Road transport


CITE
We have made every effort to follow citation style rules, but there may be some minor differences. If in doubt, please refer to the appropriate citation style manual.
Internal combustion engine. (2013). In Q-files Encyclopedia, Technology, Road transport. Retrieved from
https://www.q-files.com/technology/road-transport/internal-combustion-engine
"Internal combustion engine." Technology, Road transport, Q-files Encyclopedia, 11 Sep. 2013.
https://www.q-files.com/technology/road-transport/internal-combustion-engine.
Accessed 24 Feb. 2019.
Internal combustion engine 2013. Technology, Road transport. Retrieved 24 February 2019, from
https://www.q-files.com/technology/road-transport/internal-combustion-engine
Technology, Road transport, s.v. "Internal combustion engine," accessed February 24, 2019.
https://www.q-files.com/technology/road-transport/internal-combustion-engine

Internal combustion engine
An internal combustion engine
A car is usually powered by a piston engine, a kind of internal combustion engine. It is so-called because fuel, usually petrol or diesel oil, but sometimes hydrogen or liquefied petroleum gas, is burned (combusted) inside it. In this way, the engine converts the chemical energy stored in its fuel into movement or kinetic energy. Inside the heavy engine block are cylinders: normally four in a car engine. Pistons fit snugly inside the cylinders. When the engine is running, the pistons turn the crankshaft via connecting rods, and the crankshaft turns the wheels.
An internal combustion engine in cutaway
Pistons turning the crankshaft
How it works
In a petrol engine, petrol, a liquid fuel, is pumped from the tank to an electronic fuel-injection system. There it is turned into a fine spray and mixed with air. Inlet valves let the fuel-air mixture into the engine’s cylinders where it is ignited by electric spark plugs. The opening and closing of the valves is precisely controlled and timed by the rotation of the camshaft. Four or more cylinders sparking one after the other very quickly produce a continuous power to the wheels. Movement of a piston inside a cylinder During what is called the four-stroke cycle, the explosions that result when the spark plugs ignite the fuel-air mixture drive the pistons inside the cylinders up and down. The crankshaft, to which the pistons are attached, turns this up-and-down motion into a turning motion. The crankshaft is, via the gears, connected to the wheels, and so the car is driven along. Exhaust gases, meanwhile, escape from the cylinders via the exhaust valve, and are piped out of the engine through the exhaust manifold. Lubricating oil allows the engine’s moving parts to slide alongside one another smoothly. Oil passing through the filter is cleaned of any grit and other impurities.

© 2019 Q-files Ltd. All rights reserved. Switch to Mobile