Four Stroke Engine

Muhammad Talha Raheem

Lecturer
COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore
Campus
 Introduction
All the events in the four-stroke cycle are completed in
four strokes.
A four-stroke cycle engine is an internal combustion
engine that utilizes four distinct piston strokes to
complete one operating cycle.
The piston make two complete passes in the cylinder to
complete one operating cycle.
An operating cycle requires two revolutions (720°) of the
crankshaft.
 Construction
In an engine running on the four-stroke cycle there
are mechanically operated valves which control
admission and exhaust to and from the engine cylinder.
The inlet and exhaust ports run into the combustion
space at the top of the cylinder and are circular in
section.
The valves, called poppet valves, are circular discs and are
operated through a central spindle.
 Construction
The edges of the valves are chamfered to mate with
similarly chamfered faces cut at the combustion space
orifices of the inlet and exhaust ports
The valves are held central by, and operate through,
valve guides.
 Construction
They are held down in their closed position, with
the chamfered faces mating, by means of valve
springs.
The opening and closing of the valves is controlled
by means of cams which are fixed to a camshaft or
shafts.
The camshaft is operated by means of a gear drive or
chain drive from the crankshaft.
 Construction
If the valves open downward into the combustion
space, engine is said to be an overhead valve engine.

If the valves open upward into the sides of the

combustion space, the engine is said to be a side-valve
engine.

Sometimes the camshaft is set up over the top of the

valves in an overhead valve engine. In this case the
engine is said to be an overhead camshaft engine.
 Working
Intake Stroke

Compression Stroke

Power Stroke

Exhaust Stroke
Intake Stroke
 Intake Stroke
The inlet valve is fully open and the exhaust valve is
closed.

The piston is descending so it is sucking a fresh air-

fuel charge into the cylinder through the open Inlet
valve.

Toward the bottom of the suction stroke the inlet valve

begins to close.
 Compression Stroke
Both the inlet and exhaust valves are closed.

The piston is ascending and is compressing the fresh

air-fuel charge into the combustion space.

Ignition of the charge occurs toward the top of this

stroke; once the stroke is completed, the piston again
begins to descend on the power stroke.
Compression Stroke
 Power Stroke

Both the inlet and exhaust valves are closed.

The air-fuel charge has been ignited and the

combustion products are rapidly expanding, pushing
the piston down on its power stroke
Power Stroke
Exhaust Stroke
 Exhaust Stroke
Toward the bottom of the power stroke the exhaust
cam has rotated such that it begins to lift the exhaust
valve while the inlet valve remains closed.

As the piston ascends, it pushes the combustion

products out through the open exhaust port.
Toward the top of the exhaust stroke the exhaust
valve begins to close and the inlet valve begins to open
as a result of cam action.
It will be noted that the piston has made four
strokes, two up and two down, in order to complete
the cycle. Hence the name, the four-stroke cycle.
At the same time the crankshaft has made two
revolutions. For this cycle, then, there is one power stroke
in two revolutions.
It will be noted also that since the valves open once only
during the cycle then it means that the cams must rotate
once only in two revolutions of the crankshaft. Thus the
camshaft is geared down 1:2 to the crankshaft.
P-V Diagram
 P-V Diagram
Compression, ignition and expansion appear in a similar
manner to the two-stroke cycle.
But after expansion in this cycle, there is a definite exhaust
stroke which will appear as a line on the P-V diagram.
The atmospheric pressure line is slightly below the exhaust
pressure line.
This is always the case because the piston builds up a
pressure inside the cylinder above atmospheric pressure in
order that there will be a positive net pressure from inside
the cylinder to outside. The combustion products will then
move from inside the cylinder to outside and will thus be
exhausted.
 P-V Diagram
During the suction stroke, which follows the exhaust
stroke, the suction pressure is slightly below atmospheric
pressure. This occurs as the piston descends and there
will therefore be a net pressure from outside to inside the
cylinder. Thus a fresh charge will move into the cylinder.
The difference between atmospheric and suction
pressures is called the intake depression.
After the suction stroke, the compression stroke follows,
and so on. Note the four distinct lines: compression,
expansion, exhaust and suction which clearly show the
four-stroke nature of this cycle.
 P-V Diagram
Compression and expansion lines enclose an area very similar to that of
the theoretical constant volume cycle i.e., Otto Cycle.

It will further be noted that there are two distinct areas enclosed by the lines of
this diagram. The first, and by far the largest, is the area enclosed by the
compression and expansion lines.
Now the area under lines drawn on a pressure-volume diagram gives work
done.

It will be observed that the area under the expansion line is greater than that
under the compression line and the difference between these two areas is
the area enclosed by these two lines. Hence there is a positive work output.
the arrows show a clockwise movement round this area and, if this is the
case on any pressure-volume diagram, then this is a positive area and there is a
positive work output.
 P-V Diagram
The reverse is the case on the second enclosed area. This is
bounded by the exhaust and suction lines.
The exhaust area is larger than the suction area.
During the exhaust the piston does the work in pushing out
the combustion products. During the suction, the atmosphere
pushes in the fresh charge. Since the exhaust work is greater than
the suction work then the enclosed area is negative
the progress round this area, shown by the arrows, is
anticlockwise. If this is the case on any Pv diagram then the
area enclosed is negative, and work must be put in to carry it
out. It is thus a negative area.
The exhaust-suction area is sometimes called the pumping loop.
It has been opened up a little on the diagram to make it clear.
Usually it appears rather narrower than that illustrated.