Internal Combustion Basics
Parts Piston (P) Crank (C) Connecting Rod (R) Spark Plug (S) Valves (V) Intake Cam (I) Exhaust Cam (E)
Types of ICE’s Gasoline (4 stroke) 2 Stroke Diesel Rotary Turbine
Four Stroke Strokes Advantages Intake: Brings in fuel and air Compression: Compresses fuel air mixture Combustion: Spark and absorption of combustion Exhaust: Pushes out exhaust gases Advantages Smooth power curve More fuel efficient Cleaner burning
Two Stroke Strokes Advantages Intake/Combustion/Exhaust Compression/Intake Advantages More power per displacement Run in any orientation Fewer moving parts
Diesel Compression Combustion type engine No Spark used Diesel has more energy than Gasoline as a fuel
Rotary Power/displacement 3 power strokes
Turbine Great power to weight ratio Great power to size ratio Good for sustained use
Linear to Reciprocating Motion
Piston Engine Layout In-Line or Straight Advantages Disadvantages Narrow profile High Torque One of everything Disadvantages Tall Long
V-Engine Advantages Disadvantages Short Lower Center of gravity Complicated valve/cam setup
Flat, Horizontally Opposed or Boxer Advantages Low Center of Gravity Shorter than in-line No need for crank shaft balance weights Disadvantages Complicated cam/valve setup
Radial Engine Advantages Disadvantages Short! Simple Crankshaft Large Diameter
Fun Stuff
Robbert Maddox, maker of custom jet engines, is selling his jet engine on eBay. Check out this video of his Jet Powered Bike that can go 75MPH although you’d probably fall off the bike around 50MPH after the jump. And a deafening one too: the pulse jet engine makes a frightening racket, and its humming sound earned the 2nd World War cruise-missile V1s which used similar engines the nicknames buzzbomb and doodlebug.
Total engine weight:2300 tons Length:89 feetHeight:44 feet The Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C turbocharged two-stroke diesel engine is the most powerful and most efficient prime-mover in the world today. The Aioi Works of Japan's Diesel United, Ltd built the first engines and is where some of these pictures were taken. It is available in 6 through 14 cylinder versions, all are inline engines. These engines were designed primarily for very large container ships. Total engine weight:2300 tons Length:89 feetHeight:44 feet Maximum power:108,920 hp at 102 rpm