AKSUM UNIVERSITY

College of Engineering and Technology

Department of Mechanical Engineering

IC Engines and Reciprocating Machines

A course Delivered to Fourth Year

Mechanical Engineering Students
 Chapter –One
Introduction of IC engines and
Reciprocating Machines
Introduction
 An internal combustion (IC) engine is a device in
which the chemical energy of the fuel is released
inside the engine and used directly for mechanical
work.
Examples:
o Piston Engines
o Gas Turbine Engines (open cycle)
o Rocket Engines
1. Heat Engine
 Heat engines are cyclic devices and that the working
fluid of a heat engine return to its initial state at the
end of each cycle.
 Work is done by working fluid during one part of
the cycle and on the working fluid during another
part. (Deference between these two equal to network
delivered by the heat engine).
 To maximize efficiency: deliver more work and
required less work.
 Maximum efficiency is given by ideal reversible cycle.
 Heat Engine
Hot Body
(source of heat)

Q1

E W

Q2

Cold Body
(absorbs heat)
Example of a Heat Engine
 2. History of internal combustion (IC) engines
 Both power generation and refrigeration are usually
accomplished by systems that operate on a thermodynamic
cycle: power cycles and refrigeration cycles.
 Power producing devises: engines
 Refrigeration producing devices: refrigerators, air‐
conditioners and heat pumps.
 1770s- Steam engines (external combustion engines)
 1860- Lenoir engines (Efficiency = 5%)
 1867- Otto-Langen engine (Efficiency = 11%, 90 RPM max.)
 1876- Otto four stroke ‘’Sparke ignition engine” (Efficiency
= 14%, 90 RPM max.)
 1880s – Two stroke engines
 1892 – Diesel four stroke ‘’Compression ignition” engine
 1957 – Wankel ‘’rotary ‘’ engines
3. Engine Components and Basic Engines Nomenclature
Cylinders

Cylindrical holes in
which the pistons
reciprocate.
May be:
◦ Enblock
◦ Liners
 Wet liners
 Dry liners
Cylinder bore –
diameter of cylinder
Cylinder Head
• Seals the “top-end” of the
combustion chamber.
• Contains the valves and
the intake and exhaust
“ports”.
• Head bolts and head
gasket ensure air-tight
seal of the combustion
• One-piece castings of iron
chamber.
alloy.
• Contains oil and coolant
passages.
Valve Train
 Controlsflow into and out of the
combustion chamber.
◦ Time and Duration
 Tractor engines use “Overhead
Valve (OHV)” configuration.
 Components
◦ Camshaft
◦ Valve tappets
◦ Push rods
◦ Rocker arm
◦ Valves
◦ Valve springs
◦ Valve rotators
◦ Valve seats
Camshaft
• Open the intake and exhaust valves at correct time and
for correct duration.
• Driven by gear (or chain) from the crankshaft.
• 2:1 crankshaft to camshaft gear ratio.
Valves

 Each cylinder will

have:
◦ Intake valve
◦ Exhaust valve
 Valve nomenclature
◦ Head
◦ Margin
◦ Face
◦ Tulip
◦ Stem
Piston and Rings

Piston
◦ Forms the “moveable
bottom’ of the
combustion chamber.
 Iron alloy or aluminum
Rings
◦ Compression
◦ Oil-control
 Cast iron
Piston pin
Connecting rod
 Connects the piston to
the crankshaft
 Converts reciprocating
piston motion to rotary
motion at the
crankshaft.
 Nomenclature
 Drop-forged steel
Crankshaft

• Works with connecting rod to change reciprocating

to rotary motion.
• Transmits mechanical energy from the engine.
• Made of heat-treated steel alloys.
Engine Classification

 Even though basic parts are the same, design

differences can change the way engines operate and
how they are repaired
 For this reason, you must be able to classify
engines
Internal Combustion Engines

 An engine, such as a gasoline or diesel engine,

in which fuel is burned inside the engine
 Designed to be run on any fuel that vaporizes
easily or on any flammable gas
External Combustion Engines
 An engine, such as a steam engine, in which fuel is
burned outside the engine
 Fuel is burned to produce heat to make steam
 Fuel burning can take place within a few feet of the
engine to several miles away
Engine Classification
 Cylinder arrangement
 Number of cylinders
 Cooling system type
 Valve location
 Camshaft location
Engine Classification cont.
 Combustion chamber design
 Type of fuel burned
 Type of ignition
 Number of strokes per cycle
 Number of valves per cylinder
 Type of aspiration
1. Cylinder Arrangement
 Refers to the position of the cylinders in relation to the
crankshaft
 There are five basic cylinder arrangements:
 inline
 V-type
 slant
 W-type
 opposed
Cylinder Arrangement
Horizontally Opposed
In - Line
V configuration
2 Number of Cylinders
 Most car and truck engines have either 4, 6,
or 8 cylinders
 Some may have 3, 5, 10, 12, or 16 cylinders
 Engine power and smoothness are enhanced
by using more cylinders
Numbering of Cylinders cont.
 Engine manufacturers number each engine
cylinder to help technicians make repairs
 Service manual illustrations are usually provided
to show the number of each cylinder
 Cylinder numbers may be cast into the intake
manifold.
3 Firing Orders
 Refers to the sequence in which the cylinders fire
 Determined by the position of the crankshaft rod
journals in relation to each other
 May be cast into the intake manifold
 Service manual illustrations are usually provided
to show the firing order
Numbering and Firing Order
4 Method of Cooling
 There are two types of cooling systems:
 Liquid cooling system
 surrounds the cylinder with coolant
 coolant carries combustion heat out of the cylinder
head and engine block
 Air cooling system
 circulates air over cooling fins on the cylinders
 air removes heat from the cylinders
5 Fuel Type
 Engines are classified by the type of fuel used
o Gasoline engines burn gasoline
o Diesel engines burn diesel fuel
 Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), gasohol (10%
alcohol, 90% gasoline), and pure alcohol can also
be used to power an engine
Two Stroke CI Engine
This is a type where the intake is operated through
ports and exhaust through valves