bikers1233446

Super User

I can drive a car? How?

posted 02 Jun 2012, 06:46
What is an Engine? We all drive cars and motorbikes. So, we should know what an engine is, right? Okay for those of you who don’t know. An engine is a device which converts one form of energy to another. I will not be going into the details as they may seem very complex, and trust me it is complex stuff; just basic classifications and nomenclature.

A heat engine is a device which converts the chemical energy of a fuel into thermal energy; this thermal energy gets converted to mechanical energy for the purpose of doing work.

Heat engines are classified into two categories:-
1. Internal Combustion Engines (IC Engines)
2. External Combustion Engines (EC Engines)

These two types of engines are the most general categorization of heat engines according to where the combustion takes place: Outside or Inside the engine.

External Combustion engines are rarely used in modern times, what we see inside of automobiles are Internal Combustion Engines.

Internal Combustion Engines (IC Engines) are of two types, if we classify them according to their cycle of operation:-
1. Otto Cycle engine called a Spark Ignition Engine(SI Engine) which runs on Gasoline
2. Diesel Cycle engine called a Compression Ignition Engine(CI Engine) which runs on Diesel

Spark ignition means that the combustion process inside the cylinder (combustion chamber) is initiated by means of a spark plug. A Spark plug has electrodes which generate a spark at timed intervals. These are your basic engines which run on petrol.

Compression Ignition means that the combustion process inside the cylinder (combustion chamber) takes place due to the compression action of the piston and the increase in temperature and pressure inside the cylinder. These are the ones which run on diesel.

Here is a picture of a Spark Ignition Internal Combustion Engine—

img class="lazyjs" src="//kastatic.com/images/blank.gif" data-original="https://kastatic.com/i2/u/1662016/gyANWowv1E.png " />

We see in this figure that it has four cylinders, higher the number of cylinders means the smoother the engine will run. The output of an engine depends on many factors which we will avoid discussing as they may confuse you at the moment.

Here is a working of a Four Stroke Spark Ignition Internal Combustion Engine-

img class="lazyjs" src="//kastatic.com/images/blank.gif" data-original="">https://kastatic.com/i2/u/1662016/UrobBtOQgL.gif" />

The classification of engines according to the number of strokes it takes for them to complete one working cycle will be discussed later. As for now, have fun with the extra knowledge.

Top Comments

2
bodybuildaussie1503 • 02 Jun 2012, 10:31
Awesome stuff. Now, what's the best way to get road kill out from my radiator???lol
2
DaCreAtOrS11509 • 02 Jun 2012, 14:06
wow! great article!

All Comments

1
SirSeedsAlot52761 • 02 June 2012, 15:30  Show comment
Nice!! What is an example of an EC engine?? Steam??
.
This blog reminds me of my '01 Mustang Cobra's engine, may it rest in pieces...
1
bikers1233446 • 02 June 2012, 16:54  Show comment
Yes! The steam engine, the ultimate external combustion engine that started it all.
RIP for your car, by the looks of it ,it's an awesome car.
2
DaCreAtOrS11509 • 02 June 2012, 14:06  Show comment
wow! great article!
1
bikers1233446 • 02 June 2012, 14:41  Show comment
Thanks! It took me about 15 minutes to narrow it down to the following classifications or else this blog would've been huge.
2
bodybuildaussie1503 • 02 June 2012, 10:31  Show comment
Awesome stuff. Now, what's the best way to get road kill out from my radiator???lol
1
bikers1233446 • 02 June 2012, 13:58  Show comment
Teehee!! The question would be, how it got there in the first place. shocked
1
SirSeedsAlot52761 • 02 June 2012, 15:32  Show comment
that depends if you plan to bake it or BBQ it...hee hee
1
bikers1233446 • 02 June 2012, 16:42  Show comment
SirSeedsAlot52761 , your comment reminds me of a movie where a guy just lived on roadkill or was it a tv show. I can't remember, but it was hilarious.
1
SirSeedsAlot52761 • 02 June 2012, 16:45  Show comment
yeah, and there's another guy whop has an engine block cook book or something like that. He fries eggs in his engine block lol
1
bikers1233446 • 02 June 2012, 16:56  Show comment
This expression sums it all-image
1
DomDom14363 • 02 June 2012, 08:28  Show comment
Your thread can be either very interesting if you like that subject or boring if you don't but either way there's something that cannot be denied in my opinion: it's really well done!
0
bikers1233446 • 02 June 2012, 08:45  Show comment
I used to find stuff like this boring in my school days. Now, it kinda amuses me. So, in my opinion, people above the age of 18 years of age would appreciate my effort of imparting a little bit of knowledge.
Thank you for your compliment! I tried my best to make it as simple as possible, if I had gone into the construction, people without a technical background wouldn't have understood it.
0
bikers1233446 • 02 June 2012, 08:55  Show comment
lol at above the age of 18 years of age. I need my meds. funk
1
ManyWurlds51400 • 02 June 2012, 07:40  Show comment
OK, explain a Wankel Rotary engine........titter
0
bikers1233446 • 02 June 2012, 08:19  Show comment
Hmm... I'll give it a try. Stirling Engine and Wankel Rotary Engine aren't my strong points.
Wankel Rotary Engine works on a four phase principle,similar to four strokes. There are two working parts - A rotor and eccentric. Output torque is transmitted to the shaft through the eccentric. There are timing gears present which maintain phase relationship between rotation of rotor and eccentric, thereby controlling orbital motion of the rotor. There are three chambers involved, which go through the four phases of intake,compression,power and exhaust; and these constitute one complete working cycle. Therefore, the output shaft makes three revolutions for every single rotation of the rotor.
That's the basic working. Then there is the ignition,cooling,exhaust,geometry,sealing,lubrication,etc which make it even more complex than it already is.
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