Ignition System

IGNITION SYSTEM
4.1. FUNCTION
The function of the ignition .system is to produce a spark in the engine cylinder towards
the end of the compression stroke. In a four-stroke engine, a spark should occur in each cylinder
after two revolutions of the crankshaft, whereas in a two-stroke engine a spark in each cylinder is
required every revolution of the crankshaft. Thus, for instance, in a 6-cylinder 4 stroke engine
running at 5000 r.p.m., the number of sparks required per minute will be 15000 and these have to
be timed very accurately.
4.2. REQUIREMENTS OF AN IGNITION SYSTEM.
1. Spark at the plug electrodes must be regular and synchronously timed with respect to the
cylinder-piston: position at all speeds and loads on the engine.
2. The spark should be sufficiently strong so as to start ignition of the charge. Since lean air fuel
mixtures are less conductive, they require higher ignition voltages. Thus on modern emission
controlled engines that use lean mixtures, higher-voltage ignition system is required. Moreover,
due to higher secondary voltage in these systems, it becomes necessary to increase the electrical
insulation. :
3. The spark duration should be sufficient to establish burning of the air-fuel mixture under all
conditions.
4. It should have the ability to produce spark even when a shunt is established over the spark
plug electrodes. possibly due to carbon, oil or lead deposits, liquid fuel or water condensation.
5. The power consumed to produce spark should be minimum.
6. It should have service life at least equal to that of the engine.
7. The system must be easy to maintain.
8. It must not cause radio interference.
9. It should be light and compact.
10. It should be adaptable to mass production.

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4.3..TYPES OF IGNITION SYSTEM

A battery of 12 volts is generally employed. However, a very high voltage surge (of
about 25,000 volts in modem engines) is required for ignition purposes. The actual high voltage
at which the spark occurs is called breakdown voltage and it depends upon so many factors, viz.,
the gap, polarity and condition of plug electrodes. Condition of plug insulation, moisture on the
distributor cap and sparkplug sand pressure, temperature and type of mixture in the combustion
chamber. Used spark plugs may require fairly higher voltage to fire than the new plugs because
of increase in the gap and rounding off of the centre electrode. In a given engine the highest
ignition voltage is required during part-throttle acceleration because the fuel system is then
supplying a lean mixture with increased combustion pressures. To produce such a high voltage, a
special ignition system has to be employed. Two types of conventional ignition systems (called
point type ignition systems) are in current use, viz. the 'battery ignition system' and the magneto
ignition system'. However, both these systems have the major drawbacks of inertia of mechanical
components like contact breaker and insufficient dwell period to build up adequate coil field at
high engine speeds. Though for a long time, both these systems have been in use and giving
satisfactory performance, yet since mid seventies these are being fast replaced by 'electronic
ignition systems'. Point-type and the solid-state (electronic) ignition systems operate in the same
way except that they differ in the way the primary current is stopped and restarted.
4.3.1.BATIERY IGNITION SYSTEM
A battery of 12 volts is generally employed. Battery ignition system for a 4-cylinder
engine is shown in Fig 12.1and 12.2. As in clear from Fig. 12.2, there are two basic circuits in
the system viz. the primary and the secondary circuits. The battery, primary winding of the
ignition coil, condenser and the contact breaker form the primary circuit, whereas the secondary
winding of the ignition coil, the distributor and the spark plugs constitute the secondary circuit.

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Fig. 12.2(b).Batteryignitionsystemfor4-cylinderengine.

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When the ignition switch is in the 'on' position, the current flowing in the primary circuit
will grow exponential during the make period of the contact breaker (Fig. 12.3). If V is the
battery voltage and R & L the resistance and self-induction (reluctance) respectively of the
primary winding, the instantaneous value of primary current I, at time t seconds after the close of
the contact breaker points is given by,
I=IVi(I - e~) ...(12.1)
The electromagnetic energy on account of this build up of current in the primary circuit is stored
in the laminated iron core of the ignition coil. As the contact breaker points open, the magnetic
field built up by the growth of the current collapses and the energy stored during tl)e make
period is projected in to the secondary circuit. If Is =the value of I when break just occurred, the
energy stored at break =-i LIs. It is this energy which is suddenly passed onto the secondary,
Inducing an e.m.f. there. As the break is made very sharp, the induced e.m.f. is very large being
proportional to the rate of change of flux in the winding. This self-induction effect is combined.
With the transformer step-up action of the ignition coil. As a result a sudden voltage surge of
very high amplitude is produced in the secondary, causing a spark to occur at the spark plug
electrodes. Thus it is at points' in Fig. 12.3 that the spark occurs. As an illustration, when the
breaker points open, if a self-induced e.mf. of 250 volts is produced in the primary winding and
the ratio of turns in the secondary and the primary windings is 100, the secondary voltage
produced will be 250 x 100 =25,000 volts. From the secondary winding, the high voltage surge is
led to each spark plug in turn with the help of h.t. cables and the distributor

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Fig. 12.3. Growth and Collapse of primary current in battery ignition system. The ignition circuit
may be either positive-earth type or negative earth type. In the positive earth type, the ignition
coil and the spark plug centre electrode are positive with respect to the ground, whereas in the
negative earth type, these are negative with respect to the ground. The advantage of negative
earth type is that comparatively less voltage is required for the electrons to jump from the central
electrode which is hotter than from the outer electrode which is comparatively colder. Further,
larger erosion due to sparking occurs from the positive electrode. Therefore, if the centre
electrode is made negative with respect to the earth. the plug life is increased Moreover, since
the polarity can be reversed by reversing the primary coil leads, care must be taken to connect
the primary leads correctly. Otherwise, higher ignition voltage will be required for causing the
spark to jump across the spark plugs.
4.4. COMPONENTS OF BATIERY IGNITION SYSTEM
The main components of a battery ignition system are :
1. Battery 2. Ignition Coil 3. Contact Breaker
4. Condenser 5. Distributor 6. Spark Plug

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4.4.1. IGNITION COIL

The ignition coil is simply a transformer with certain characteristics making suitable for
its special use but impairing to some extent its efficiency as a transformer. It serves to convert
the relatively low battery voltage into high voltage. Spindle rotates; the rotor point comes into
contact with each terminal in the cap, thereby sending high voltage to each cylinder in turn.
Alternatively, the rotor point does not actually contact the terminals, but there remains a small
gap between them. This arrangement avoids mechanical wear of the contacts and also prevents
the misfiring due to fused spark plugs. The role of an air gap in the spark plug circuit has
As the distributor spindle has to rotate at half the crankshaft speed, the drive for it is taken from
the camshaft through spiral gears (Fig.12.16).Most often the distributor spindle is extended
further to provide drive for oil pump also, as has been shown in the figure. On the inside of the
cap at the centre, there is a small rounded insert that contacts the rotor when the cap is on. The
centre insert is made of carbon, which is a good conductor. of electricity. Thus all the current
coming from the ignition coil through the central tower on the distributor and carbon insert goes
to the rotor.

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4.5 . IGNITION ADVANCE

It is of great importance that the ignition should occur at the correct moment if the engine
is to give best results. Expressed in terms of the position of the crankshaft, this moment should
be such that maximum pressure occurs in the cylinder about 12 after T.D.C. Since it takes
certain time called ignition delay to start the combustion after the spark, it is clear that the spark
must occur prior to the moment at which maximum pressure is desired. The difference between
this moment and the occurrence of spark in terms of degrees of crankshaft rotation, is termed the
ignition advance. The various factors affecting the ignition advance are:
1. Nature of fuel: Different fuels have different rates of burning and therefore the nature
of the fuel determines the ignition advance required for the engine.
2. Engine speed: Obviously at higher speeds, less time is available for the combustion to
start, for the same degree of crankshaft rotation. So at higher speeds more advance is required.
But the turbulence increases with speed, which improves the rate of combustion, requiring lesser
advance. The net requirement, however, remains the increased advance at higher speed.
3. Load: At smaller load, i.e, at part throttle opening, lesser amount of air/fuel mixture
which is also lean is drawn into the engine cylinders. On compression, this mixture produces less
combustion pressure, consequently the combustion rate is slower, thus requiring more ignition
advance. However, under heavy loads, the throttle is opened fully, drawing in larger mass of
air/fuel mixture which is also richer. This results in higher combustion pressure and consequently
higher combustion rate requiring lesser ignition advance.
4. Engine Temperature: In a cold engine, combustion is slower and thus more spark
advance is required, whereas in the hot engine, rapid combustion needs less ignition advance.
4.6. IGNITION ADVANCE METHODS
There are basically two methods available for adjusting ignitions advance:
1. Manual-The ignition timing is controlled by hand only by means of a lever at the
Dashboard. The distributor has a provision that contact breaker base plate can be rotated within
a certain degree. Turning the breaker plate in cam's direction of rotation results in retarded

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Ignition, turning in opposite direction in advanced ignition. With manual control, however, the
timing of ignition is' not satisfactory, because adjustment is normally done after the engine gives
poor performance and not at the proper time. But the manual control is useful for the presetting
of ignition advance when different fuels may be used. On actual automobiles, however, this
method is now rarely employed. The upper plate is fixed to the distributor while the lower one is
attached to the engine block. When the nuts (shown in figure) are rotated, the upper plate is also
rotated along with. The pointer attached to the upper plate then shows the rotation of the upper
plate and hence of the distributor. Depending upon the requirements of a particular fuel, the
ignition advance is thus preset.
2. Automatic advance mechanisms.
4.6.1 AUTOMATIC IGNITION ADVANCE METHODS
1. Centrifugal Advance: This method provides the ignition timing control according to
engine speed. The distributor shaft, from its gear(lower)end to the rotor-carrying (upper) end is
not a single piece. It is actually in two pieces connected together through the centrifugal advance
arrangement, which consists of two centrifugal weights A and B as shown in Fig. 12.20. These
weights are pinned and connected with the breaker plate C by means of springs. As the engine
speed increases, the weights move out due to the centrifugal force. Thus the weights turn about
their fulcrums and by so doing they turn the breaker plate and cam and thus the upper shaft piece
in the anticlockwise direction with respect to the lower portion of the distributor shaft. This
causes the cam to open and close the contact points earlier thus providing the desired advance.
As the speed increases, the centrifugal force on the weights increases, resulting in increased
advance, till the weights touch some post which limits their movement thus limiting the
maximum advance. The centrifugal advance variation with speed is shown in Fig. 12.21.This is
true when both the springs loading the centrifugal weights have the same spring stiffness.
In some designs, however, the springs of unequal stiff nesses are used. The spring of higher
stiffeners is kept looses that at lower speeds it does not pull the centrifugal weight to which it is
attached. Only at a higher speed when the spring looseness is taken up, it starts loading the
weight. With such an arrangement, therefore, a differential rate of ignition advance is provided

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(Fig. 12.22). The need to have reduced advance rate at higher speeds arises on account of
increased heat and turbulence generated within the combustion chamber at higher speeds.
Centrifugal advance mechanism.

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The distributor shaft drive is timed to a specific crankshaft angle when the advance
mechanisms are in full retard. This is called initial (or basic) timing. The exact centrifugal
advance varies with different distributor designs. However, in general, it varies between 34 and
38 crankshaft degrees, including the initial timing, which is usually about go BTDC. For most
engines, the maximum advance is reached at about 4000 rpm. It is obvious that if due to any
reason (e.g. rusting or sludge built-up), the centrifugal advance mechanism is not working, poor
engine performance will result. If the weight springs have become less stiff or either or both
springs are broken, excessive advance will result causing detonation to occur. If the centrifugal
advance mechanism does not function properly it may result in the following:
I. Lack of power during acceleration.
2. Constant knocking sound at low speeds and slow, jerky cranking due to overadvanced
ignition.
3. Increase in fuel consumption.
4. Increase in exhaust emissions.

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2. Vacuum Advance
A vacuum advance unit senses any variation of ported or manifold vacuum, which are
direct measure of engine load. Thus this unit provides ignition advance according to engine load
and entirely independent of the engine speed. Manifold vacuum is the depression in the intake
manifold and is available at a port on the carburetor situatedbelowthe throttle valve closed
position. The manifold vacuum during light load conditions like idling and deceleration is
highest while it is lowest under heavy engine load. The ported vacuum refers to the vacuum
available at the port on the carburetor situated above the fully closed throttle position of the
carburetor and is thus controlled by the throttle valve position. Thus it is zero during idling and
deceleration
when the throttle valve is closed. As the throttle valve is opened, the ported vacuum increases
gradually to the same value as the manifold vacuum. The vacuum advance unit contains a
rubber diaphragm which is connected to the base plate of the distributor. One side of the
diaphragm is open to atmosphere while the other side is subjected to the vacuum from
the carburettor. One such unit operating on the ported vacuum is shown in Fig. 12.23.

A return spring on the vacuum side of the diaphragm keeps the advance unit at zero advance if
no vacuum is applied as during idling. When, however, the throttle is opened the vacuum is
applied which moves the diaphragm against the return spring to rotate the distributor base plate
in the direction opposite to the usual distributor rotation, causing the ignition to advance. When
the engine is idling, the throttle valve is closed, thus preventing the engine vacuum from being
applied to the diaphragm. Both sides of the diaphragm are then subjected to atmospheric pressure
so that the return spring keeps the ignition setting fully retarded. When however, the engine is

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running at light load, at fairly high speed, the throttle is partly open with the fair amount of
engine vacuum applied to the left side of the diaphragm. Due to this spring compression force
would be overcome and the timing would be advanced proportional to the vacuum applied. A
stop is, however, employed to keep the maximum movement of the diaphragm and hence the
ignition advance at the desired value. If, however, the engine is subjected to heavy load with
throttle wide open, the vacuum in the induction manifold will be very small, which would not be
sufficient to press the return spring. Thus no advance would be provided under this condition.
Such units provide ignition advance of about 14 to 30 crankshaft degrees. If the vacuum advance
mechanism connected to ported vacuum is not working properly it will result in increased fuel
consumption.

However, if the vacuum advance controlled by manifold vacuum fails to work properly, apart
from increased fuel consumption, the following may also result :
I. Rough idle, sometimes stalling.

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2. Knocking sound only at part-throttle.

Besides if the vacuum leaks on account of a punctured diaphragm, it may result in weak air-fuel
mixture, poor engine performance and engine overheating.
3. Centrifugal and vacuum advance combination
It has been observed that the centrifugal advance mechanism takes care of speed only and
not the load conditions. which are looked after by vacuum advance mechanism. Further. the
vacuum advance is Independent of centrifugal advance and this mechanism operates only when
the engine is running under light load and at moderately high speed so as to provide adequate
engine vacuum. Therefore the two mechanisms are independent of and complimentary to each
other and are provided together on the distributors. At. a particular speed then. a pan of the
advance is due to the centrifugal advance while the rest of it will be due to vacuum advance. It
should be noted that the vacuum advance unit operates only with the light engine load at
Moderate engine speeds. Beyond a certain engine speed. the pulling-load requirements increase
and for that the throttle has to be opened gradually which causes the vacuum advance to decrease
from its maximum value until it becomes zero (Fig. 12.25).

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In most of the distributors. the combined maximum advance including the basic timing.
Centrifugal advance and vacuum advance varies between 55 and 60 B.T.D.C. It must be
remembered. however, that this combined maximum advance is not likely to actually occur since
the maximum centrifugal and maximum vacuum advances may not occur at the same time.
4.7 . MAGNETO IGNITION SYSTEM
In the battery ignition system, the current in the primary winding is supplied by the battery,
whereas in the magneto ignition system it is magneto which produces and supplies the current in
the primary winding.
4.7.1. MAGNETO
Basically magneto is of two types, the rotating armature type and the rotating magnet
type. 1. Rotating armature type (Fig. 12.45).

It consists of a permanent magnet fitted with two pole shoes as shown. Between the poles is
rotated an armature carrying the primary and the secondary windings. The primary winding, like
the ignition coil, consists of a few hundred turns of thick wire, whereas secondary winding
comprises some thousands turns of thin wire. The contact breaker and condenser are also
inserted into the primary circuit and rotated with the armature. To understand the working of
magneto, consider Fig.12.46 showing the positions of armature after every 90of its rotation.
When the armature is in the position shown in Fig. 12.46 (a), the flux in the armature core is

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zero. In Fig. 12.46 (b) the flux passing through the armature core is maximum. In Fig. 12.46 (c),
the flux through the core is again zero, whereas in Fig. 12.46 (d), the flux through
the core is in the opposite direction' and of course maximum. Thus it is seen that in the positions
(a) and (c), the flux changes sign and hence the rate of change of

flux is greatest here. Obviously, rate of change of flux is zero at (b) and (d). This has been shown
more clearly in Fig. 12.47. The contact breaker contacts are closed when the armature reaches
position (b). When it is at (c), the primary current and rate of change of flux are maximum. At
(C) the contacts are suddenly broken. This produces a very rapid change of flux and high voltage
surge is experienced in the secondary winding which is sufficient to establish as park at the spark
plug points. Fig. 12.47 depicts clearly how these voltage surges are produced in the magneto.
The various components of a magneto are, the magneto housing, rotor, windings,
condenser, contact breaker and the distributor. The housing is usually a one-piece die casting
made of aluminum or zinc alloy. Soft-iron laminated pole shoes are mounted within the housing.
Armature rotor is also made laminated to avoid eddy currents, which if produced, would make
the break less sharp and hence will not produce sufficiently high voltage. The condenser used is
similar in construction to that used on battery ignition systems, but is usually of lower capacity
rating. The contact breaker and the distributor are also similar in principle to battery ignition
system, but generally differ in their mechanical construction and relative location

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. Two types of distributors used on magnetos are the carbon brush type and the jump spark type.
In the carbon brush type there is actual contact between the distributor rotor and the segments
which are connected with different spark plugs. In the jump spark type, however, there is no
physical contact between the rotor and the segments: there is a small gap between them. The
high Voltage jumps across the gap to reach the spark plug. Ignition advance mechanism is
similar to that used in battery ignition systems.
2. Rotating Magnet Type (Fig. 12.48)
The principle of this is virtually the same as that of the rotating armature type explained
previously. However. in this it is the magnet and not the armature winding which rotates. This
type was developed after the rotating armature type because of the difficulty to produce a
rotating magnet of reasonable dimensions from the earlier magnet materials. The alloys used for
magnets are Nifal, Alnico, Alcomax etc.
The advantages of this type are :
1. Larger armature may be provided, which means more space for insulation.
2. No centrifugal stresses occur in the windings, because these remain stationary.
3. Contact breaker and condenser are also stationary

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4.8 COMPARISON BETWEEN BATTERY AND MAGNETO IGNITION SYSTEMS

1. Starting or low speed operation; The battery ignition gives adequate voltage even at
very low engine speeds because the high voltage produced does not depend upon the engine
speed. Thus this system has ideal starling characteristics. In the magneto ignition, however, the
engine speed affects the voltage produced and during low cranking speeds sufficient voltage may
not be created to produce a spark at the plug terminals, for which a separate booster coil or
impulse starter has to be used.
2. Strength of Spark: The spark is quite adequate in battery ignition though the voltage
curve droops slightly with increase of speed. Magneto spark, however, is even more powerful.
3. Maintenance: It is easier in case of battery ignition, because the items requiring
maintenance attention are located in more accessible position than in the magnetos.
4. Circuit Wiring: For magneto ignition system, circuit wiring is very simple. In the
battery system, there is more circuit wiring and hence it is more liable to wiring faults.
5. Reliability :The battery is indispensable for a battery system. A rundown battery will
result in complete failure of the ignition system. The magneto is, however, more reliable because
of its independence of battery and charging dynamo.

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6. Cost :The battery ignition is cheaper because of less amount of precision work. The
high cost is the chief disadvantage of a magneto ignition system.
7. General:Both the battery and the magneto ignition systems have proved satisfactory in
practice. Particularly for automobiles, there has been complete satisfaction over the performance
of these two systems. However. Where reliability and not the cost is the main consideration as in
racing cars, aero planes, the magneto system has been frequently employed.

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Exercise 4
1. What is the function of Ignition system?
2. What are the requirements of Ignition system? Explain.
3. Explain with a neat sketch working of a Battery Ignition system.
4. What are the various factors affecting the ignition advance? Explain
5. With a neat sketch explain working of a Centrifugal advance mechanism
6.

With a neat sketch explain working of a vacuum advance mechanism

7. Explain with a neat sketch working of Magneto Ignition system.

8. What is the difference between Battery and Magneto ignition system?