Four Stroke Engines How does a canon work?
Engine Operation Gasoline & diesel engines convert chemical energy into mechanical energy
Mechanical Motion
Chemical to Mechanical
1st stroke: Intake stroke Gasoline and diesel engines have to go through 4 strokes to create power to move the car the intake valve opens the piston moves down
Intake Stroke Continued… As the piston moves down the cylinder… a mixture of gas and air enters the cylinder this mixture is 15 parts air to 1 part gas (15:1 air – fuel ratio) the air & fuel is mixed & delivered by the fuel system – either a carburetor or fuel injection system
2nd Stroke: Compression Stroke Intake valve closes Piston moves up the cylinder When the piston reaches the top of the cylinder, the air & fuel has been squeezed to 150psi
3rd Stroke: Power Stroke a spark created by the ignition system, jumps the gap at the spark plug & ignites the air/fuel mixture This causes the burning gases to expand and drive the piston down the cylinder
4th Stroke: Exhaust Stroke Once the piston reaches the bottom of the cylinder from the power stroke… The exhaust valve opens The piston moves up The burnt gases are pushed out of the cylinder
Then what happens? After the exhaust stroke, the piston begins moving down on another intake stroke, continually repeating the 4 strokes
Interesting Facts the burning air-fuel mixture can reach ≈1200°C or more the crankshaft spins ≈750 times per minute at idle it spins ≈3000 times per minute at freeway speeds this equals 50 times per second! the force on the piston during the power stroke is ≈1700kgs a well maintained engine can last 300,000 km or more! the design of a 4 stroke engine hasn’t changed very much over the last 100 years