2. Everything You Should Know About A Car Engine
The engine usually looks like a giant jumble of wires, tubes and metal,
occupying the space under the hood of a car. Everything under the hood
that seems to be impossible to understand is the reason why your vehicle is
running.
In the era of continuously evolving technology, car engines come in a
variety having different features, but with the same purpose.
3. How Do Car Engines Work?
The continuously developing technology has simplified the ways for us to
turn up a car. In today’s market, there are cars available that can be turned
on remotely from a defined distance.
Numerous drivers spare a thought for all technological wizardry taking
place beneath the bonnet as an immensely impressive feat of engineering.
Technically speaking, engines rely on internal combustion, which refers to
small and controlled explosions that generate power.
The reason behind this controlled explosion is the ignition of the air-fuel
mixture in the cylinder which takes place thousands of times a minute.
The continuous repetition of this process helps the car to move.
4. In most of the automotive vehicles, the engine is powered by the action of four-
strokes. These four-strokes can be described as:
1. Intake
As the pistons move up/down
with the crankshaft, the air-
fuel mixture reaches to the
valves mounted on camshaft.
The timing belt mounted on
both crankshaft and camshaft,
causes the valves to open and
release the air-fuel mixture.
This is known as Intake-
Stroke.
5. 2. Compression
The upward movement of
piston forces the air-fuel
mixture to move in a tight space
leading to the Compression-
Stroke.
6. 3. Combustion
As the fuel gets compressed in the
tight space, a spark plug is used
to create a spark which ignites the
air-fuel mixture causing an
explosion. This explosion is
responsible for the downward
movement of the piston.
7. 4. Exhaust
As the piston reaches its Bottom
Dead Center, it causes the
opening of exhaust valves. Again
with the upward movement of
piston, the burned air-fuel
mixture is expelled from the
combustion chamber.
8. Types of Automotive Engines
Depending on the Engine Layouts, automotive engines can be classified as:
1. Straight
In a straight engine, all the cylinders
are arranged systematically in a parallel
line from front to back. This system of
arrangement allows to accommodate
more cylinders, and are commonly
observed in powerful saloon cars like
BMW and Mercedes.
9. 2. Inline
This type of layout is seen where the
cylinders are arranged side-by-side
in an upright position across the
engine bay, perpendicular to the car.
This set of arrangement contributes
to a small and compact engine
having other components like
radiator, battery, cooling system
fitted outside. Inline engines are
most widely used and found in the
majority of hatchbacks and family
cars.
10. 3. V
As the name suggests, the
cylinders are mounted on their
side at a 60°, having two rows
facing outwards, connected by a
crankshaft at the base of the V
shape. This type of arrangement
is found in supercars as it allows
to squeeze a higher number of
cylinders onto a V-style engine.
11. 4. Flat
A flat engine layout is observed in
vehicles where cylinders are
mounted horizontally, with two
rows facing outwards. This type of
arrangement is not very common
due to its low-centre-of gravity
within the engine bay. The most
prominent example of a flat engine
is Porsche, which used a flat-six
engine in their legendary 911
sports car.
12. Depending on Engine Cylinder Configurations, automotive engines can be
classified as:
1. Twin-Cylinder
Twin-Cylinder engines are
known to offer a low power
output and capacity, contributing
to its decline in the automotive
market. However, some
manufacturers like Fiat are using
turbochargers like Fiat TwinAir
to make small and eco-friendly
twin cylinder engines.
13. 2. Three-Cylinder
Three-Cylinder engines are used on
small cars, and they produce a
distinctive burbling noise and are
known for their shuddering
vibration, due to the odd number
of cylinders affecting the engine’s
balance.
14. 3. Four-Cylinder
This type of arrangement is found
on a vast majority of small to mid-
range cars, and are almost set up
in an inline layout. Thus, to add a
significant amount of power to a
four-cylinder engine, the
automakers came up with the idea
of introducing a turbocharger.
15. 4. Five-Cylinder
Having the odd number of
cylinders, this type of arrangement
is seen very rarely and suffer a
similar vibration disturbance to
that of a three-cylinder engine.
Volvo is the most significant
example that uses a five-cylinder
engine.
16. 5. Six-Cylinder
Six-Cylinder engines are found
on high-end performance and
sports cars and are commonly set
up in a V or straight engine
layout. After the introduction of
turbochargers, six-cylinder
engines have gained their name
among the world’s most powerful
engines.
17. 6. Eight+ Cylinders
Cars fitted with Eight+ cylinders
generally fall into the supercar
bracket, given their massive
capacity and power output. Some
of the common examples of this
type of set up are V8, V10 or V12
engines which boast more than
eight cylinders.
18. Unable to Decide?
Seek Help From Experts At MyAssignmenthelp.Com
My assignment help is dedicated to ease out the life of students and
teachers alike with information on various academic tools and learning
methodologies. The experts associated with us possesses great knowledge
and experience in various work profiles.
Get expert help on 100+ subjects and all kinds of assignments with
myassignmenthelp.com. Connect to us at www.myassignmenthelp.com.