Engine Types and

Classifications

Engine Types and Classifications

Automobile engine can be classified according to:
Number of cylinders
Arrangement of cylinders
Arrangement of valve and valve trains
Type of cooling
Number of stroke per cycle
Types of fuel burn
Firing order
Reciprocating or rotary

Number and arrangement of cylinders

In a row
In two rows or bank set at an angle (V type)

 Three cylinder engines

The engine has an overhead camshaft and produces 60

horsepower (hp) [45 kW] at 5500 rpm.

The camshaft is driven from the crankshaft by a toothed
timing belt
The ignition distributor is driven directly from one end of the
camshaft
The oil pump is on the front of the crankshaft
A V belt from the crankshaft drives the alternator and water
pump.
Four cylinder engine
Four cylinder engine can be arranged:

In a line
In a V shape (V type)
V type engine has set of cylinders in two rows.
The two rows are separated by an angle to each others.
The angle could be 60 degrees or 90 degrees or 180
degrees
In a line engine has set of cylinders are arranged in line.
The valves in the cylinder head are operated through
valve lifters, pushrods, and rocker arms.
An engine with this type of valve train is often is often

V-8 Engines
It has two 4-cylinders rows
Set at a 90 degree angle.
The engine is like two four-cylinder
engines mounted on a single crankcase
and using a single crankshaft.
The crankshaft has four crankpins.
Connecting rods from opposing cylinders
are attached to a single crankpin.
Therefore, each crankpin has two
connecting rods attached to it.

 Arrangement of valves and valve trains

Engine valve allows the engine to breath.

The intake valve open to admit the A/F mixture to the engine
cylinders.
The exhaust valves open to allow burned gases to exit or
exhaust from the engine cylinders.
Cam on rotating camshaft operate the valve train, which open
the valves.
Location of the camshaft
Either on the cylinder head or in the cylinder block.
Types of camshaft drive
Camshaft are driven by timing gears, sprockets and timing
chain or sprockets and toothed timing belt
Types of valve train
Two basic types of valve train
Overhead camshaft
Camshaft in block with pushrod
Number of valves per cylinder
Normally each cylinder of the engine has two valves
Some have multi-valve cylinder of the engine
PURPOSE of these added valves is to allow the engine to
breathe more freely.

Firing order
The firing order is the sequence of power delivery of

each cylinder in a multi-cylinder reciprocating engine.

This is achieved by sparking of the spark plugs in a
gasoline engine in the correct order, or by the sequence
of fuel injection in a Diesel engine.
When designing an engine, choosing an appropriate

firing order is critical to minimizing vibration and

achieving smooth running, for long engine fatigue life
and user comfort, and heavily influences crankshaft
design.

In a gasoline engine, the correct firing order is obtained

by the correct placement of the spark plug wires on the

distributor. In a modern engine with an
engine management system and direct ignition, the
Engine Control Unit (ECU) takes care of the correct firing
sequence.

 The crankpin and crankshaft arrangement determine the firing

order.

Firing orders for the same type of engine may differ.

Two firing orders for in-line

4-cylinders engines are 1-3-4-2 and 1-2-4-3

6-Cylinders engines 1-5-3-6-2-4

The complete firing order of a four-cycle engine represents
two complete revolutions of the crankshaft.
This is 720 degrees of crankshaft rotation
Firing impulse occurs every 120 degrees of crankshaft rotation
(720/6=120).
When piston number 1 is at TDC on the end of compression
stroke, piston number 6 is at TDC on the end of the exhaust
stroke.

Classification by cycles
Piston engines operate on either
Two-stroke cycle or
Four-stroke engine
Four-stroke-cycle engine
Power stroke is in every fourth piston stroke
A

power stroke during each crankshaft revolution

Two-stroke-cycle engine
Every other piston stroke has a power stroke
A power stroke during each crankshaft

revolution
Two

stroke-cycle engine produces twice as many power

stroke at the same crankshaft speed (rpm) as the fourstroke-cycle engine.
Piston opens the transfer and exhaust port.
Therefore, always mixing some A/F mixture with the
exhaust gases.

Mode of operation of the two-stroke engine

1st stroke: The piston is at the bottom of the

cylinder.

A pipe at the left side is opened and lets the fuel mixture,

which is already compressed a bit, flow from the lower to

the upper part of the cylinder.
The fresh gases expulse now the exhaust through an
ejection pipe, which is not closed by the piston at this
moment.

2nd stroke: After being hurried upward, the piston

now covers the pipe on the left side and the

ejection pipe.

Because there is no way out any more, the upper, fresh

gas mixture gets compressed now.

At the same time in the part below fresh gas is taken in by
the piston driving upward through the open suction pipe.
At the upper dead-center, the compressed fuel mixture is
ignited by the sparking plug, the piston is pressed
downward while he compresses at the same time the
fresh gas below.

Mode of Operation of Two- Stroke

Engine

Mode of operation of two-stroke engine-continue

Intake. The fuel/air mixture

is first drawn into the

crankcase by the vacuum
created during the upward
stroke of the piston.

During the downward stroke

the poppet valve is forced

closed by the increased
crankcase pressure. The fuel
mixture is then compressed
in the crankcase during the
remainder of the stroke

Transfer/Exhaust.

Toward the end of the

stroke, the piston
exposes the intake
port, allowing the
compressed fuel/air
mixture in the
crankcase to escape
around the piston into
the main cylinder. This
expels the exhaust
gasses out the exhaust
port, usually located on
the opposite side of the
cylinder. Unfortunately,
some of the fresh fuel
mixture is usually
expelled as well.

 Compression. The piston then

rises, driven by flywheel

momentum, and compresses
the fuel mixture. (At the same
time, another intake stroke is
happening beneath the piston).

Power. At the top of the stroke

the spark plug ignites the fuel

mixture. The burning fuel
expands, driving the piston
downward, to complete the
cycle.

 Difference between Two-stroke engine and four-stroke engine

The two-stroke internal combustion engine differs from the more common

four-stroke engine by completing the same four processes (intake,

compression, combustion, exhaust) in only two strokes of the piston rather
than four.

This is accomplished by using the beginning of the compression stroke and the

end of the combustion stroke to perform the intake and exhaust functions.

This allows a power stroke for every revolution of the crank, instead of every

second revolution as in a four-stroke engine.

Two-stroke engines provide high specific power, so they are valued for use in

portable, lightweight applications.

Specific power, which is typically given in kilowatts per liter of engine displacement (in
the U.S. also horsepower per cubic inch).

Two-stroke engine is always worse than in the four-stroke engine, which loses

fresh fuel only because of the "overlap" of the valve times (both valves are
open for an instant).

Beside these performance-technical problems, there are also increasing

difficulties with the environment.

The fuel mixture of the two-stroke engine often gets shifted with a certain

quantity of oil because of the necessary lubrication.

Unfortunately the oil gets burnt partly, too, and harmful gases are expulsed by

the engine.