INTRODUCTION

During the second half of eighties and nineties, three cylinder engines ruled
Indian roads. But by the beginning of new millennium cars with four cylinder
engines captured back the Indian market. But some recent introductions
gives a feeling that whether the industry is swinging back to three cylinder
engines - especially with the introduction of cars like Maruti Astar, koda
!abia, Maruti "stillo #$%%&' etc.
A straight-three engine, also known as an inline-triple, or inline-three
#abbreviated I3, L3 or R3', is a reciprocating piston internal combustion
engine with three cylinders arranged in a straight line or plane, side by side.
3 CYLINDER REVOLUTION
(ar manufacturers are increasingly looking at )-cylinder engines in an
effort to boost economy and beat ever-more stringent emissions guidelines.
*ou+d be forgiven for associating )-cylinder engines with poverty-spec
superminis and city cars #think
(orsa ,.%, (itreon (,' and
the tiny -apanese .ei cars.
/hat is set to change as
manufacturers respond to the
demand for greener cars,
partly because customers want
them #thanks to soaring fuel
prices' and partly because
they+re afraid of what the "0 will do if they don+t push down their average
emissions.
1olkswagen have announced plans to introduce a )-pot engine into the
2olf and upcoming 3olo range. Although details are scarce, development
chief 0lrich 4ackenberg has confirmed that a )-cylinder engine is under
development and that it has a 5great future6.
Meanwhile !ord have revealed that they are designing a range of )-
cylinder engines, named 5!o76, that will be aimed primarily at the "uropean
market. /he engines will be built at !ord+s (raiova plant in 8omania, with
production e7pected to reach 9%%,%%% units annually.
8umours are also circulating that BM: are set to introduce a new )-
cylinder engine into the , and )-series. 3lans for a new ,,)%;cc )-cylinder
turbocharged engine have emerged that will offer three levels of outout <
,=)bhp with ,>%lb?ft of tor@ue, $%,bhp with ,=$lb?ft and $>,bhp and
,&$lb?ft.
If the BM: move is confirmed then at least it means we won+t all be forced
to drive little cars with asthmatic engines < ,=)bhp is a respectable figure
for a hot hatch. 4owever, while all of these plans may not yet mean the
death of big-capacity 1= and 1A engines, they are going to become an
increasingly rare site on our roads.
FUNCTION & WORKING
/he three-cylinder engine
features an decisively
improved mass balance as
compared to the two-
cylinder. /here are only
three, each =%B crank angle
long, empty strokes.
(onstruction e7penditure,
internal friction #fuel
consumption' and length are
lower and make the engine with rising cubic capacity interesting as a
substitute for four cylinder engines. /hough its crankshaft is shorter, it has
headers in three levels. /he two-stroke three-cylinder was compared earlier
to the si7-cylinder four-stroke engine because its power strokes overlap
similarly. /his is not valid of course for the mass balance. Designers of
motorcycles prefer the three-cylinder because of its compact design . It
can reach total displacements of more than $ litres.
!" it "!r#s
"very piston has its own crankshaft header. /he pistons go through their
strokes at different times. /he ignition interval is $>%B. /he three-cylinder
four-stroke engine works precisely like half a si7-cylinder engine. /he less
favourable mass balance is most often improved by an additional e@ualiCer
shaft. %;?%A.
$DV$NT$GE% & DI%$DV$NT$GE%
$DV$NT$GE%
F&el E''i(ien()
/he basic advantage of a three-cylinder engine over a four-cylinder is that it
is inherently more fuel efficient #as there+s one cylinder less of volume of
fuel to burn'. /he smaller the engine siCe the less fuel it will burn and hence
it is more fuel efficient. Df course, if a four-cylinder and a three-cylinder
engine have the same capacity #for e7ample ,%%% cc', then theoretically
they should use the same amount of fuel. But still the three cylinder will be
more fuel efficient. 4ere+s why.
L!"er 'ri(ti!nal l!sses
ince there is one cylinder less in a three-cylinder engine vs a four-cylinder
engine, there is a lower surface area of metal-to-metal contact #pistons
moving inside the cylinder' compared to a four-cylinder engine and fewer
Eoints #piston to crankshaft'. /his makes for better mechanical advantage
as less fuel is wasted in overcoming friction.
Lighter "eight
/he obvious advantage of having a cylinder less is that there is
considerable weight saving in the engine. /his gives carmakers a lighter
engine, which translates to lower kerb weight for the car and hence
marginally better fuel efficiency too.
C!*pa(t si+e
Another advantage of having fewer cylinders is that it allows carmakers to
account for tighter packaging in the car. /he engine won+t take up too much
space in the engine bay, allowing carmakers to design cars that have
ma7imum cabin space and minimum space for the engine.
C!st sa,ing
:ith the rising cost of raw materials #steel and aluminium', it is cheaper for
a carmaker to build a three-cylinder engine than a four-cylinder one. /his
will also translate to some cost savings for you the buyer as well, if the
carmaker chooses to pass on the advantage.
4owever, there are some inherent disadvantages of a three-cylinder engine
over a four-cylinder.
DI%$DV$NT$GE%
N!t re'ine-
A four-cylinder engine would be much smoother sounding than a three
cylinder engine. /hat+s because a normal internal combustion engine is a
four stroke cycle < intake, compression, combustion and e7haust #suck,
s@ueeCe, bang, blow'. o at any point in time in a four-cylinder engine,
there is one cylinder that is always on the power stroke #combustion' in the
cycle. In a three-cylinder engine there is a difference in the way the pistons
are arranged on the crankshaft, which leads to a delay of half a cycle
between power strokes. In a three-cylinder engine a power stroke happens
after every ,$% degree rotation of the crankshaft, while in a four-cylinder
engine it happens with every &% degree rotation of the crankshaft #for one
full )=% degree rotation of the flywheel'. /his shows up as a slight gap in
the firing time, and hence a rougher engine note.
Nee-s *!re re,,ing
During the time that no power stroke or firing is taking place in the engine,
the engine is moving only on momentum generated by the flywheel
connected to the crankshaft. At low speeds, this can lead to more vibrations
and if not enough throttle input is given, it can also stall. But at higher
revolutions per minute #83M', there is much better balance in the engine
and it is much smoother. /he flywheel gains better momentum. !or better
power, a three-cylinder will need to be revved to higher rpms than a four-
cylinder of e@ual capacity.
In terms of power capacity, three cylinder engines these days can be made
to generate as much or more power than an e@uivalent four cylinder
engine, using other associated technologies. !or instance, adding four
valves per cylinder #two intake valves, and two e7haust valves', will allow
an engine to breathe better and therefore respond faster. imilarly,
turbocharging an engine, will allow for higher compression and more power
generation from the engine.
%.ECIFIC$TION%
F&el (!ns&*pti!n - !uel consumption defines the amount of fuel
consumed. Fike tor@ue and horsepower, fuel consumption changes
based on the engineGs speed. It is often specified by manufacturers
as a range of values on a performance curve.
Engine e''i(ien() - "nergy efficiency describes the amount of
energy from the fuel used by the engine to do useful work. !or
gasoline engines, ma7imum efficiencies typically range between $;-
)%H since 9%-9;H is lost as unused heat energy. More efficient
engines will have better fuel economy #i.e. lower overall fuel
consumption'.
E*issi!ns - 2aseous emissions of pollutants and particulates are
released in the e7haust streams of combustion engines after the fuel
is burned. /he makeup of this e7haust is important to consider when
complying with pollution and emission standards and re@uirements.
!actors effecting e7haust emissions include the composition of
the fuel and the combustion conditions #e.g. air-fuel ratio, whether the
fuel burns completely'.
Weight - /he weight of the engine is important in terms of portability
and placement. Fighter engines are ideal for applications where the
powered system must be portable or involves transport, since heavier
systems re@uire more tor@ue to move. !or stationary applications,
weight is often less of an issue.
Di*ensi!ns - /he dimensions of the engine must fit within the
re@uirements of the corresponding system or environment.
Dimensions include the width, length, and height of the engine.
C!*pressi!n rati! - /he ratio of an engineGs combustion chamber
volume at its largest to the volume at its smallest. It defines how
much compression takes place within the chamber. A high
compression ratio results in better fuel-air mi7ing and ignition, which
leads to increased power and better overall engine efficiency.
4owever, higher compression ratios make engines more susceptible
to knocking with lower octane fuels, which can reduce efficiency or
cause damage.
FE$TURE% OF 3 CYLINDER ENGINE
Fets evaluate two important performance aspects for three cylinder
enginesI
a. 3ulling 3ower
b. !uel "fficiency
.&lling .!"er/
2enerally people have an impression that a three cylinder engines are
underpowered than four cylinder engines, especially when using A(. /he
feeling comes from e7perience in using certain vehicles with A%%cc three
port engines. A%%cc engines are underpowered while using an Air-
condition, not only because of the number of cylinders, but because of the
displacement capacity. But a bigger three port engine is capable of
delivering the same power as a four cylinder one. But the real difference is
thisI
A four cylinder deliver the power during all the four strokes in an
engine cycle
A three cylinder engine deliver the same power in a different way.
In three cylinder four stroke engines, one engine cycle consists of two
rotations i.e. while power is delivered from all the cylinders, the crank shaft
rotate two times #9$% degrees'. /he timing between the combustion phases
of all the three cylinders is $>% degrees. But the combustion phase lasts
only for a rotation of ,A% degrees only. o for the time period of rotating
remaining =% degrees, power is not delivered by any of the cylinders and
during that period the engine is driven purely by the on inertia of motion.
$>% degrees J ,A% degree combustion K =% degree idle
o in every engine cycle, the power output is Cero for ,A% degree of turning
LoteI !or ease of representation and understanding, a 9$% degree cycle is
shown in a single cycle in the illustration. 3lease note the actual shape of
the curve may vary from what is given I the diagrams.
U%E% OF 3 CYLINDER ENGINE
$&t!*!0ile &se
/he smallest inline-three, four-stroke
automobile engine was the ;>) cubic
centimetres #))., cu in' uCuki F5A,
which was first used in the ,&9&
uCuki Alto?!ronte. mart currently
produces a diminutive 9&& cubic
centimetres #>A.A cu in' inline-three
diesel engine, the smallest automotive diesel engine yet. Most inline-three
engines fall below ,.$ litres, with a ,,,&A cubic centimetres #9)., cu in'
1olkswagen 2roup unit seen as the largest petrol engine. A ,,99& cubic
centimetres #,%A.= cu in' diesel engine was produced by 1M Motori to the
,&A> Alfa 8omeo )) 1.8 TD, the largest inline-three produced for
automotive use.
1!t!r()(le &se
!or motorcycles, the inline three-cylinder engine is considered
advantageous as it is narrower
than an inline-four and
produces less vibration than a
twin cylinder vehicle.
F!&r-str!#e
!our-stroke straight-three motorcycle engines have been produced for both
road and racing purposes by Aprilia, Faverda, /riumph, *amaha, BM:,
Benelli, 3etronas, M1 Agusta and BA.
/he /riumph 8ocket III, has a $,$&> cc #,>%.% cu in' straight-three engine
and the company has produced a number of other transversely mounted
straight-three engines, such as the water-cooled Daytona &;;i, which was
also the companyGs first fuel inEected machineM and ,,%;% cc peed /riple.
T"!-str!#e
Between ,&9$ and ,&99, uCuki made three two-stroke straight-three
production runsM the air-cooled 2/)A% and 2/;;%, and the water-cooled
2/9;% and /89;% racer based on it.
!ollowing a comparative study at Dsaka 0niversityGs !aculty of
"ngineering, between in-line and F-shaped motors, .awasaki Motors
decided to develop a range of high performance, two stroke straight-three
engines. Between ,&=& and ,&9A, the company produced air-cooled inline,
triple engines with capacities of $;% cc, );% cc, >%% cc, ;%% cc, and 9;% cc,
and the 4,-8 ;%%cc and 4$-8 or .89;% 9;% cc racing models in both air-
cooled and water-cooled forms.
N!n-a&t!*!ti,e &se
Inline three-cylinder engines are not limited to propelling motor vehicles.
/he may also be used in general industrial applications. An e7ample is the
!airbanks-Morse )$",> slow-speed diesel engine which is shown coupled
to a water pump.
$gri(&lt&ral &se
Inline ) engines are very common in diesel engined tractors, as well as
other agricultural machinery. Learly all
manufacturers of diesel tractors have or
have had models with three-cylinder
engines on their program. /he perhaps
best known e7ample of any kind of three-
cylinder diesel engine is the 3erkins
AD).,;$ that were used in Massey
!erguson ); tractors, as well as in !ordson
De7ta and several other tractors. /his
engine was also used for marine and stationary applications. Dther
e7amples of manufacturers include Luffield#BM(', Bolinder-Munktell?1olvo
BM, International 4arvester, -ohn Deere, DeutC-!ahr, !ord and many
others.
$,iati!n &se
/he 4ewland A"9; is a 9;% cc
lightweight two-stroke inverted three-
cylinder li@uid-cooled aircraft engine that
produced 9; bhp #;= k:', manufactured
in the mid-,&A%s by 4ewland.

CONCLU%ION
Dther than this theoretical view, in a real life scenario, the performance,
comfort and fuel efficiency of a car depends on many other factors starting
from the aerodynamics to the passenger weight. /here is no generaliCation
that all three cylinder ones are fuel efficient and all four cylinder ones are
better to drive. It depends on many other factors like the manufacturer,
engine refinement, @uality components, performance of the subsystems
etc.
!inally, it+s a personal choice to go with a car with three cylinder or four
cylinder. If somebody values more fuel economy, better operating e7pense
and generally drives in fast lanes its better to have a three cylinder engine.
At the same time if somebody is buying the car mainly for city driving,
driving comfort and use A( most of the time, it+s better to have a three
cylinder one.