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FourstrokeengineWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Fourstrokeengine
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Afourstrokeengine(alsoknownasfourcycle)isaninternal
combustion(IC)engineinwhichthepistoncompletesfourseparate
strokeswhileturningacrankshaft.Astrokereferstothefulltravel
ofthepistonalongthecylinder,ineitherdirection.Thefour
separatestrokesaretermed:
1.Intake:Thisstrokeofthepistonbeginsattopdeadcenter
(T.D.C.)andendsatbottomdeadcenter(B.D.C.).Inthis
stroketheintakevalvemustbeintheopenpositionwhile
thepistonpullsanairfuelmixtureintothecylinderby
producingvacuumpressureintothecylinderthroughits
downwardmotion.
2.Compression:ThisstrokebeginsatB.D.C,orjustatthe
endofthesuctionstroke,andendsatT.D.C.Inthisstroke
thepistoncompressestheairfuelmixtureinpreparation
forignitionduringthepowerstroke(below).Boththeintake
andexhaustvalvesareclosedduringthisstage.
3.Combustion:Thisisthestartofthesecondrevolutionofthe
fourstrokecycle.Atthispointthecrankshafthascompleted
afull360degreerevolution.WhilethepistonisatT.D.C.
(theendofthecompressionstroke)thecompressedair
fuelmixtureisignitedbyasparkplug(inagasolineengine)
orbyheatgeneratedbyhighcompression(dieselengines),

Fourstrokecycleusedin
gasoline/petrolengines.1=Intake,2=
Compression,3=Power,4=Exhaust.
Therightbluesideistheintakeportand
theleftbrownsideistheexhaustport.
Thecylinderwallisathinsleeve
surroundingthepistonheadwhich
createsaspaceforthecombustionof
fuelandthegenesisofmechanical
energy.

forcefullyreturningthepistontoB.D.C.Thisstroke
producesmechanicalworkfromtheenginetoturnthecrankshaft.
4.Exhaust:Duringtheexhauststroke,thepistononceagainreturnsfromB.D.C.toT.D.C.whilethe
exhaustvalveisopen.Thisactionexpelsthespentairfuelmixturethroughtheexhaustvalve.
Contents
1 History
1.1 Ottocycle
1.2 Atkinsoncycle
1.3 Dieselcycle
2 ThermodynamicAnalysis
3 FuelConsiderations
4 Designandengineeringprinciples
4.1 Poweroutputlimitations
4.1.1 Intake/exhaustportflow
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4.1.2 Supercharging
4.1.3 Turbocharging
4.2 Rodandpistontostrokeratio
4.3 Valvetrain
4.3.1 Valveclearance
4.4 Energybalance
5 Seealso
6 References
7 Generalsources
8 Externallinks

History
Ottocycle

[ edit ]
[ edit ]

Mainarticle:Ottocycle
Seealso:Ottoengine
NikolausAugustOttoasayoungmanwasatravelingsalesmanfor
agroceryconcern.Inhistravelsheencounteredtheinternal
combustionenginebuiltinParisbyBelgianexpatriateJeanJoseph
EtienneLenoir.In1860,Lenoirsuccessfullycreatedadouble
actingenginethatranonilluminatinggasat4%efficiency.The
18litreLenoirEngineproducedonly2horsepower.TheLenoir
engineranonilluminatinggasmadefromcoal,whichhadbeen
AnOttoEnginefrom1920'sUS
Manufacture

developedinParisbyPhilipLebon.[1]
IntestingareplicaoftheLenoirenginein1861Ottobecameaware
oftheeffectsofcompressiononthefuelcharge.In1862,Otto
attemptedtoproduceanenginetoimproveonthepoorefficiency

andreliabilityoftheLenoirengine.Hetriedtocreateanenginethatwouldcompressthefuelmixtureprior
toignition,butfailedasthatenginewouldrunnomorethanafewminutespriortoitsdestruction.Many
otherengineersweretryingtosolvetheproblem,withnosuccess.[1]
In1864,OttoandEugenLangenfoundedthefirstinternalcombustionengineproductioncompany,NA
OttoandCie(NAOttoandCompany).OttoandCiesucceededincreatingasuccessfulatmospheric
enginethatsameyear.[1]ThefactoryranoutofspaceandwasmovedtothetownofDeutz,Germanyin
1869wherethecompanywasrenamedtoDeutzGasmotorenfabrikAG(TheDeutzGasEngine
ManufacturingCompany).[1]In1872,GottliebDaimlerwastechnicaldirectorandWilhelmMaybachwasthe
headofenginedesign.DaimlerwasagunsmithwhohadworkedontheLenoirengine.By1876,Ottoand
Langensucceededincreatingthefirstinternalcombustionenginethatcompressedthefuelmixtureprior
tocombustionforfarhigherefficiencythananyenginecreatedtothistime.
DaimlerandMaybachlefttheiremployatOttoandCieanddevelopedthefirsthighspeedOttoenginein
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1883.In1885,theyproducedthefirstautomobiletobeequippedwithanOttoengine.
TheDaimlerReitwagenusedahottubeignitionsystemandthefuelknownasLigrointobecomethe
world'sfirstvehiclepoweredbyaninternalcombustionengine.Itusedafourstrokeenginebasedon
Otto'sdesign.ThefollowingyearKarlBenzproducedafourstrokeenginedautomobilethatisregardedas
thefirstcar.[2]
In1884,Otto'scompany,thenknownasGasmotorenfabrikDeutz(GFD),developedelectricignitionand
thecarburetor.In1890,DaimlerandMaybachformedacompanyknownasDaimlerMotorenGesellschaft.
Today,thatcompanyisDaimlerBenz.

Atkinsoncycle

[ edit ]

Mainarticle:Atkinsoncycle
TheAtkinsoncycleengineisatypeofsinglestrokeinternal
combustionengineinventedbyJamesAtkinsonin1882.The
Atkinsoncycleisdesignedtoprovideefficiencyattheexpense
ofpowerdensity,andisusedinsomemodernhybridelectric
applications.
TheoriginalAtkinsoncyclepistonengineallowedtheintake,
compression,power,andexhauststrokesofthefourstrokecycle

This2004ToyotaPriushybridhasan
Atkinsoncycleengineasthepetrol
electrichybridengine

tooccurinasingleturnofthecrankshaftandwasdesignedto
avoidinfringingcertainpatentscoveringOttocycleengines.[3]
DuetotheuniquecrankshaftdesignoftheAtkinson,itsexpansionratiocan
differfromitscompressionratioand,withapowerstrokelongerthanits
compressionstroke,theenginecanachievegreaterthermalefficiencythan
atraditionalpistonengine.WhileAtkinson'soriginaldesignisnomorethan
ahistoricalcuriosity,manymodernenginesuseunconventionalvalve
timingtoproducetheeffectofashortercompressionstroke/longerpower

TheAtkinsonGasCycle

stroke,thusrealizingthefueleconomyimprovementstheAtkinsoncycle
canprovide.[4]

Dieselcycle

[ edit ]

Mainarticle:Dieselcycle
Thedieselengineisatechnicalrefinementofthe1876OttoCycle
engine.WhereOttohadrealizedin1861thattheefficiencyofthe
enginecouldbeincreasedbyfirstcompressingthefuelmixture
priortoitsignition,RudolphDieselwantedtodevelopamore
efficienttypeofenginethatcouldrunonmuchheavierfuel.
TheLenoir,OttoAtmospheric,andOttoCompressionengines
(both1861and1876)weredesignedtorunonIlluminatingGas
(coalgas).WiththesamemotivationasOtto,Dieselwantedto
createanenginethatwouldgivesmallindustrialconcernstheir
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ownpowersourcetoenablethemtocompeteagainstlarger
companies,andlikeOttotogetawayfromtherequirementtobetiedtoamunicipalfuelsupply.LikeOtto,
ittookmorethanadecadetoproducethehighcompressionenginethatcouldselfignitefuelsprayedinto
thecylinder.Dieselusedanairspraycombinedwithfuelinhisfirstengine.
Duringinitialdevelopment,oneoftheenginesburstnearlykillinghim.Hepersistedandfinallycreatedan
enginein1893.Thehighcompressionengine,whichignitesitsfuelbytheheatofcompressionisnow
calledtheDieselenginewhetherafourstrokeortwostrokedesign.
Thefourstrokedieselenginehasbeenusedinthemajorityofheavydutyapplicationsformanydecades.
Itusesaheavyfuelcontainingmoreenergyandrequiringlessrefinementtoproduce.Themostefficient
OttoCycleenginesrunnear30%efficiency.

ThermodynamicAnalysis

[ edit ]

Thethermodynamicanalysisoftheactualfourstroke
ortwostrokecyclesisnotasimpletask.However,the
analysiscanbesimplifiedsignificantlyifairstandard
assumptions[5]areutilized.Theresultingcycle,which
closelyresemblestheactualoperatingconditions,is
theOttocycle.
Duringthenormaloperationoftheengineasthefuel
mixtureisbeingcompressedanelectricarciscreated
toignitethefuel.AtlowrpmthisoccursclosetoTDC
(TopDeadCentre).Asenginerpmrisesthespark
pointismovedearlierinthecyclesothatthefuel
chargecanbeignitedwhileitisstillbeingcompressed.
Wecanseethisadvantagereflectedinthevarious
Ottoenginesdesigns.Theatmospheric(non
compression)engineoperatedat12%efficiency.The
compressedchargeenginehadanoperating
efficiencyof30%.

FuelConsiderations

[ edit ]

Theproblemwithcompressedchargeenginesisthat
thetemperatureriseofthecompressedchargecan
causepreignition.Ifthisoccursatthewrongtimeand

TheidealizedfourstrokeOttocyclepVdiagram:
theintake(A)strokeisperformedby
anisobaricexpansion,followedbythecompression
(B)stroke,performedbyanadiabaticcompression.
Throughthecombustionoffuelanisochoricprocessis
produced,followedbyanadiabaticexpansion,
characterizingthepower(C)stroke.Thecycleis
closedbyanisochoricprocessandanisobaric
compression,characterizingthe
exhaust(D)stroke.

istooenergetic,itcandamagetheengine.Different
fractionsofpetroleumhavewidelyvaryingflashpoints(thetemperaturesatwhichthefuelmayselfignite).
Thismustbetakenintoaccountinengineandfueldesign.
Thetendencyforthecompressedfuelmixturetoigniteearlyislimitedbythechemicalcompositionofthe
fuel.Thereareseveralgradesoffueltoaccommodatedifferingperformancelevelsofengines.Thefuelis
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alteredtochangeitsselfignitiontemperature.Thereareseveralwaystodothis.Asenginesaredesigned
withhighercompressionratiostheresultisthatpreignitionismuchmorelikelytooccursincethefuel
mixtureiscompressedtoahighertemperaturepriortodeliberateignition.Thehighertemperaturemore
effectivelyevaporatesfuelssuchasgasoline,whichincreasestheefficiencyofthecompressionengine.
HigherCompressionratiosalsomeanthatthedistancethatthepistoncanpushtoproducepoweris
greater(whichiscalledtheExpansionratio).
Theoctaneratingofagivenfuelisameasureofthefuel'sresistancetoselfignition.Afuelwithahigher
numericaloctaneratingallowsforahighercompressionratio,whichextractsmoreenergyfromthefuel
andmoreeffectivelyconvertsthatenergyintousefulworkwhileatthesametimepreventingengine
damagefrompreignition.HighOctanefuelisalsomoreexpensive.
Dieselenginesbytheirnaturedonothaveconcernswithpreignition.Theyhaveaconcernwithwhetheror
notcombustioncanbestarted.ThedescriptionofhowlikelyDieselfuelistoigniteiscalledtheCetane
rating.BecauseDieselfuelsareoflowvolatility,theycanbeveryhardtostartwhencold.Various
techniquesareusedtostartacoldDieselengine,themostcommonbeingtheuseofaglowplug.

Designandengineeringprinciples
Poweroutputlimitations

[ edit ]

[ edit ]

Themaximumamountofpowergeneratedbyanengineis
determinedbythemaximumamountofairingested.The
amountofpowergeneratedbyapistonengineisrelatedtoits
size(cylindervolume),whetheritisatwostrokeorfourstroke
design,volumetricefficiency,losses,airtofuelratio,the
calorificvalueofthefuel,oxygencontentoftheairandspeed
(RPM).Thespeedisultimatelylimitedbymaterialstrength
andlubrication.Valves,pistonsandconnectingrodssuffer
severeaccelerationforces.Athighenginespeed,physical
breakageandpistonringfluttercanoccur,resultinginpower
lossorevenenginedestruction.Pistonringflutteroccurswhen
theringsoscillateverticallywithinthepistongroovesthey
residein.Ringfluttercompromisesthesealbetweenthering
andthecylinderwall,whichcausesalossofcylinderpressure
andpower.Ifanenginespinstooquickly,valvespringscannot
actquicklyenoughtoclosethevalves.Thisiscommonly
referredtoas'valvefloat',anditcanresultinpistontovalve

Thefourstrokecycle
1=TDC
2=BDC
A:Intake
B:Compression
C:Power
D:Exhaust

contact,severelydamagingtheengine.Athighspeedsthe
lubricationofpistoncylinderwallinterfacetendstobreak
down.Thislimitsthepistonspeedforindustrialenginestoabout10m/s.
Intake/exhaustportflow [ edit ]
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Theoutputpowerofanengineisdependentontheabilityofintake(airfuelmixture)andexhaustmatter
tomovequicklythroughvalveports,typicallylocatedinthecylinderhead.Toincreaseanengine'soutput
power,irregularitiesintheintakeandexhaustpaths,suchascastingflaws,canberemoved,and,withthe
aidofanairflowbench,theradiiofvalveportturnsandvalveseatconfigurationcanbemodifiedtoreduce
resistance.Thisprocessiscalledporting,anditcanbedonebyhandorwithaCNCmachine
Supercharging [ edit ]
Onewaytoincreaseenginepoweristoforcemoreairintothecylindersothatmorepowercanbe
producedfromeachpowerstroke.Thiscanbedoneusingsometypeofaircompressiondeviceknownas
asupercharger,whichcanbepoweredbytheenginecrankshaft.
Superchargingincreasesthepoweroutputlimitsofaninternalcombustionenginerelativetoits
displacement.Mostcommonly,thesuperchargerisalwaysrunning,buttherehavebeendesignsthatallow
ittobecutoutorrunatvaryingspeeds(relativetoenginespeed).Mechanicallydrivensupercharginghas
thedisadvantagethatsomeoftheoutputpowerisusedtodrivethesupercharger,whilepoweriswastedin
thehighpressureexhaust,astheairhasbeencompressedtwiceandthengainsmorepotentialvolumein
thecombustionbutitisonlyexpandedinonestage.
Turbocharging [ edit ]
Aturbochargerisasuperchargerthatisdrivenbytheengine'sexhaustgases,bymeansofaturbine.It
consistsofatwopiece,highspeedturbineassemblywithonesidethatcompressestheintakeair,andthe
othersidethatispoweredbytheexhaustgasoutflow.
Whenidling,andatlowtomoderatespeeds,theturbineproduceslittlepowerfromthesmallexhaust
volume,theturbochargerhaslittleeffectandtheengineoperatesnearlyinanaturallyaspiratedmanner.
Whenmuchmorepoweroutputisrequired,theenginespeedandthrottleopeningareincreaseduntilthe
exhaustgasesaresufficientto'spoolup'theturbocharger'sturbinetostartcompressingmuchmoreair
thannormalintotheintakemanifold.
Turbochargingallowsformoreefficientengineoperationbecauseitisdrivenbyexhaustpressurethat
wouldotherwisebe(mostly)wasted,butthereisadesignlimitationknownasturbolag.Theincreased
enginepowerisnotimmediatelyavailableduetotheneedtosharplyincreaseengineRPM,tobuildup
pressureandtospinuptheturbo,beforetheturbostartstodoanyusefulaircompression.Theincreased
intakevolumecausesincreasedexhaustandspinstheturbofaster,andsoforthuntilsteadyhighpower
operationisreached.Anotherdifficultyisthatthehigherexhaustpressurecausestheexhaustgasto
transfermoreofitsheattothemechanicalpartsoftheengine.

Rodandpistontostrokeratio

[ edit ]

Therodtostrokeratioistheratioofthelengthoftheconnectingrodtothelengthofthepistonstroke.A
longerrodreducessidewisepressureofthepistononthecylinderwallandthestressforces,increasing
enginelife.Italsoincreasesthecostandengineheightandweight.
A"squareengine"isanenginewithaborediameterequaltoitsstrokelength.Anenginewherethebore
diameterislargerthanitsstrokelengthisanoversquareengine,conversely,anenginewithabore
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diameterthatissmallerthanitsstrokelengthisanundersquareengine.

Valvetrain

[ edit ]

Thevalvesaretypicallyoperatedbyacamshaftrotatingathalfthespeedofthecrankshaft.Ithasaseries
ofcamsalongitslength,eachdesignedtoopenavalveduringtheappropriatepartofanintakeorexhaust
stroke.Atappetbetweenvalveandcamisacontactsurfaceonwhichthecamslidestoopenthevalve.
Manyenginesuseoneormorecamshaftsabovearow(oreachrow)ofcylinders,asintheillustration,in
whicheachcamdirectlyactuatesavalvethroughaflattappet.Inotherenginedesignsthecamshaftisin
thecrankcase,inwhichcaseeachcamusuallycontactsapushrod,whichcontactsarockerarmthat
opensavalve,orincaseofaflatheadengineapushrodisnotnecessary.Theoverheadcamdesign
typicallyallowshigherenginespeedsbecauseitprovidesthemostdirectpathbetweencamandvalve.
Valveclearance [ edit ]
Valveclearancereferstothesmallgapbetweenavalvelifterandavalvestemthatensuresthatthevalve
completelycloses.Onengineswithmechanicalvalveadjustment,excessiveclearancecausesnoisefrom
thevalvetrain.Atoosmallvalveclearancecanresultinthevalvesnotclosingproperly,thisresultsina
lossofperformanceandpossiblyoverheatingofexhaustvalves.Typically,theclearancemustbe
readjustedeach20,000miles(32,000km)withafeelergauge.
Mostmodernproductionenginesusehydrauliclifterstoautomaticallycompensateforvalvetrain
componentwear.Dirtyengineoilmaycauselifterfailure.

Energybalance

[ edit ]

Ottoenginesareabout30%efficientinotherwords,30%oftheenergygeneratedbycombustionis
convertedintousefulrotationalenergyattheoutputshaftoftheengine,whiletheremainderbeinglosses
duetowasteheat,frictionandengineaccessories.[6]Thereareanumberofwaystorecoversomeofthe
energylosttowasteheat.TheuseofaTurbochargerinDieselenginesisveryeffectivebyboosting
incomingairpressureandineffectprovidesthesameincreaseinperformanceashavingmore
displacement.TheMackTruckcompany,decadesago,developedaturbinesystemthatconvertedwaste
heatintokineticenergythatitfedbackintotheengine'stransmission.In2005,BMWannouncedthe
developmentoftheturbosteamer,atwostageheatrecoverysystemsimilartotheMacksystemthat
recovers80%oftheenergyintheexhaustgasandraisestheefficiencyofanOttoengineby15%.[7]By
contrast,asixstrokeenginemayreducefuelconsumptionbyasmuchas40%.
Modernenginesareoftenintentionallybuilttobeslightlylessefficientthantheycouldotherwisebe.Thisis
necessaryforemissioncontrolssuchasexhaustgasrecirculationandcatalyticconvertersthat
reducesmogandotheratmosphericpollutants.Reductionsinefficiencymaybecounteractedwith
anenginecontrolunitusingleanburntechniques.[8]
IntheUnitedStates,theCorporateAverageFuelEconomymandatesthatvehiclesmustachievean
averageof34.9mpgUS(6.7L/100km41.9mpgimp)comparedtothecurrentstandardof25mpg
US(9.4L/100km30.0mpgimp)

[clarificationneeded].Asautomakerslooktomeetthesestandardsby2016,new

waysofengineeringthetraditionalinternalcombustionengine(ICE)havetobeconsidered.Somepotential
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solutionstoincreasefuelefficiencytomeetnewmandatesincludefiringafterthepistonisfarthestfromthe
crankshaft,knownastopdeadcentre,andapplyingtheMillercycle.Together,thisredesigncould
significantlyreducefuelconsumptionandNOxemissions.

Startingposition,intakestroke,andcompressionstroke.

Ignitionoffuel,powerstroke,andexhauststroke.

Seealso

[ edit ]

Atkinsoncycle
Millercycle
Desmodromicvalve
Historyofthe
internalcombustion
engine
NapierDeltic
Poppetvalve

References

RadialEngine
Rotaryengine
Sixstrokeengine
Stirlingengines
Twostrokeengine
Fourstrokeinternal
combustionengine

[ edit ]

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1.^ a b c d[1]

FourstrokeengineWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

,NAOttoMuseum.

2.^RalphStein(1967).TheAutomobileBook.PaulHamlynLtd
3.^US367496

,J.Atkinson,"GasEngine",issued18870802

4.^"AutoTech:AtkinsonCycleenginesandHybrids" .Autos.ca.20100714.Retrieved20130223.
5.^BestPlaceforEngineeringandTechnology
6.^OttoEngineEfficiency

,AirStandardAssumptions.

,EfficienciesofInternalCombustionEngines.

7.^BMWTurboSteamerGetsHotandGoes

,Autoblog,December9,2005.

8.^AirpollutionfrommotorvehiclesByAsifFaiz,ChristopherS.Weaver,MichaelP.Walsh

Generalsources

[ edit ]

Hardenberg,HorstO.(1999).TheMiddleAgesoftheInternalcombustionEngine.Societyof
AutomotiveEngineers(SAE).ISBN9780768003918.
scienceworld.wolfram.com/physics/OttoCycle.html
Cengel,YunusAMichaelABolesYalingHe(2009).ThermodynamicsAnEngineeringApproach.N.p.
TheMcGrawHillCompanies.ISBN9787121084782.
Benson,Tom(11July2008)."4StrokeInternalCombustionEngine" .p.NationalAeronauticsand
SpaceAdministration.Retrieved5May2011.

Externallinks

[ edit ]

U.S.Patent194,047
Fourstrokeengineanimation
DetailedEngineAnimations
HowCarEnginesWork
AnimatedEngines,fourstroke ,anotherexplanationofthefourstrokeengine.
CDXeTextbook ,somevideosofcarcomponentsinaction.
Videofrominsideafourstrokeenginecylinder

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