Engines Topics
- 9 Cylinder Rotary
- Rotary engines were used extensively in early aircraft.
- Aftertreatment
- Exhaust gas treatment after the combustion chamber, such as a catalyst.
- Air Intake Valve
- Valve that controls the air and fuel flow into an internal combustion engines.
- Alpha Stirling Engine
- A striling engine that has two separate power pistons, one hot and one cold.
- Alternative Fuels
- Substitutes for traditional liquid, oil-derived motor vehicle fuels like gasoline and diesel.
- Articulated Piston
- Two-piece pistons incorporating an entirely separate piston crown or dome with a separate skirt.
- Aspin Engine
- A rotary valve engine developed by Frank Aspin.
- Atmospheric Engine
- Also known as the Newcomen engine, this admitted steam into a cylinder which was then condensed by cold water and the piston driven by atmospheric pressure.
- Auxiliary Power Unit
- A device that converts high density fuel into electrical power.
- Babbitt
- A soft antifriction metal used to line bearings.
- Bedplate
- The lower part of the engine resting on the foundation.
- Beta Stirling Engine
- A stirling enging with a single power piston arranged coaxially with a displacer piston.
- Big End
- The connection between the conrod and crankshaft in an internal combustion engine.
- Blueprinted Engine
- Ensuring the dimensions of the parts in the engine are more accurate and, therefore, closer to the original engine blueprint values.
- Boost Pressure
- The increase above atmospheric pressure produced inside the intake manifold by a forced-induction system such as a turbocharger or supercharger.
- Bottom Dead Centre
- The position of the crank when the piston is in its closest position to the crankshaft, in its farthest position from the cylinder head. Abbreviated bdc.
- Bottom End
- The collective term for the internal combustion engine block and the components it houses.
- Brake Mean Effective Pressure
- This is the average effective cylinder pressure that does useful work calculated from the brake horse power.
- Brake Specific Fuel Consumption
- The ratio of the engine fuel consumption to the engine power output.
- Bypass Ratio
- The ratio between the mass flow rate of air drawn in by the fan but bypassing the engine core to the mass flow rate passing through the engine core.
- Cam Follower
- That part of the push rod that is in contact with the cam.
- Camshaft
- The shaft which carries the various cams required for the operation of inlet, exhaust, fuel, and starting-air valves.
- Carburetor
- A device through which air and fuel are atomized and drawn into the engine.
- Carburetor Choke
- A temporary restriction in a carburetor throat that reduces the flow of air and enriches the fuel-air mixture to aid in starting the engine.
- Charge Cooler
- A device which cools a gas between the compressive steps of a multiple stage compressor.
- Charge Efficiency
- The ratio of the weight of the charge actually taken in to the weight of the air at standard conditions corresponding to the piston displacement.
- Clearance Volume
- The volume of air or liquid remaining in the cylinder of an air compressor or a pump when the piston is nearest to the cylinder head.
- Closed-Loop Fuel Control
- A mode where input air/fuel ratio to an engine is controlled by using an exhaust oxygen sensor as the input reference.
- Combined Cycle Gas Turbine
- A unit whereby electricity is generated by a gas powered turbine and also a second turbine.
- Combined-Cycle Engine
- Engine concepts using some combination of air-breathing and rocket components which are integrated into a single propulsion system.
- Combustion Chamber
- The space above the piston in which the fuel-air mixture starts to burn in an internal combustion engine.
- Common Rail
- A pipe or header from which branch lines lead to each of the fuel valves in the different cylinder heads of a diesel engine.
- Compression Pressure
- The pressure of the air charge at the end of the compression stroke.
- Compression Relief
- A device to reduce the compression in a cylinder and thus to make cranking easier.
- Compression Rings
- Piston rings placed in the upper part of a piston to seal against loss of compression pressure and against gas blowing.
- Compression Stroke
- The stroke of the piston during which the air charge in the cylinder is compressed by the piston movement.
- Compressor Wheel
- The wheel on a turbocharge which pulls air and forces into the engine.
- Connecting Rod
- The part in an internal combustion engine that connects the piston to the crankshaft.
- Conrod
- Abbreviation of connecting rod, the part in an internal combustion engine that connects the piston to the crankshaft.
- Constant Pressure Combustion
- Combustion of fuel in a cylinder at so slow a rate that there is no rise in cylinder pressure.
- Constant Volume Combustion
- Combustion in a cylinder so fast that there is no change in volume.
- Cooling System
- System that extracts heat from a machine and ejects it to the surrounding world.
- Cooperative Fuel Research Engine
- A standardised single cylinder, overhead valve, variable compression ratio engine used for measuring octane or cetane quality.
- Crank
- That part of the crankshaft, which is in the form of a crank and crank pin.
- Crank Angle
- Angle that can be measured between the crankshaft and top dead centre.
- Crank Rumble
- This is an amplitude modulation of engine noise perceived inside a car with a modulation frequency of 0.5 order.
- Crankcase
- The middle part of the engine structure surrounding the working parts.
- Crankcase Emissions
- Pollutants allowed to escape into the atmosphere from the crankcase of an internal combustion engine.
- Crankpin
- That part of the crank to which the connecting rod is attached.
- Crankshaft
- That part of the engine which transmits the reciprocating motion of the pistons to the driven unit in the form of rotary motion.
- Cylinder Block
- A number of cylinders cast in one piece.
- Cylinder Liner
- A cylindrical lining that is inserted into the cylinder jacket or cylinder block and in which the piston slides.
- Derated Engine
- An engine with a restricted power output.
- Detonation
- Any rapid chemical reaction accompanied by noise and often heat and light, e.g., explosions.
- Diesel Engine
- An internal-combustion engine in which the fuel is injected into the cylinder near the end of the compression stroke and is ignited by the heat of the compressed air in the cylinder.
- Dry Sump
- A lubrication system in which the oil is pumped into the engine's sump under pressure and then pumped out again.
- Emissions
- The gases and airborne particles produced during combustion.
- Engine
- A machine which produces power to do work, particularly one that converts heat into mechanical work.
- Engine Block
- The main structure of the engine.
- Engine Breathing
- The ability of an internal combustion engine to get air into the combustion chamber during the intake stroke.
- Engine Configurations
- Various configurations of engine have been developed over the years for power, low noise and vibration, economy or weight.
- Engine Crane
- A crane designed specifically for lifting engines and gearboxes into and out of vehicle engine bays.
- Engine Excitation Mechanisms
- The physics behind the vibrations generated by the internal mechanisms of an internal combustion engine.
- Engine Knock
- Abnormal combustion, often producing audible sound, caused by autoignition of the air/fuel mixture.
- Engine Oil
- Liquid that reduces friction or wear, or both, between the moving parts within an engine; removes heat, particularly from the underside of pistons; and serves as a combustion gas sealant for the piston rings.
- Engine Orders
- Engine orders are simply the amplitudes of the frequency components which are the multiples of the rotating frequency.
- Engine Radiated Noise
- Some empirical noise prediction models have been derived from a sample of 1m radiated engine noise measurements.
- Engine Speed
- Rotational speed of the crankshaft, normally declared as rpm.
- Engine Tuning
- The adjustment, modification or design of internal combustion engines to yield optimal performance, to increase an engine′s power output, economy, or durability.
- Engine Tuning to Increase Durability
- The adjustment, modification or design of internal combustion engines to increase durability.
- Engine Tuning to Increase Power
- The adjustment, modification or design of internal combustion engines to yield more power.
- Engine Tuning to Reduce Fuel Consumption
- The adjustment, modification or design of internal combustion engines to yield better fuel economy.
- Engine Vacuum
- Air depression created by the intake stroke, pulling in the air/fuel mixture.
- Engines Books
- Lists all Engines Books in the Encyclopaedia
- Engines Calculations
- Lists all Engines Calculations in the Encyclopaedia
- Engines Conversions
- Lists all Engines Conversions in the Encyclopaedia
- Engines Weblinks
- Lists all Engines Weblinks in the Encyclopaedia
- Exhaust Cam
- The cam that controls the operation of the exhaust valve.
- Exhaust Gases
- Products of combustion which are discharged from the cylinder after doing work on the piston.
- Exhaust Manifold
- The pipe that collects the burnt gases as they are expelled from the cylinders.
- Exhaust Pipe
- Piping through which exhaust gases from an engine pass out to the atmosphere.
- Exhaust Valve
- The valve through which the burnt gases are allowed to pass out to the exhaust manifold.
- Expansion Period
- The portion of the power stroke during which the combustion gases expand from the movement of the piston and thus do work.
- Flame Engine
- The working principle is similar to the hot air engine, except that this engine draws hot air into the cylinder.
- Flathead Engine
- Another name for a Sidevalve Engine.
- Four-Stroke Engine
- An engine operating on a cycle which is completed in four strokes, or two revolutions of the crankshaft.
- Free Piston Engine
- A linear internal combustion engine, in which the piston motion is not controlled by a crankshaft but determined by the interaction of forces from the combustion chamber gases, a rebound device and a load device.
- Friction Horse Power
- The power consumed within the engine from friction between its parts.
- Fuel
- Any substance burned for heat or power.
- Fuel Additives
- Chemicals added to fuel in very small quantities to improve and maintain fuel quality and/or to lower emissions.
- Fuel Consumption
- Definitions of fuel consumption calculations.
- Fuel Dilution
- The amount of raw, unburned fuel that ends up in the crankcase of an engine.
- Fuel Injection
- Fuel injected into an engine under high pressure so that it atomizes as it leaves the nozzle.
- Fuel Injection Pump
- The pump used to inject fuel oil into the combustion space of a diesel engine; the fuel pump.
- Fuel Injector
- Electro-mechanical device that precisely meters fuel into an internal combustion engine.
- Fuel Map
- A two-dimensional or three-dimensional series of curves storing the information regarding fuel and ignition for the engine, depending on the engine’s requirements.
- Fuel Pump
- A pump used to deliver fuel to the engine.
- Gamma Stirling Engine
- A beta Stirling engine in which the power piston is not mounted coaxially to its displacer piston.
- Gas Turbine
- A turbine driven by the expansion of burning fuel.
- Gas Turbine Efficiency
- For a simple cycle gas turbine the efficiency is determined by the pressure ratio of the compressor.
- Generator Set
- A generating system comprising a combustion engine driving an electrical generator.
- Genset
- Abbreviation of Generator Set.
- Glow Plug
- An electrical device used to heat fuel as it is injected in the cylinder for quick ignition and starting when the engine is cold.
- H24 Engine
- The basic design is that of two flat horizontally opposed 12 cylinder engines geared onto a common shaft.
- Heat Balance
- A tabulation showing the percentages of the heat developed by combustion in the engine cylinder that are (1) delivered in the form of power at the crankshaft, (2) lost in friction, (3) lost to the cooling water, and (4) lost in the exhaust gases.
- Heat Engine
- A device for converting heat into mechanical work.
- Heat Value
- The heat developed by the combustion of one pound of fuel, Btu per Pound.
- Heavy Duty Engine
- An engine that is designed to allow operation continuously at or close to its peak output.
- Hero′s Engine
- A device which propels itself by shooting steam from one or more orifices. Also known as an Eolipile.
- HHV
- Abbreviation of Higher Heating Value.
- Higher Heating Value
- The standard measure of the energy released during combustion of a fuel, assuming the product water is in the liquid state.
- Hot Air Engine
- The Stirling Engine is an external combustion engine.
- Hot-Stuck Piston Ring
- A piston ring that is stuck when the piston and ring are at room temperature, and inspection shows that it was stuck during engine operation.
- Hunting
- Erratic variation of rotational speed.
- IC Engine
- Any engine, either reciprocating or rotary, in which the fuel is consumed in the interior of the engine rather than outside of the engine.
- Idle
- Internal combustion engine operating at no load and minimum engine speed.
- Ignition Advance
- The amount before the piston reaches the top of its travel that the spark fires to ignite the mixture.
- Ignition Delay
- The length of time or number of degrees of crankshaft rotation between the beginning of injection and ignition of the fuel.
- Ignition Timing
- The time of occurrence of ignition measured in degrees of crankshaft rotation relative to TDC (Top Dead Centre).
- Indicated Horsepower
- The horsepower developed in the engine cylinder, as calculated from an indicator diagram.
- Indicated Mean Effective Pressure
- During the cycle of an engine useful work is only done on the power stroke.
- Inlet and Exhaust Ports
- The inlet or exhaust ports allow air to flow into or out of the cylinder head. Run from the manifold face to the valves.
- Inlet Cam
- The cam that controls the operation of the air inlet valve in a four-stroke engine.
- Inlet Manifold
- The main pipe that lies alongside the cylinder heads and from which branch pipes take the air charge to the separate cylinders.
- Inner Dead Centre
- Also known as top dead centre.
- Intercooler
- A device which cools a gas between the compressive steps of a multiple stage compressor.
- Internal Combustion Engine
- Any engine, either reciprocating or rotary, in which the fuel is consumed in the interior of the engine rather than outside of the engine.
- Jerk Pump
- A fuel pump which injects fuel into the cylinder by action of a cam having a sharp nose.
- Jet Engine
- An engine that discharges a fast moving jet of fluid.
- Lean Mixture
- A mixture in which the proportion of air to fuel is greater than that theoretically necessary for completes combustion.
- LHV
- Abbreviation of Lower Heating Value.
- Light Duty Engine
- An engine that is designed to be normally operated at substantially less than its peak output.
- Lower Heating Value
- The standard measure of the energy released during combustion of a fuel, assuming the product water is in the gaseous state.
- Lubricating Pump
- A pump which handles lubricating oil in an engine.
- Main Bearings
- The bearings that house the crankshaft within the cylinder block.
- Manifold Absolute Pressure
- the total pressure of air going into the engine, boost pressure plus atmospheric pressure.
- Mean Effective pressure
- The mean or average pressure which, acting on the piston, would do the same work as does the actual variable pressure in the cylinder.
- Mechanical Efficiency
- The ratio of brake horsepower to indicated horsepower.
- Mechanical Fuel Injection
- Injection with the fuel-valve operated mechanically from a cam.
- Miller Cycle
- A combustion process for the four stroke internal combustion engine where the intake valve is left open longer than it would be in an Otto cycle engine.
- Needle Valve
- A form of globe valve that contains a sharp pointed, needle like plug that is driven into the and out of a cone shaped seat to accurately control a relatively small rate of flow of a fluid.
- Net Indicated Mean Effective Pressure
- The ratio of net work per cycle to cylinder volume displaced per cycle.
- Newcomen Engine
- Also known as the Atmospheric Engine, this admitted steam into a cylinder which was then condensed by cold water and the piston driven by atmospheric pressure.
- Normally Aspirated Engine
- An engine that uses intake air at atmospheric pressure and temperature to mix with the fuel for combustion.
- OHC
- Abbreviation of Overhead Cam.
- OHV
- Abbreviation of Overhead Valve.
- Oil Control Ring
- Piston ring that prevents an excessive amount of lubricating oil from being drawn up into the combustion space during the suction stroke.
- Open Crank Engine
- Early internal combustion engines were of the open crank style, ie there was no enclosed crankcase.
- Open Loop Fuel Control
- A mode where engine input air/fuel ratio is controlled by measuring the mass of input air and adding the proper mass of fuel to obtain a desired ratio.
- Opposed Piston Engine
- An engine that has two pistons within the same cylinder, traveling in opposite directions.
- Outer Dead Centre
- Also known as bottom dead centre.
- Overhead Cam
- A camshaft used for operating both valves and unit injectors, located on top of or within the cylinder head.
- Overhead Valve
- The camshaft is within the cylinder block and uses pushrods to actuate rocker arms above the cylinder head to actuate the valves.
- Oxygen Sensor
- Measures the percentage of oxygen in the exhaust, and tells the computer whether the fuel/air mixture is too rich or too lean.
- Oxygenated Fuel
- Any fuel substance containing oxygen, such as ethanol, methanol, or biodiesel.
- Packing Rings
- Rubber rings used to form a watertight joint at the bottom of the cylinder liner.
- Petrol Engine
- An internal-combustion engine in which the fuel is petrol that is drawn or injected into the cylinder along with air and ignited with an electric spark.
- Piston
- A cylindrical part which reciprocates in the cylinder bore of an engine and transmits the force of the gas pressure through the connecting rod to the crankshaft.
- Piston Crown
- The very top of the piston.
- Piston Pin
- A pin that rests in two bored holes in the piston and passes through the eye of the connecting rod, to join the two together flexibly.
- Piston Ring
- An open-ended ring that fits into a groove on the outer diameter of a piston in a reciprocating engine such as an internal combustion engine or steam engine.
- Piston Skirt
- The cylindrical part of the piston which sits within the bore.
- Poppet Valve
- A valve opened by the action of a cam and closed by a spring.
- Power Curve
- Graphical representation of the changing relationship between speed and revolutions per minute (RPM).
- Power Stroke
- The working stroke of a piston.
- Pre Combustion Chamber
- A chamber in the cylinder head of some engines into which the fuel is injected, ignited, and partly burned, the rest of the fuel being thrown out into the main combustion space where combustion is completed.
- Pre Ignition
- Ignition of the mixture of fuel and air in the combustion chamber before the passage of the spark.
- Radial Engine
- An engine with a number of cylinder arranged in a circle around the crankshaft centre line. A design often used for aircraft engines.
- Range Extender
- A device that extends the range of an electric vehicle by converting an energy dense fuel into electricity.
- Rotary Engine
- The crankshaft is fixed and the crankcase, pistons and cylinders rotate with the propeller.
- Semi Diesel Engine
- A term applied to oil engines using rather low compression pressures and requiring a hot surface for ignition of the injected fuel.
- Shaft Horse Power
- The power delivered to the output shaft of an engine.
- shp
- Abbreviation of Shaft Horse Power.
- Sidevalve Engine
- An internal combustion engine with valves placed in the engine block beside the piston.
- Simple Cycle Gas Turbine
- Cycle consisting only of compression, combustion and expansion.
- Single Cylinder Engine
- The first internal combustion engines were single cylinder designs and mostly stationary engines.
- Sleeve Valve Engine
- In the sleeve valve engine the conventional valve train was replaced by a ported cylinder liner that was then rotated to align with ports in the block so as to achieve the timing for the intake and exhaust strokes for the four-stroke cycle.
- Slipper Pistons
- Pistons with skirts with material removed, to reduce friction while maintaining strength.
- Spark Advance
- The number of degrees of crankshaft rotation before TDC (Top Dead Centre) where the spark plug is fired.
- Spark Plug
- Electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of an internal-combustion engine and ignites the gas by means of an electric spark.
- Spark Plug Fouling
- A deposit on the electrodes of a spark-plug of essentially non-conducting material that may, but will not necessarily, prevent the plug from operating.
- Spark Plug Whiskering
- A deposit of conductive material that tends to form a bridge between the spark-plug electrodes or to a ground, thus shorting out the plug.
- Specific Fuel Consumption
- The amount of fuel needed to provide a given power for a given period.
- Split Cycle Engine
- A type of internal combustion engine that divides four cylinder strokes between two paired cylinders, one for intake/compression and another for power/exhaust.
- Squish
- Action of forcing pockets of air within the combustion chamber back towards the spark plug for better fuel distribution.
- Steam Engine
- An engine that uses steam to produce useful work.
- Steam Turbine
- A turbine driven by steam expansion through the blades of the turbine.
- Stirling Engine
- An external combustion engine.
- Stroke
- The distance a piston travels up or down inside the cylinder.
- Sump
- The engine oil reservoir.
- Supercharger
- An air compressor used to force more air into an engine than it can inhale on its own.
- Surface-Ignition Engine
- Another name for a Semi Diesel Engine.
- Swirl Combustion
- The swirl is used to reduce particulate emissions.
- Tachometer
- An instrument that measures the rate at which a shaft is turning.
- Tappet
- A tappet is an arm, collar or cam within a machine which imparts intermittent motion.
- Tesla Turbine
- A rotary engine consisting of multiple ported disks where high velocity gases enter tangentially through a wide nozzle at the periphery of the disks.
- Thermal Efficiency
- Quantity of heat produced in relation to fuel input.
- Thrust Specific Fuel Consumption
- Fuel consumption per unit of thrust.
- Timing
- The angle made by the crank with its top or bottom dead-center position at which some valve opens or closes.
- Timing Chain
- A chain that is used to connect the crankshaft and camshaft by which the camshaft is made to rotate.
- Timing Gears
- Gears keyed to the crankshaft and camshaft, by which the camshaft is made to rotate.
- Top Dead Centre
- The position of the crank when the piston is in its farthest position from the crankshaft.
- Turbine Wheel
- A multivaned wheel or rotor, especially in a gas-turbine engine, rotated by the impulse from or reaction to a fluid passing across the vanes.
- Turbocharger
- A supercharger powered by an exhaust-driven turbine.
- Two-Stroke Engine
- An internal-combustion engine that has one power stroke per revolution.
- V10 Engine
- Ten-cylinder engine with the cylinders arranged in two banks of 5 and the shape of a V when looking along the line of the crankshaft.
- V12 Engine
- Twelve-cylinder engine with the cylinders arranged in two banks of 6 and the shape of a V when looking along the line of the crankshaft.
- V16 Engine
- Sixteen-cylinder engine with the cylinders arranged in two banks of 8 and the shape of a V when looking along the line of the crankshaft.
- V4 Engine
- Four-cylinder engine with the cylinders arranged in two banks of 2 and the shape of a V when looking along the line of the crankshaft.
- V6 Engine
- Six-cylinder engine with the cylinders arranged in two banks of 3 and the shape of a V when looking along the line of the crankshaft.
- V8 Engine
- Eight-cylinder engine with the cylinders arranged in two banks of 4 and the shape of a V when looking along the line of the crankshaft.
- Vacuum Engine
- The working principle is similar to the hot air engine, except that this engine draws hot air into the cylinder.
- Valve
- In electronics, a valve is a device consisting of two or more metal plates enclosed in an evacuated glass bulb.
- Valve Bounce
- If the speed of valve is closing too high, the valve can hit the seat so hard it bounces off again.
- Valve Float
- A high-rpm engine condition in which the valve lifters lose contact with the cam lobes because the valve springs are not strong enough to overcome the momentum of the various valvetrain components.
- Valve Lifter
- The cylindrically shaped component that presses against the lobe of a camshaft and moves up and down as the cam lobe rotates.
- Valve Overlap
- The amount of time that the inlet and exhaust valves are open at the same time, to allow momentum charging of the cylinder or to scavenge additional exhaust gas from the cylinder.
- Valve Seat
- That part of the valve mechanism upon which the valve face rests to close the port.
- Valve Spring
- The spring which is used to close a valve.
- Valves
- Signifies the total intake and exhaust valves in an internal combustion engine.
- Valve-Spring Retainer
- Holds the valve spring in a state of compression.
- Valvetrain
- The collection of parts that make the valves operate in an internal combustion engine.
- Vee Engine
- One with two banks of in-line cylinders mounted with an angular separation on a common crankcase.
- V Engine
- One with two banks of in-line cylinders mounted with an angular separation on a common crankcase.
- Vernier Engine
- A small rocket engine that is used for fine adjustment.
- Wankel Engine
- A rotary engine with a rotor rotating in an oval cylinder. Named after it′s designer Felix Wankel.
- Wet Sump
- An engine lubrication system where the oil sits in the sump under the crank, is pumped around the engine and drains back to the sump.
- White Smoke
- The smoke emitted during a cold start from a diesel engine, composed mainly of unburnt fuel and particulate matter.
- Working Stroke
- The piston stroke during which the combustion gases exert a pressure on the moving piston.
- X Engine
- Looking at the end of the crankshaft the cylinders form an X.
Subjects: Mechanical Engineering Transport