ME 463: AUTOMOBILE ENGINEERING

CIJIL B. JOHN
Asst. Professor
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
Jyothi Engineering College
Introduction to Automobile Engineering
 MODULE 1 - Syllabus
• Piston: - material for piston, clearances, piston rings, types, need
for two compression rings, oil control ring, piston pin, Piston for IC
engine, piston rings, piston pin, connecting rod, crank shaft, crank
pin, cam shaft, valves, fly wheel, fluctuation of energy and size of fly
wheel, hub and arms, stress in a fly wheel rim, simple problems.
• Petrol fuel injection systems: - comparison petrol injection and
carbureted fuel supply systems- comparison –multiport fuel injection
(MPFI) and common rail direct injection (CRDI) systems.
• Super charging systems: fundamentals, naturally aspirated engines
and supercharged engines– Turbo charger, turbo lag.
• Hybrid cars, safety overview -Formula-I engine technology:
overview, electrical technology, brakes, transmission technology.
 What is an ‘Automobile’??

• A vehicle producing power within itself for its propulsion is known

as a Self propelled vehicle.
• Eg. Moped, Scooter, motorcycle, Car, jeep, truck, tractor, ships,
aircrafts, rocket etc.
• A self propelled vehicle used for transportation of goods &
passengers on the ground is called an Automobile.
• Different from Aeronautical vehicles (planes, helicopters, rockets) &
marine vehicles (ships, boats, submarines)
 History of Automobiles

Captain Nicholas Joseph Cugnot – French Army – built the first self
propelled vehicle in 1768-70
 First Automobile

Cugnot Steam Trolley, Steam Engine powered, 1768

 Karl Benz

Inventor of the first gasoline powered automobile, 1886

Benz Patent Motorwagen – 1886 – first production car powered
by an IC Engine – 954 cc, 2/3 hp or 0.5 kW at 250 rpm
Flocken Elektrowagen – 1888 – World’s first electric car
Henry Ford, American Industrialist – Ford Motor Company – founder
of the first affordable Motorcar
 Classification Of Automobiles

1. Based on Purpose
1. Passenger Vehicles – Car, Bus, Motorcycle
2. Goods Vehicles – Lorry, truck, Pick up

2. Based on Capacity
1. Heavy Motor Vehicle (HMV) – large trucks, Buses, Tractor
2. Light Motor Vehicle (LMV) – Cars, Jeep, Motor cycles
3. Medium Vehicle – Small trucks, Minibus, Tempo
 Classification Of Automobiles
3. Based on Fuel Source
1. Petrol Engine 2. Diesel Engine
3. Gas Vehicles 4. Solar Vehicles
5. Hydrogen Vehicles 6. Electric Vehicles
7. Steam Engine vehicles
8. Hybrid Vehicles
9. Hybrid Electric Vehicles
4. Based on Type of Transmission
1. Automatic transmission vehicles – mostly American
2. Conventional transmission vehicles – Most Indian Vehicles
3. Semi - Automatic transmission vehicles – mostly British
 Classification Of Automobiles

5. Based on Make
1. MARUTI SUZUKI 2. HINDUSTAN MOTORS

3. TATA MOTORS 4. MAHINDRA & MAHINDRA

5. TVS MOTORS 6. HERO MOTOCORP
7. ASHOK LEYLAND 8. EICHER MOTORS
9. FORCE MOTORS 10. BAJAJ AUTO LTD
11. ROYAL ENFIELD
12.VOLVO, VOLKSWAGEN, MERC BENZ, BMW,
CATERPILLAR, BENTLEY, AUDI etc.
 Classification Of Automobiles

6. With respect to the drive

1. Left Hand Drive 2. Right Hand Drive
3. Fluid Drive 4. Front Wheel Drive
5. Rear Wheel Drive 6. All Wheel Drive (AWD or 4WD)

7. With respect to the Suspension

1. Conventional – Leaf Spring
2. Independent – Coil, Torsion bar, MacPherson Strut
 Classification Of Automobiles

8. With respect to the Type of Engine

1. Reciprocating – Piston Engines
2. Rotary – Wankel Engine, Gas turbine

9. With respect to the body & doors

1. Sedan
2. Hatchback
3. Station Wagon
4. Convertible
5. Sports utility vehicle
6. Multi Utility Vehicle (MUV or MPV)
7. Delivery Vans etc
 Classification Of Automobiles

10. Based on no. of wheels

1. Two wheeler
2. Three wheeler
3. Four
4. Six
Indian Automakers
European Automakers
Japanese Automakers
American Automakers
Italian Automakers
French Automakers
Swedish Automakers
German Automakers
Volkswagen Group - Germany
 Rank of Manufacturer’s by production (2013)

1. TOYOTA – JAPAN (2) 6. NISSAN – JAPAN

2. GENERAL MOTORS – USA (4) 7. FIAT CHRYSLER –
ITALY
3. VOLKSWAGEN – GERMANY(1) 8. HONDA – JAPAN
4. HYUNDAI – SOUTH KOREA (3) 9. SUZUKI – JAPAN
5. FORD – USA 10. RENAULT - FRANCE
 COMPONENTS OF AN AUTOMOBILE

1. The Basic structure

2. The Engine
3. The Transmission system
4. The Auxiliaries
5. The Controls
6. The Superstructure
 COMPONENTS OF AN AUTOMOBILE

1. The Basic Structure:

It consists of the frame, the suspension system, axles, wheels
and tyres.

2. The Engine:
It provides the motive power for all various functions which
the vehicle or any part of it, may be required to perform. The
engine for automotive use is IC type.
ENGINE
 COMPONENTS OF AN AUTOMOBILE

3. The Transmission System:

It consists of a Clutch, a gear box giving four, five or even
more different ratios of torque output to torque input, a
propeller shaft to transmit the torque output from the gear box
to the rear axle and a differential gear to distribute the final
torque equally between the driving wheels.
Transmission System
 COMPONENTS OF AN AUTOMOBILE

4. The Auxiliaries:
The Electrical systems.
5. The Controls:
They consists of steering systems and brakes
6. The Super Structure:
In those cases where frameless construction is not
adopted there must be super structure i.e, the body.
Automobile Engines
Engine & Engine components
 Basic Engine Terminology
1. Bore: The inside diameter of the cylinder is called bore
2. Stroke: The linear distance along the cylinder axis between two
limiting position s is called stroke.
3. Top Dead Center ( T.D.C.) : The top most position of the piston
towards cover end side of the cylinder is called T.D.C.
4. Bottom dead Center ( B.D.C.) : The lowest position of the piston
towards the crank end side of the cylinder is called B.D.C.
5. Clearance Volume : The volume contained in the cylinder above
the top of the piston , when the piston is at top dead center , is
called the clearance volume.
6. Swept Volume: The volume swept through by the piston in moving
between T.D.C. and B.D.C, is called swept volume or piston
displacement.
 Basic Engine Terminology
7. Compression Ratio: It is the ratio of Total cylinder volume to
clearance volume
Comp. Ratio
6:1 to 10:1 for Petrol engines
15:1 to 25:1 for Diesel engines
Comp. Temp.
250*C for S.I.
600*C for C.I.
Comp. Pressure
1 MPa for S.I.
3.5 MPa for C.I.
 Engine & Engine components
1. Cylinder Block 2. Cylinder head
3. Crankcase 4. piston
5. Piston rings 6. Piston pin
7. Connecting rod 8. Crank shaft
9. Flywheel
10. Valves and valves mechanism
11. Rocker arm 12. Camshaft
13. Accessories: Air cleaner, oil filter, automatic chokes,
automatic heat controls.
other parts: Spark plug, ignition devices, carburetor
 Engine components

1. Cylinder block
It consists of three parts.
 The cylinder in which the pistons slide up and down.

 The passages for the flow of cooling water.

 The bottom of the block supports the crankshaft, oil sump and
camshaft.
• Various engine accessories & clutch housing are bolted to it.

The Cylinder block is usually made from grey cast iron.

Sometimes its made with addition of nickel or chromium, Aluminium and
Compacted Graphite Iron(CGI) – heavy duty alloy.
 Engine components : 1.Cylinder block
Cylinder block and crankcase form a single casting
(monoblock). It gives a rigid structure and extra strength.
The Cylinder block may also have a separate crankcase for
the crankshaft.(Individual block)
Advantages of Monoblock
No water leakage, more rigid
Size is reduced, easy water circulation
Advantages of Individual block
Easy for repairing, less replacement cost
Cylinder Block (Monoblock)
2. Cylinder Head
 The top of the cylinder is covered by a separate cast piece known as
the cylinder head. It is bolted to the cylinder block.
 It is usually made of grey iron or Aluminium alloy. Aluminium has
the advantage of light in weight and high heat conductivity.
 A flat piece of gasket is placed between the cylinder head and block
to retain compression in the cylinder and to provide a gas and water
tight seal.
 Gasket is made of Copper-asbestos-Copper.
• Camshafts, rockers & valves may be carried on the cylinder head.
• Water passages may also be provided to cool the valves, the head
and the spark plugs.
3.Piston
Piston helps to convert the chemical energy obtained by
the combustion of fuel into useful mechanical power.
The purpose of the piston is to provide a means of
conveying the expansion of the gases to the crankshaft through
the connecting rod.
It is provided with piston rings to provide a good seal
between the cylinder wall and piston. It has to withstand very
high temperatures of combustion.
 Piston

Materials Used

Aluminium alloys, Cast steel,

Cast Iron or Chrome Nickel
 Engine components : Piston
Head or Crown: top of the piston
Ring grooves
Skirt: parts below the ring grooves
Lands: the portion that separates the grooves.
The piston must posses the following qualities
 Rigidity to withstand high pressure.

 Lightness to reduce weight and inertial forces.

 Good heat conductivity to reduce the risk of detonation

 Silence in operation
 Clearances
• Piston clearance is the gap between piston and cylinder, to avoid
damage due to excessive expansion of piston on getting heated
during combustion.
• Aluminum piston expands when heated. Proper clearance must be
provided to maintain free piston movement in the cylinder bore.
• Insufficient clearance can cause the piston to seize in the cylinder.
• Excessive clearance can cause a loss of compression and an increase
in piston noise.

• Automobile piston never touches the cylinder walls.

• This helps to avoid friction between the piston and cylinder.
• Only piston rings makes contact with the cylinder walls.
 • Actual shape of the piston is not circular and is little elliptical in
shape. This is because, when the piston gets heated, it begins to
expand and became circular in shape.

Normal clearance b/w piston & cylinder wall is 0.02

mm to 0.035 mm & a maximum of 0.08 mm is
considered as wear limit.
More than 0.08 mm indicates that the engine has to
be repaired immediately.
 4.Piston rings
Fine grained alloy cast iron used for the piston rings.
 Cast Iron plated with Chromium, Cadmium or Tin.

Functions:
 Prevent the escape of burnt gases from the combustion
chamber past the piston (Crank case blow by).
 Prevent the leakage of oil into the combustion space.
 Heat from the piston is transmitted to the cylinder via piston
rings.
Piston Rings
 Piston Rings
• The top two rings are known as compression rings. They prevent
the fresh charge or waste gases inside the combustion chamber from
going into the crankcase.

• The 3rd ring is having less thickness compared to compression ring

and is called wiping ring. The function of wiping ring is to wipe
excess oil sticks inside the cylinder.

• The lowermost ring is called the oil ring. Its purpose is to ensure
proper oil distribution along the cylinder walls and also prevent the
leakage of oil into the combustion chamber.
• While inserting the piston rings, the ring gap between the adjacent
rings must be 120° apart. This helps to prevent the leakage of
compression gas or combustion gas.
 4.Piston rings
a. Compression rings:
o Prevents the blow by or escape of burnt gases to the crank case.
o 2 or 3 compression rings are fitted into the top grooves.
o A gap is formed in the ring to impart the property of radial
expansion and compression.
o This gap is necessary for assembly and renewal of ring
o Made from Cast Iron plated with Chromium, Cadmium and Tin.
Compression Ring
 4.Piston rings
b. Oil Control rings:
o These rings scrap off excessive oil from the cylinder wall and
return it to the oil sump.
o The oil control ring is fitted into the lower groove of the piston.

o Oil control grooves has a series of slots. These slots transfer the
excess oil through the holes in the piston groove to the inside of
the piston and to the sump
o Made from stainless steel, outer edges of the rings chromium
plated
 5. Piston pin
• Connects the piston to the connecting rod & provides a bearing for
the connecting rod to pivot upon as the piston moves.
• Also called as ‘Gudgeon pin’ in UK and ‘Wrist pin’ in US.
• Basic materials for the production of piston pins are steel wire or
steel bars.

Circlip for locking the piston

pin at the end
 6. Connecting rod
 The connecting rod usually has I-beam cross-section.
 Small end is connected to the piston pin and big end to the crank
pin
 The function of the connecting rod is to convert linear motion of the
piston into rotary motion of the crankshaft.
 The connecting rod carries the power thrust from piston to the
crank pin. So it must be strong, rigid and as light as possible.
 Always made from steel forgings, in few cases Aluminium alloy is
used.
 6. Connecting rod

• Cross section is an “H” or “I”

• Types include :

a) Plain Rod
b) Fork and blade rod
c) Master and articulated
 a) Plain Rod

o Used on inline and opposed engines

o Small bushing at piston pin end is pressed in place and reamed to
final dimensions
o Large end of rod includes a cap, bolts, nuts, and plain bearing
inserts
o Rods are numbered as to cylinder and for cap-to-rod alignment
 b) Fork and Blade Connecting Rod

• Used on “V” type engines

• One rod inside another allows cylinders to be aligned and to
share a common location on the crankshaft
Fork and Blade Type C Rod
 c) Master and Articulating Rod

o Used on radial engines

o Uses “knuckle pins” to retain articulated rods to master
 7. Crank shaft

 It is the 1st part in the power transmission.

 The reciprocating motion of the piston is converted into rotary
motion of the crankshaft with the help of connecting rod.
 It consists of crankpins, webs, balancing weights and main
journals.
 Big end of connecting rod is connected to the crankpin of the
crankshaft.
 The crank shaft is supported by the main bearings on the
main journals.
 Made of Casting or forging of heat treated alloy steel.
Crankshaft
Crank shaft
 8. Crank Pin
• The crank pins are the journals for C.R big end bearings & are
supported by crank webs.
• The oil holes provided inside the crank pin and the main journal
ensures the lubrication b/w the crank pin and the big end bearings.
 9. Camshaft

• Operates the inlet & exhaust valves through rocker arms.

• Receives the drive from Crankshaft either by gear drive or chain drive.

• In a 4S engine, the camshaft rotates half the crank speed.

• Gears on camshaft & crankshaft – timing gears.

• Commonly made up of Chilled iron castings. Other elements added to iron

before casting are Chromium – iron with high Carbon & some Silicon.
 10. Valves
• Usually made of Austenitic Stainless Steel which is a corrosion &
heat resisting material.
• Race engines use Beryllium-Copper alloy seats with Titanium
valves (21-4N) – 40% lighter than Steel.
 Valve Actuating Mechanisms
 To admit the air-fuel mixture in the engine cylinder and to force
the exhaust gases out at correct timings, some control system is
necessary, which is provided by the valves.
 The engine valves may be broadly divided into 3 main categories:

1. Poppet valve
2. Sleeve valve
3. Rotary valve
A most common type of valve used at present is poppet valve.
 Poppet Valve
• The valves are operated by cams mounted on a camshaft.
• According to the location of the valves,

the valve mechanisms are

a. Straight poppet valve mechanism
b. Overhead poppet valve mechanism
c. Overhead camshaft mechanism
 a. Straight (or side) poppet valve
. mechanism

• The valve mechanism to operate

the valve when it is in the
engine block(as in L,T and F-
head).
b. Overhead poppet valve mechanism
c • The valve mechanism to operate the
valve when it is in the cylinder head( as in
I and F head design).
• It requires two additional moving parts-
the push rod and the rocker arm. As the
cam rotates, it lifts the valve tappet.
• It actuates the push rod and thereby the
rocker arm end pushes the valve stem to
open the valve.
Overhead Poppet Valve Mechanism
 c. Overhead camshaft mechanism
• In this type, the camshaft is mounted
c
above the valve in the cylinder head.
• The cam on the cam shaft operates
the valve directly. A small
clearance is provided in between the
cam and valve cap.
• The clearance is adjusted by
providing small shims in the bottom
of the cap.
SOHC & DOHC
Variable Valve Timing (VVT)
11. Flywheel
• Flywheel – rotating device used to store energy.
• Securely attached on the flange of the crankshaft.
• Flywheel absorbs excess energy during the working period &
delivers it when the engine is running in less energy.
• Thus, it reduces the fluctuations of energy and helps to deliver a
uniform energy.

• Flywheels used in car & heavy engines are made of High Strength
Steel, Cast Iron or Nodular iron.
• For light engines, Aluminium flywheels are used.
Energy stored in a flywheel