Module – I

Introduction to Automobiles and

Engines
Manjunath V B
CONTENT

• Classification of Automobiles, Layout of an Automobile, Major

Components of the Automobile.
• Basic Engine Systems, Classification of Internal Combustion
Engines, Comparison between petrol and diesel engines,
Comparison between two stroke and four stroke engines.
• Components of air intake system, Functioning of supercharger and
turbocharger.

Self-Study Component: Functioning of Intercooler

Textbooks:
1. Automobile Engineering, K.K. Jain & R.B. Asthana, Tata McGraw-
Hill, 2002.
2. Automobile Engineering, S K Gupta, S Chand Publishing, Second
Edition, 2020.
3. Automobile Engineering, Vol 1 & 2, Kirpal Singh, Seventh Edition,
Standard Publishers, New Delhi, 2014.
4. Automotive Engineering, David A. Crolla, Elsevier, 2009.
 Introduction
of Automobile
An Automobile is a self-
propelled vehicle that
contains the power source
for its propulsion and is
used for carrying
passengers and goods on
the road, such as cars, buses,
trucks, etc.,,
Classification of Automobiles:
The automobiles may be broadly classified on the following basis:

1. According to the purpose of use

• Passenger vehicles include scooters, motorcycles, cars, jeeps, and
buses.
• Goods vehicles such as trucks and tractors.
• Special-purpose vehicles such as ambulances, fire engines,
cranes, etc.
Conti…

2. According to the fuel used.

• Gasoline (petrol) vehicles such as scooters, motorcycles, cars, jeeps.
• Diesel vehicles such as buses, trucks, cars (diesel variants).
• Electric vehicles such as battery-operated buses, forklifts.
• Gas vehicles such as CNG and LPG cars, CNG buses.
• Hybrid/Dual Fuel vehicles such as hybrid cars (petrol and battery
driven).
Conti…

3. According to the number of wheels.

➢ Two-wheelers such as scooters, motorcycles, and mopeds.

➢ Three-wheelers such as auto-rickshaws, tempo.

➢ Four-wheelers such as cars, and jeeps.

➢ Six-wheelers such as buses, and trucks.

➢ Eight or more wheels such as special transporting vehicles

(e.g. trailers).
Conti…

4. According to the driving Axle of the vehicle.

• Single-wheel drive vehicles such as scooters and motorcycles.

• Two-wheel drive vehicles such as three-wheelers, cars, buses, and

trucks.

• Four-wheel drive vehicles such as jeeps and sports Utility

Vehicles (SUV’s).
Conti…

5. According to the load-carrying capacity.

• LMV (Light Motor Vehicle) such as scooters, motorcycles, cars, and
jeeps.

• HMV (Heavy Motor Vehicle) such as buses, trucks, and tractors.

6. According to their construction.

• Single-unit vehicles such as cars, jeeps, buses, and trucks.

• Articulated vehicles such as trucks (trailers), and tractors.

Conti…

7. According to the Transmission.

• Conventional vehicles with manual transmission, e.g. cars with 5
gears.
• Automatic: In an automatic transmission, gears are not required to
be changed manually.
8. According to Position of the Engine:
• Engine in Front - Most of the vehicles have an engine in the front.
Example: most of the cars
• Engine in the Rear Side. Very few vehicles have an engine located in the
rear.
Example: Nano car.
LAYOUT OF AN AUTOMOBILE
LAYOUT OF AN AUTOMOBILE (Front View)
Conti…

An Automobile consists of the engine located at the front of the

vehicle followed by,
➢ The flywheel
➢ Clutch,
➢ gearbox,
➢ propeller shaft,
➢ universal joint,
➢ differential,
➢ rear axle, etc.
Conti…

• Various other parts of the vehicle shown in the layout are: steering
wheel, battery, air cleaner, alternator, headlamp, fan, radiator,
distributor, carburettor, tie rod, exhaust pipe, silencer, tailpipe,
fuel tank, shock absorber, brake, backlight, wheel, and tyres.

• The layout also consists of a rear leaf spring suspension system.

 Major Components of the Automobile.
1. The engine or power plant, which is the source of
power. Petrol and Diesel are used as fuels to run the
engine. It is located at the front of the vehicle. It
converts the heat energy by burning the fuel into
mechanical energy. Hence it is called the heart of the
vehicle.

2. The frame: The automobile frame is made of steel

members known as a "chassis-frame". It supports the
engine, wheels, car body and other component parts.
 Conti…
3. The flywheel: The flywheel helps deliver
power to the transmission system
consistently, which results in a smoother
engine operation. It stores mechanical energy
when the engine is running efficiently or
when there is excess power.
4. Clutch: A clutch is a mechanical device that is
used to transfer and cut the engine’s power
transmitted to the driveline. It is located
between the engine and gearbox.
5. The Gearbox: The box with a set of gears
inside the casing is called a gearbox. It is used
to change (increase and reduce) the speed
and torque of a vehicle according to different
road and load conditions of the vehicle.
Conti…

6. The power train: It carries power from the engine to the car
wheels. The power train includes,
✓The Flywheel
✓The clutch,
✓Transmission,
✓Drive shaft (propeller shaft),
✓Differential,
✓Axles and
✓Wheels.
Conti… 7. Drive shaft (propeller shaft): It is a type
of long hollow shaft. This is located in
between the gearbox and differential. It
transmits power from the gearbox to the
differential.
8. Suspension system: The Spring Shock
absorber has been connected to the front and
back axles and helps to drive the vehicle
smoothly and slower from the vibrations in
the road.
9. The steering system: The steering system
operates on a simple mechanism that
directly transforms steering wheel rotation
into straight line movement and helps turn
the vehicle as per the road direction.
Conti…

10. The brake system: Brakes are installed on the four

wheels of the vehicle and work through mechanical
connections, hydraulic and air. The very important part
of an automobile is the braking system that helps to drive
and control the speed of the vehicle within safe speed.

11. The car body and Accessories, which include;

✓ lights,
✓ heater,
✓ radio/sound system,
✓ windshield,
✓ wipers,
✓ convertible top,
 Internal Combustion Engine
Engine: It is a device that converts heat energy liberated by the combustion of
fuel into mechanical work.

Types of engines:

External combustion engine: Here the combustion takes place outside the
engine cylinder, and the combustion products are supplied to the engine
cylinder to convert heat energy into mechanical energy.

Example: Steam engine.

Internal combustion (I.C.) engine: In this type of engine, the combustion takes
place inside the engine cylinder itself.
Basic Engine Systems
1. Cylinder: The heart of the engine is the cylinder in which the fuel is burnt and the power is
developed. The inside diameter is called bore. To prevent the wearing of cylinder block, a
sleeve will be fitted tightly in the cylinder. The piston reciprocates inside the cylinder.

2. Piston: The piston is a close fitting hollow cylindrical plunger moving to-and-fro in the
cylinder. The power developed by the combustion of the fuel is transmitted by the piston to
the crankshaft through the connecting rod.

3. Piston rings: The piston rings are the metallic rings inserted into the circumferential grooves
provided at the top end of the piston. These rings maintain a gas-tight joint between the
piston and the cylinder while the piston is reciprocating in the cylinder. They also help in
conducting the heat from the piston to the cylinder.

4. Connecting rod: It is a link that connects the piston and the crankshaft by means of pin
joints. It converts the rectilinear motion of the piston into rotary motion of the crankshaft.

Prof. Manjunath V B, Dept. of M.E,

23
VVCE
5. Crank and crankshaft: The crank is a lever that is connected to the end of the
connecting rod by a pin joint with its other end rigidly connected to a shaft
called the crankshaft. It rotates about the axis of the crankshaft and causes the
connecting rod to oscillate.

6. Crank case: It is the lower part of the engine serving as an enclosure for the
crankshaft and sump for the lubricating oil.

7. Valves: The valves are the devices that control the flow of the intake and the
exhaust gas to and from the cylinder. They are also called poppet valves.
These valves are operated by means of cams driven by the crankshaft through
a timing gear and chain.

8. Flywheel: It is a heavy wheel mounted on the crankshaft of the engine to

maintain uniform rotation of the crankshaft.

Prof. Manjunath V B, Dept. of M.E,

24
VVCE
I.C engine terminology:

1. Stroke: It is the distance travelled by the piston from the cover end to the crank end
or from crank end to the cover end. It is denoted by L.

2. Bore: It is the diameter of the cylinder or outer diameter of the piston. It is denoted
by D.

3. Top dead center (TDC) or cover end: It is the extreme position of the piston, when
the piston is near cylinder head.

4. Bottom dead center (BDC) or crank end: It is the extreme position of the piston,
when the piston is near the crankshaft end.

5. Swept volume(Vs): It is the volume covered by the piston when the piston moves
from TDC to BDC. It is denoted by Vs and is given by,

Vs = (πD2/4)L
25
6. Clearance volume(Vc): It is the volume occupied by the charge (A/F
Mixture) at the end of the compression stroke when the piston is at TDC.
7. Compression ratio(C.R): It is the ratio of the total volume of the cylinder
to the clearance volume.
i.e., CR or r = Total volume/clearance volume
r= VT/Vc = (Vs+Vc)/Vc
8. Piston speed: The total linear distance travelled by the piston per unit
time is called piston speed. It is expressed in m/min and is given by,
Piston speed=2LN m/min
L= length of stroke in m
N= speed of the engine in rpm.
Prof. Manjunath V B, Dept. of M.E, VVCE 26
FOUR-STROKE ENGINES:
• In 4-stroke engines, the piston reciprocates 4 times from TDC to BDC
and vice versa to complete one working cycle.
The four different strokes are,
1) Suction stroke
2) Compression stroke
3) Working or power stroke
4) Exhaust stroke.
• Each stroke takes place in half a rotation of the crankshaft, i.e., when
it rotates 1800.
• Hence, it takes two revolutions of the crankshaft to complete one
working cycle.
Prof. Manjunath V B, Dept. of M.E, VVCE 27
TWO-STROKE ENGINES:
• In 2-stroke engines, the piston performs 2
strokes to complete one working cycle.
The TWO different strokes are,
1) Compression/intake (upstroke)
2) Power/exhaust (downstroke)
• Two strokes take place simultaneously to
complete half a rotation of the crankshaft, i.e.,
when it rotates 1800.
• Hence, it takes one full revolution of the
crankshaft to complete one working cycle.
Prof. Manjunath V B, Dept. of M.E,
28
VVCE
Classification of I.C engines
Based on fuel used
a) Petrol engine
b) Diesel engine
c) Gas engine
d) Bi-fuel engine
e) Bio-fuel engine

2) Based on thermodynamic cycle

a) Otto cycle engine
b) Diesel cycle engine
c) Dual combustion cycle engine
Conti…

3) Based on strokes
a) 4 stroke engine
b) 2 stroke engine

4) Based on method of ignition

a) Spark ignition or S.I engine
b) Compression ignition or C.I engine

5) Based on number of cylinders

a) Single cylinder engine
b) Multi cylinder engine
Conti…

6) Based on position of cylinder

a) In-line engine
b) Vertical engine
c) V – engine
d) Opposite cylinder engine
e) Radial engine
 V – Engine - V6

Inline arrangement - Straight

Radial Engine

1/28/2026 Opposed cylinders type - Flat 4 DEPARTMENT OF ME, VVCE, Mysuru 32

Conti…

7) Based on method of cooling

a) Air cooled engine
b) Water cooled engine
c) Oil/Liquid Cooled engine
 Conti…

8. Valve Arrangement in Cylinder Head Assembly

(i) T-head Engine –

• The suction valve (SV) and the exhaust valve
(EV) are on the cylinder block in opposite
directions.

(ii) F-head Engine –

• In the F-head engine one valve is in the
cylinder block and the other valve is in the
cylinder head.

1/28/2026 DEPARTMENT OF ME, VVCE, Mysuru 34

Conti…

(iii) L-head Engine - In the L-head engine the suction

and exhaust valves are arranged side by side in the
cylinder block.

(iv) I-head Engine - In the I-head engine the suction

and exhaust valves are arranged in the cylinder
head.

1/28/2026 DEPARTMENT OF ME, VVCE, Mysuru 35

Conti…

(v) Overhead Engine

• The difference between the I-head and
overhead valve engines is that the I-head
valves are actuated by push rods whereas
the overhead valves are actuated by the
cams located above the cylinder head.

1/28/2026 DEPARTMENT OF ME, VVCE, Mysuru 36

 Comparison between Petrol and Diesel Engines
Sl.
Petrol Engines Diesel Engines
No.
A petrol engine draws a mixture of petrol and air A diesel engine draws only air during
1
during suction stroke. suction stroke.
The carburettor (intake manifold) is employed to The Fuel injector or atomizer is employed
2 mix air & petrol in the required proportion & to to inject the fuel at the end of compression
supply it to the engine during suction stroke. stroke.
Pressure at the end of compression is about 10 Pressure at the end of compression is
3
bar. about 35 bar.
The charge (i.e. petrol and air mixture) is ignited The fuel is injected in the form of fine
with the help of spark plug. spray.
4 The temperature of the compressed air
(about 300°C at a pressure of about 35
bar) is sufficiently high to ignite the fuel.
The combustion of fuel takes place approximately The combustion of fuel takes place
5 at constant volume. approximately at constant pressure.
In other words, it works on Otto cycle. In other words, it works on diesel cycle.
Conti…

Sl.
Petrol Engines Diesel Engines
No.
6 A petrol engine has a compression ratio of A diesel engine has a compression ratio of
approximately 8 to 12. approximately 16 to 22.
7 The starting is easy due to low compression The starting is little difficult due to high
ratio. compression ratio.
8 As the compression ratio is low, the petrol As the compression ratio is high, the diesel
engines are lighter and cheaper. engines are heavier and costlier.
9 The running cost of a petrol engine is high The running cost of diesel engine is low because
because of the higher cost of petrol. of the lower cost of diesel.
10 The maintenance/service cost is less. The maintenance/service cost is more.
11 The thermal efficiency is up to about 30%. The thermal efficiency is up to about 45%.
Overheating trouble is more due to low Overheating trouble is less due to high thermal
12
thermal efficiency. efficiency.
Conti…

Sl.
Petrol Engines Diesel Engines
No.
13 These are high speed engines. These are relatively low speed engines.
The petrol engines are generally employed The diesel engines are generally employed
in light duty vehicles such as in heavy duty vehicles like buses, trucks,
14
scooters, motorcycles, cars & are also and earth movers etc.
used in air-crafts/Helicopters.
15 The petrol engines produce less torque. The diesel engines produce high torque.
The initial cost is more than a petrol
16 The initial cost is low.
engine of the same power.
 Comparison between 4-Stroke Engine & 2-Stroke Engine:
Sl. No. Four-stroke engine Two-stroke engine
The cycle is completed in 4-strokes of the Cycle is completed in 2-strokes of the piston
1
piston or in 2-revolution of the crankshaft. or in 1-revolutions of the crankshaft.
It gives 1-power stroke in every 2-revolution It gives 1-power stroke in each revolutions of
2
of the crankshaft. the crankshaft.
It contains valves and valve operating It is valveless, consist of ports.
3
mechanism.
4 It is having both air and water-cooled. It is only air cooled.
The oil for lubrication is contained in the oil The oil for lubrication of the petrol engine is
5 sump or in a separate oil tank from where it mixed with petrol in tank, which goes into
is fed to various parts. the crank chamber as petrol-oil mixture.
6 It is having both single and multi-cylinder. It is mostly single cylinder.
7 It is heavy in weight. It is light in weight.
It is more complicated due to valves and It is simple in construction having only piston,
8 valve operating mechanism, lubrication and connecting rod, crankshaft and flywheel as
water-cooling system etc. the main working parts.
Conti…

Sl. No. Four-stroke engine Two-stroke engine

The wear and tear is less as complete The wear and tear is more, causing early
9
lubrication system is employed. engine break down.
The loss of useful charge is very rare with the The useful charge escapes with the
10
exhaust gases. exhaust gases.
The volumetric efficiency is more due to The volumetric efficiency is less due to
11
more time for induction. less time for induction.
The thermal efficiency is higher due to the The thermal efficiency is lower due to the
12 complete combustion of fuel. loss of fuel during scavenging and
incomplete combustion.
The torque (turning moment) produced is not It produces more even torque due to even
13
so uniform. power impulses.
It requires heavy flywheel to keep the It require lighter flywheel.
14
engine running at uniform speed.
It produces comparatively low power. It produces more power for the same size
15
of the engine.
Components of Air Intake System

The most important

components of the intake
system are;

➢ The resonator,
➢ Air cleaner,
➢ Intake manifold and
➢ The duct arrangement
that connects them
together.
Conti…

• In a carburetor type of engine, the carburetor is connected between the air cleaner
and intake manifold.
• In a fuel injected petrol engine, the throttle body and intake manifold chamber are
connected instead of carburettor and the fuel injectors are located near the intake
manifold outlets.
1. Resonator.
➢ The resonator is fitted in the air pipe before the air cleaner.
➢ It is a device that reduces air induction noise and improves the engine's volumetric
efficiency.
➢ Also, helps to optimize airflow by acting as a temporary air reservoir.
➢ The resonator acts like a shock absorber for the pressure waves.
➢ Resonators are commonly found in car engines, particularly in naturally aspirated
gasoline engines where intake noise management is important.
Conti…

2. Air cleaner.
• The cleaner consists of a housing and an element.
• As the intake air passes through the air cleaner, the element removes the dirt and
other foreign matter from it.
• It may be noted that if grit or a similar substance is drawn into the cylinders, it
would damage the engine severely.
• Also, the smaller particles of dust and dirt, if drawn into the cylinder, could cause
premature wear of the engine's components and rapid contamination of the
engine oil, thereby shortening the engine’s life significantly.
• Thus, the air cleaner is a must fitment in all vehicles.
• The element of the air cleaner is generally made up of filter paper to clean the
air.
 Conti…

• There are two types of air filter elements.

(a) Dry type (or light duty) filter.
• This type of filter element consists of a cleaning element only.
• The cleaning element is with dry filter paper.

(b) Wet type (or heavy duty) filters.

• Nowadays, some vehicle manufacturers use wet type paper filter elements.
• This type of element consists of filter paper that is slightly consist of oil.
• The oil enhances the paper's ability to attract and hold dirt.
• Air cleaner elements of the above two types are available in two shapes i.e.
square type and circular type as shown in figure.
 Conti…
• When an air cleaner element becomes clogged, it reduces the
engine intake efficiency, leading to the following problems:
➢ Reduced power,
➢ Rough idling,
➢ Increased fuel consumption or lower fuel
efficiency,
➢ Increased exhaust emissions.
• Thus, a severely clogged air cleaner element must be
replaced immediately even if the specified replacement
service interval has not elapsed.
• When an element becomes unusable, it must be replaced
with a new one.
• If a clogged element is cleaned and refitted, it will not
provide its original performance.
• Also, air cleaner elements are not designed to withstand
operation over extended periods.
 Conti…

Intake manifold:
• The intake manifold is a pipe arrangement that
connects the throttle body with the intake ports of the
cylinder head in the case of carburetor engines.
• It divides the flow of air and directs it towards each
intake port.
• In a fuel-injected engine, the intake manifold chamber is
fitted just before the point where the pipes diverge.
• This arrangement ensures that an equal amount of air is
supplied to each cylinder.
• Also, in the case of petrol engines, the injectors are
fitted near the manifold outlets.
• These inject fuel towards the intake ports such that the
fuel is drawn into the cylinders together with the intake
air.
 The duct arrangement :

• In a multi-cylinder intake manifold, the

duct arrangement consists of individual
"runners" - essentially separate tubes -
that connect the main plenum chamber to
each cylinder.
• Plenum chamber is a large common
chamber where air is collected before
being distributed through the runners.
• Ensuring that air is distributed evenly to
each cylinder according to the engine's
firing order.
• With careful consideration given to
optimize airflow and engine performance
at different RPM ranges.
Functioning of Supercharger:
• The supercharger is a pump/Compressor that provides more air
than normal into the engine to improve engine output and
volumetric efficiency.
• The greater mass flow rate provides more oxygen to support
combustion than in a naturally aspirated engine.
• The supercharger allows more fuel to be burned and more
work to be done per cycle, increasing the engine’s power
output.
• The unit’s power can come mechanically from a belt, gear,
shaft, or chain connected to the engine's crankshaft.
• Superchargers can spin at speeds as high as 50,000 to 65,000 rpm.
• The engine should be designed to withstand the higher forces
due to supercharging.
• A certain percentage of power is consumed by the engine
itself in compressing the air, which leads to power loss.
Purpose of supercharging:

• To raise the density of the air charge, before it enters the cylinders.
• To raise engine power output.
• To increase the volumetric efficiency since the utilization of air is which is
going to determine the power output of the engine.
• Hence, an engine must be able to take in as much as air as possible.
Limitations of supercharger:
• Thermal load on the various parts of the engine increases.
• Durability, reliability, and fuel economy are the main consideration that
limits the degrees of supercharging of an engine.
• Because of increased heat generation and heat transfer, there is a greater
tendency to burn the piston crown, seat, and edges of the exhaust valves.
Functioning of Turbocharger:

• A turbocharger is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine

driven by an engine's exhaust gases.
• In general, only about 23-28% of the heat produced by fuel combustion in the
cylinder can be used effectively.
• A turbocharger uses exhaust gas heat to spin a turbine, which then turns a
compressor to pump more air than normal into the cylinders.
• Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the
engine (forced induction), thereby resulting in greater performance.
• A turbocharger is more efficient because it uses the waste energy in the
exhaust for its power source.
• However, a turbocharger causes some amount of back pressure in the exhaust
system and tends to provide less boost until the engine is running at higher rpm.
Objectives of Turbocharger:

• The objective of a turbocharger, just as that of a supercharger, is to improve an

engine's volumetric efficiency by increasing the intake density.
• The compressor draws in ambient air and compresses it before it enters into the
intake manifold at increased pressure, that results in a greater mass of air
entering the cylinders on each intake stroke.
• The power needed to spin the centrifugal compressor is derived from the high
pressure and temperature of the engine's exhaust gases.
• The turbine converts the engine exhaust's potential pressure energy and kinetic
velocity energy into rotational power, which is in turn used to drive the
compressor.
 SELF STUDY COMPONENT

INTERCOOLER
• An intercooler cools the intake air which has been heated* as its pressure is
boosted by the supercharger.
• This raises the air density and increases the amount of air sucked into the engine.
• It may be noted that lowering the boost temperature also has an anti-knocking
effect, allowing an improvement in fuel efficiency.

• The intercoolers are of two basic types,

✓ Air cooled intercoolers, and
✓ Water-cooled intercoolers.

1/28/2026 DEPARTMENT OF ME, VVCE, Mysuru 62

 INTERCOOLER: [Text Book 2: Ch.20 P553]

• An air-cooled intercooler is
made up of light and highly
conductive aluminum.

• It is fitted between the

supercharger and throttle
body, cooling the air
pumped out from the
supercharger by means of
outside air entering from
the top of the front valve
head as shown in Fig.
1/28/2026 DEPARTMENT OF ME, VVCE, Mysuru 63
 INTERCOOLER: [Text Book 2: Ch.20 P553]

• A water-cooled intercooler uses a radiator and water

pump which are separate from those for the engine so
that the intake air temperature can be stabilized during
low-speed running and idling.

1/28/2026 DEPARTMENT OF ME, VVCE, Mysuru 64

Thank you