Topic > Internal combustion engines: what it is and how it works

An engine in which the chemical energy of the fuel is released within the engine and is converted into mechanical work can be called an internal combustion engine (Ferguson and Kirkpatrick 2015 ).Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original EssayAn increase in pressure is caused by the burning of fuels such as diesel or gasoline in the combustion chamber. This pushes the piston down and through this process, chemical energy is converted into mechanical energy. Some Highlights In 1876, the first practical four-stroke engine with internal compression was developed by Nikolaus Otto, a German engineer and was called the “Otto Silent Engine”. However, the four-stroke engine concept had been conceived and patented by A . de Rochas in 1861. Sir Dugald Clerk, a Scottish mechanical engineer invented and built the first two-stroke engine, which he then patented in 1881. A German engineer, Rudolph Diesel, developed the first four-stroke engine that used direct injection of liquid fuel into the combustion chamber. Self-ignition and combustion of the air-fuel mixture are the result of the engine's high compression ratio (Ferguson and Kirkpatrick 2015). How It Works (Two-Stroke Engine) Keep in mind: This is just an example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers Get a custom essay In a two-stroke engine, the functions performed are the same as a four-stroke engine times, but it does so in just two piston strokes or "steps" instead of four. In the simplest two-stroke In two-stroke engines, this is done by using the crankcase and the lower part of the moving piston as a pump for the air-fuel mixture. The official name given to such engines is "two-stroke with crankcase recovery". Just below top dead center (TDC), the spark plug releases a spark and burns the fuel. This combustion produces enough energy to push the piston down. As the piston approaches bottom dead center (BDC), the mixture of air, fuel and oil continues to move along the transfer ports and into the cylinder. As the piston rises, it first covers the transfer ports and leaves only the exhaust port open to allow exhaust gases to exit the combustion chamber. The oil is mixed with the fuel since it is not possible to lubricate the engine parts in any other way. This leads to the formation of unburned oil, recognizable by the black smoke coming out of the vehicle's exhaust and by a strong smell of petrol. In a 4-stroke engine there are 4 distinct strokes. They are:IntakeCompressionExpansionExhaustStroke 1: Intake - An intake valve opens to admit air or an air-fuel mixture. The downward movement of the piston creates suction. As a result of the intake, the air/air-fuel mixture moves into the combustion chamber. To maximize the amount of fresh mixture drawn in, the intake valve opens just before the start of the stroke and closes just after the end of the stroke. Stroke 2: Compression: The mixture is compressed to a fraction of its original volume. For this stroke to be most effective, the intake and exhaust valves must remain closed. Towards the end of this stroke combustion is initiated which leads to a rapid increase in cylinder pressure. Stroke 3: Expansion – As a result of the compression stroke, the mixture is highly pressurized, which causes the piston to be pushed toward bottom dead center (BDC), which forces the crankshaft to rotate. Once the piston reaches BDC, the exhaust valve opens to start the exhaust stroke. Run 4: Unload – In this one.