steam engine, Gas
turbine)
Classification of IC engines
• Working cycle. Four-stroke cycle:
Classification of IC engines
• Working cycle. Two-stroke cycle:
Classification of IC engines
• Fuel.
▪ Gasoline (or petrol),
▪ fuel oil (or diesel fuel),
▪ natural gas,
▪ liquid petroleum gas (LPG),
▪ alcohols (methanol, ethanol),
▪ hydrogen
Classification of IC engines
• Method of ignition.
➢ Spark ignition (SI): A high-voltage electrical discharge between two electrodes ignites
the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber surrounding the spark plug.
➢ Compression ignition (CI): air-fuel mixture self-ignites due to high temperature in the
combustion chamber caused by high compression, Diesel engine
Classification of IC engines
• Position and number of cylinders.
Single cylinder engine In-line cylinder engine V engine Opposed engine
Classification of IC engines
• Position and number of cylinders.
[Link] File:Packard DR-980 [Link]
W engine Radial engine
Classification of IC engines
• Method of cooling. Water cooled, air cooled, uncooled (other than by
natural convection and radiation)
❖Water cooled engine
❖Air cooled engine
Internal Combustion Engine
Components
Four-Stroke Engine Operation
Intake Stroke:
❖ Crankshaft turns and pulls the connecting rod and
piston down (from TDC to BDC) into the cylinder
which creates a low-pressure inside the cylinder.
❖ The atmospheric air enters the cylinder due to the
pressure difference carrying the fuel in the spark
ignition engine pushes air-fuel mixture
❖ The intake valve is opened in this stroke while the
exhaust is closed.
Four-Stroke Engine Operation
Compression Stroke
❖ Begins at BDC after the intake stroke completes
❖ Intake valve closes during compression stroke as the piston
moves up in the cylinder
❖ The exhaust valve is closed also
❖ The mixture of air fuel is compresses and its temperature is
increased.
❖ In the case of diesel engine, air is compressed only and the
diesel fuel is injected into the combustion chamber prior the
piston reaches the TDC.
❖ Makes it easier to burn
Four-Stroke Engine Operation
❖ Power Stroke
❖ Air-fuel mixture becomes flammable as the piston
approaches TDC
❖ Ignition system produces a spark at the spark plug and
ignites the air-fuel mixture in the spark ignition engines
❖ In the case of diesel engine, the fuel is injected through
the fuel injector under high pressure. Therefore, the fuel is
atomized and evaporated. The fuel is self-ignited due to
the high temperature of air.
❖ In both cases, the flame front progresses through the
combustion chamber volume burning the remaining part
of fuel.
❖ The combustion gases temperature increases rapidly.
Therefore, the in-cylinder pressure increases also.
❖ The gases forces the piston down until it reaches BDC
❖ The action of the piston turns the crankshaft.
Four-Stroke Engine Operation
❖Exhaust Stroke
❖ The exhaust valve opens as the piston approaches the BDC
and allows the burned gases to escape
❖ The expanding gases are forced through the opened valve
❖ The piston moves up From BDC to TDC in the cylinder
forces remaining gases out
❖ The exhaust valve closes a few degrees past TDC
❖ One four-stroke cycle takes two 360-degree crankshaft
revolutions
• Intake and exhaust valves open once
• Ignition occurs once
Engine Components
The following is the list of major components found in most reciprocating internal
combustion engines
Block: Body of the engine containing the cylinders made of cast iron or aluminum. In many older
engines, the valves and the valve ports were contained in the block. The block of water cooled
engines includes a water jacket cast around the cylinders. On air-cooled engines, the exterior surface
of the block has cooling fins.
Camshaft: Rotating shaft used to push open valves at the proper time in the engine cycle either
directly or through mechanical or hydraulic linkage (push rods, rocker arms, and tappets). Most
modern automobile engines have one or
more camshafts mounted in the engine head (Overhead cam). Older engines had camshafts in the
crankcase. Camshafts are generally made of forged steel or cast iron and driven by the crankshaft by
means of a belt or chain
(Timing chain). To reduce weight, some cams are made from a hollow shaft with the cam lobes press-
fit on. In four-stroke cycle engines, the camshaft rotates at half engine speed.
Catalytic converter: A Chamber mounted in the exhaust flow containing catalytic
material that promotes the reduction of emissions by chemical reaction.
Connecting rod: Linkage connecting piston with rotating crankshaft usually made of
steel alloy forging or aluminum.
Connecting rod bearing: Bearing where connecting rod fastens to crankshaft.
Cooling fins: Metal fins on the outside surfaces of cylinders and head of an air cooled
engine. These extended surfaces cool the cylinders by conduction and convection.
Crankcase: Part of the engine block surrounding the rotating crankshaft> in many
engines the oil pan makes up part of the crankcase housing. In some high performance
engines the crankcase is designed with windows between the piston bays to allow free
airflow between bays. This is to reduce air pressure buildup on the backside of the
pistons during power and intake strokes.
Crankshaft: Rotating shaft through which engine work output is supplied to external systems.
The crankshaft is connected to the engine block with the main bearings. It is rotated by the
reciprocating pistons through connecting rods connected to the crankshaft, offset from the axis of
rotation. This offset is called crank radius. Most crankshafts are made of forged steel, while some
are made of cast iron.
Basic Components of Four-Stroke Engines
Camshaft
Camshaft
Intake Valve
Intake Valve
Exhaust Valve
Exhaust Valve
Valve Cover
Valve Cover Spark Plug
Spark Plug
Intake Port
Intake Port Exhaust Port
Exhaust Port
Head
Head
Piston
Piston
Connecting Rod
Connecting Rod
Coolant
Coolant
Rod Bearings
Rod Bearings
Engine Block
Engine Block
Crankshaft
Crankshaft
Oil Pan
Oil Pan
Oil Sump
Oil Sump
Engine assembly
Cylinder Block
❖ It is a body of engine containing the cylinders made of cast iron
or aluminum.
❖ In many older engines the valves and the valve ports were
contained in the block.
❖ The block of water cooled engines includes a water jacket cast
around the cylinders.
❖ On air cooled engines the exterior surface of the block has
cooling fins.
❖ The block contains oil passages for lubricating the engine
parts.
❖ Crankshaft and bearings are in the crankcase
❖ Main bearing bores accommodate the crankshaft
❖ Main bearing caps allow for installation and removal of the
crankshaft
❖ Cylinder head gasket fits between the head and the deck
Cylinders
❖ It is a cylindrical holes in which the pistons reciprocate.
❖ It may be:
❑ Inblock (machined holes in the engine block)
❑ Liners
• Wet liners (hollow cylinders fastened in the engine
block and rounded by water completely)
• Dry liners (hollow cylinders are fitted in the engine
block (interference fit))
❖ Cylinder bore is the diameter of cylinder
❖ During engine overhaul, cylinder is checked for:
❑ Excessive wear (oversize)
❑ Out-of Round
❑ Taper
Piston
❖ The piston is a cylinder opened in one end and connected
to the connecting rod which is connected to the
crankshaft.
❖ The piston moves up and down causing the engine
strokes.
❖ The piston is made from aluminum and it must has a light
weight fro reducing the inertia. Also, it must be rigid
enough to sustain the pressure and temperature.
❖ The piston has rings for sealing and lubricating
❖ The piston has horizontal and vertical grooves for
expansion
Piston Rings
❖ In the four stroke, three rings are fastened in the piston grooves
❖ The top two rings are compression rings (sealing the compression pressure in the cylinder)
❖ The third is an oil ring (scrapes excessive oil from the cylinder walls)
❖ In the two Stroke engine, two Rings are used. Both the rings are Compression rings
Connecting rod
❖ The connecting rod is a forged steel part. It
connects the piston to the crankshaft to convert the
reciprocating piston motion to rotary motion at the
crankshaft.
❖ The connecting rod consists of two parts fastened
to each others by tension bolts.
❖ The connecting rod holes are lined with journal
bearings to allow smooth relative motion between it
and the crankshaft and the piston pin.
❖ It contains a longitudinal groove to transmit oil from
the crankshaft bearing to the piston pin bearing
Crankshaft
❖ It works with connecting rod to change the reciprocating motion to rotary motion.
❖ It transmits the mechanical energy from the engine.
❖ It is made of heat-treated steel alloys.
❖ It contains holes between its bearing journals for transmitting the lubricating oil from the block journals to
the connecting rod journals
❖ It must be completely balanced so you will find some holes in the throws for balancing purpose.
Cylinder head
❖ The cylinder head is made from cast iron or aluminum
that covers the top of the cylinders.
❖ There is a gasket between it and the engine block for
sealing
❖ To form the combustion chamber, together with the
piston crown or in some cases with the liner itself.
❖ To carry the injector and the valves.
❖ It contains the intake valve port and the exhaust valve
port for each cylinder.
❖ It is carry the over head cam system.
❖ It contains water passages connected to the water
passages of the engine block.
❖ It contains oil passages for lubricating the cam-valve
system
Intake manifold
❖ It is a casted flow passage made from cast iron or
aluminum
❖ It has one inlet port receives air from the air filter and
distribute it through branched outlet ports to the inlet ports
in the cylinder head block
❖ The intake manifold is fastened to the cylinder head by
tension bolts.
❖ Gasket is used between the intake manifold and the
cylinder head.
❖ In port injection engines, the intake manifold has holes for
fastening the fuel injectors.
Exhaust system
❖ The exhaust system consists of flow passage
for removing exhaust gases from the cylinders,
treating them, and exhausting them to the
surroundings.
❖ It consists of an exhaust manifold which carries
the exhaust gases away from the engine, a
thermal or catalytic converter to reduce emissions,
a muffler to reduce engine noise, and a tailpipe to
carry the exhaust gases away from the passenger
compartment.
Valves:
❖ Exhaust Valve lets the exhaust gases escape the combustion
chamber. (Diameter is smaller than the Intake valve)
❖ Intake Valve lets the air or air fuel mixture to enter the
combustion chamber. (Diameter is larger than the exhaust
valve)
Valves:
❖ The valve is a poppet valve. The poppet covers the exhaust and the
intake ports
❖ The valve stem passes through the cylinder head block through
lubricated sleeve.
❖ Loaded spring is used and fastened to the valve stem through a cover
for maintain the valve in closed manner
Valve Train
The camshaft rotates at half the crankshaft speed through a
gear arrangement. The camshaft causes an oscillating motion
for the push rods, which moves the rocker arms. The rocker
arms open the valves in their accurate timing due to the cam
design.
The valve train components are:
❖ Camshaft
❖ Valve lifter (cam follower)
❖ Push rods
❖ Rocker arm
❖ Valves
❖ Valve springs
❖ Valve tappets
❖ Valve seats
Overhead camshaft
• The camshaft is fastened over the valves directly
without the needing of the push rods and the rocker
arms.
Camshaft
❖ The camshaft is a shaft has the required cams that control the valve opening and closing process.
❖ In some designs, the cams of the intake and exhaust valves are made on one shaft.
❖ In the four valve engines, two camshafts are used, one for the intake valves and the other for the exhaust
valves.
❖ The camshaft is driven by gear (or chain) from the crankshaft 2:1 crankshaft to camshaft gear ratio.
Lift
Nose
Base circle
Cam Profile
Fly Wheel
❖ It is a rotating mass with a large moment of inertia
connected to the crank shaft of the engine.
❖ The purpose of the flywheel is to store energy
and furnish large angular momentum that keeps
the engine rotating between power strokes and
smooth out engine operation
❖ In some designs the fly wheel has fins for cooling
the engine
❖ It reduces the engine vibrations and helps in start
up.
Spark Plug
❖ It is the ignition device in the spark ignition engines
❖ When the piston is near the TDC at the end of the
compression stroke at the ignition timing, a very high
voltage electric charge is applied to the spark plug.
❖ The spark ignites the air/fuel mixture
❖ The flame propagates through the air/fuel mixture
completing the combustion process
❖ The difference between the "hot" and the "cold" spark plug
is that the ceramic tip is longer on the hotter plug
• Fuel injector: A pressurized nozzle that sprays fuel into the incoming air (SI engines )or into the
cylinder (CI engines).
• Fuel pump: Electrically or mechanically driven pump to supply fuel from the fuel tank
(reservoir) to the engine.
• Glow plug: Small electrical resistance heater mounted inside the combustion chamber of many
CI engines, used to preheat the chamber enough so that combustion will occur when first starting
a cold engine.
– The glow plug is turn off after the engine is started.
• Starter : Several methods are used to start IC engines. Most are started by use of an electric
motor (starter) geared to the engine flywheel. Energy is supplied from an electric battery.
Terminology
TDC: top dead center, piston position farthest from crankshaft
BDC: bottom dead center, piston position nearest to crankshaft
Direct fuel injection: into main combustion chamber
Indirect fuel injection: into a secondary chamber
Bore: diameter of cylinder or piston face
Stroke: distance that piston moves
Clearance volume: volume in combustion chamber at TDC
Displacement volume: volume displaced by piston
Ignition delay: Time between start of ignition and start of combustion
Air-fuel ratio: Ratio of mass flow rate of air to that of fuel
Specific fuel consumption: fuel used per unit power
Emissions: NOx, CO, HC, solids
Terminology
Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) : Spark ignition engine with fuel injectors mounted in combustion
chambers. Gasoline fuel is injected directly into cylinders during compression stroke.
Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI): Compression-Ignition engine operating
with a homogeneous air-fuel charge instead of the diffusion combustion mixture normally used in
CI engines.
Smart Engine : Engine operating characteristics such as air fuel ratio, ignition timing, valve timing,
exhaust control, intake tuning, etc are controlled by computer. Computer inputs come from
electronic, mechanical, thermal and chemical sensors located throughout the engine. In
automobiles, the same computers are used to make smart cars by controlling the steering, brakes,
exhaust system, suspension, seats, anti-theft systems, sound-endear analysis navigation
entertainment systems, shifting, doors, noise, suppression, environment, comfort, etc.,
Terminology
Engine Management System: Computer and electronics used to control smart engines.
Wide- Open throttle (WOT): Engine operated with throttle valve fully open when maximum power
and/or speed is desired.
Ignition Delay (ID): Time interval between ignition initiation and the actual start of combustion.
Brake Maximum torque: (BMT): Speed at which maximum torque occurs.
Overhead Valve (OHV): Valves mounted in engine head.
Overhead Cam (OHC): Camshaft mounted in engine head, giving more direct control of valves
which are also mounted in engine head.
Terminology
Carburetor: Venturi flow device that meters the proper amount of fuel into the air flow by means
of pressure differential. For many decades it was the basic fuel metering system on all
automobile (and other) engines. It is still used on low cost small engines like lawn mowers but is
uncommon on new automobiles.
Choke: Butterfly valve at carburetor intake, used to create rich fuel-air mixture in intake system
for cold weather starting.
Combustion chamber: The end of the cylinder between the head and the piston face where
the combustion occurs. The size of the combustion chamber continuously changes from a
minimum volume when the piston is at TDC to a maximum when the piston is at BDC. The
term cylinder is sometimes synonymous with combustion chamber (e.g., the engine was firing
on all cylinders). Some engines have open combustion chambers which consist of one
chamber for each cylinder. Other engines have divided chambers which consist of dual
chambers on each cylinder connected by an orifice passage.