This document discusses different types of piston engine configurations and layouts including single inline, Vee, horizontally opposed, and radial arrangements. It also covers 2-stroke and 4-stroke engine cycles, mechanical arrangements of petrol, diesel, Wankel, and radial engines including locations of intake, exhaust, pistons, crankshafts, and other components. Finally, it notes the wide range of sizes for piston engines from very small to large aircraft engines.

1. Piston Engine Propulsion
Types and arrangements

2. Piston Engine Types - Layouts
Single Inline 3
Vee
Twin
Inline 4
Inline 5

3. Vee 5 Vee 6 Vee 8
Piston Engine Types - Layouts

4. Piston Engine Types - Layouts
Firing Order: -
1 – 4 – 3 – 2
Horizontally Opposed (Or flat) 4 Vee 8
1 – 8 – 4 – 3 – 6 – 5 – 7 – 2

5. Piston Engine Types – 2 Stroke Cycle
Port A –
Crankcase
Inlet
Port C -
ExhaustPort B –
Cylinder
Inlet
Piston rising pulls
fuel/air mixture into
crankcase;
compression
causes combustion
Piston pushed
down forces
fuel/air mixture
into cylinder
Piston at BDC
Stroke 2
Piston at TDC
Stroke 1

6. Mechanical Arrangement – Petrol
Engine Cross
Section
Same mechanical set-up
as petrol engine
Inlet Exhaust
But no spark plugs!
Direct
Injection
Indirect
Injection
Diesel
Combustion initiated by
hot compressed air

7. Mechanical Arrangement – Wankel Engine
Inlet
Port
Exhaust
Port
Casing
Spark
Plug
Output
Shaft
Rotating
Triangular
‘Piston’
Fixed (non-
rotating)
Pinion
This motion drives the rotating
crankshaft
Which in turn drives the output shaft
The piston rotates around the fixed pinion
But the shape of the piston and
the casing also make the
piston move up and down by a
small amount as well
Rotating
‘Crankshaft’
Engine Cross Section
Points of contact
marked in yellow

8. Chamber A
Engine Cycle
Chamber C
Inlet
Port
Exhaust
Port
Chamber B
Mechanical Arrangement – Wankel Engine

9. Mechanical Arrangement – Radial/Rotary Engines
Cylinders
Crankcase
Valve
Gear
Valve
Pushrod
Spark
Plug
Propeller
Mount
Bolts

10. Radial powered motorbike
Mechanical Arrangement – Radial/Rotary Engines
Radial
(viewed from the side)
Rotary
(viewed from the side)
28 Cylinder Radial
Model
aero
engine
Aircraft
Nose
Aircraft
Nose
RHONE
(viewed from the front)
Radial/Rotary

11. Flat Twin
Hand
Held
Is there any limits to size?
They go from tiny: -
Mechanical Arrangement – Engine Size
Cylinder
Liners
Cylinder
Block
Cylinder
Head
Bolts
Flywheel
Crankshaft