Experiment.No.

2
To study the parts and working of Four Stroke Petrol Engine:-
Main parts of four stroke petrol engine includes:
1. Piston:
A piston is a component of reciprocating engines, reciprocating pumps, gas compressors and pneumatic
cylinders, among other similar mechanisms. It is the moving component that is contained by a cylinder and
is made gas-tight by piston rings. In an engine, its purpose is to transfer force from expanding gas in the
cylinder to the crankshaft via a piston rod and/or connecting rod. In a pump, the function is reversed and
force is transferred from the crankshaft to the piston for the purpose of compressing or ejecting the fluid in
the cylinder.

2. Piston rings:
A piston ring is a split ring that fits into a groove on the outer diameter of a piston in a reciprocating
engine such as an internal combustion engine or steam engine.

3. Connecting rods:
A connecting rod is a rigid member which connects a piston to a crank or crankshaft in a reciprocating
engine. Together with the crank, it forms a simple mechanism that converts reciprocating motion into
rotating motion.

4. Piston pin:
In internal combustion engines, the gudgeon pin connects the piston to the connecting rod and provides a
bearing for the connecting rod to pivot upon as the piston moves. In very early engine designs the gudgeon
pin is located in a sliding crosshead that connects to the piston via a rod.

1
5. Intake and Exhaust Valves:

The intake valves of course let air in, and the exhaust valves let exhaust air out. The more air you can move
air in and out of the engine the more efficient, and therefor power the engine will have. This is why the
engine valve plays a critical role in an engine’s performance.

6. Spark Plug;
A spark plug is a device for delivering electric current from an ignition system to the combustion
chamber of a spark-ignition engine to ignite the compressed fuel/air mixture by an electric spark, while
containing combustion pressure within the engine

7. Valve Spring:
A helical spring used to hold closed a valve in the cylinder head of an internal-combustion engine.
Any spring that closes a valve after it has been opened mechanically or by flow pressure.

8. Cylinder liner:
A cylinder is the central working part of a reciprocating engine or pump, the space in which
a piston travels. Multiple cylinders are commonly arranged side by side in a bank, or engine block, which is
typically cast from aluminum or cast iron before receiving precision machine work. Cylinders may
be sleeved (lined with a harder metal) or sleeveless. A sleeveless engine may also be referred to as a "parent-
bore engine".

2
9. Crankshaft:
A crankshaft related to crank is a mechanical part able to perform a conversion between reciprocating
motion and rotational motion. In a reciprocating engine, it translates reciprocating motion of
the piston into rotational motion; whereas in a reciprocating compressor, it converts the rotational motion
into reciprocating motion

10. Cylinder Block:

The cylinder block is an integrated structure comprising the cylinder(s) of a reciprocating engine and often
some or all of their associated surrounding structures (coolant passages, intake and exhaust passages and
ports, and crankcase). The term engine block is often used synonymously with "cylinder block" (although
technically distinctions can be made between en bloc cylinders as a discrete unit versus engine block
designs with yet more integration that comprise the crankcase as well).

13. Cylinder Head:

In an internal combustion engine, the cylinder head (often informally abbreviated to just head) sits above
the cylinders on top of the cylinder block. It closes in the top of the cylinder, forming the combustion
chamber. This joint is sealed by a head gasket. In most engines, the head also provides space for the
passages that feed air and fuel to the cylinder, and that allow the exhaust to escape. The head can also be
a place to mount the valves, spark plugs, and fuel injectors.

3
Principle of a Four Stroke Petrol Engine:
The principle used in a four stroke petrol engine is commonly known as Otto Cycle. It states that there
would be one power stroke for every four strokes. Such engines use a spark plug which is used for the
ignition of the combustible fuel used in the engine. Most of the cars, bikes and trucks use a 4 stroke
engines.

In every Otto cycle there is an adiabatic compression, addition of heat at constant volume, an adiabatic
expansion and the release of heat at constant volume. The P-V diagram for a 4 stroke engine is as follows:

Working of a Four Stroke Petrol Engine:

A stroke is the movement of the piston from the top, to the bottom of the cylinder.

As the name suggest the Four Stroke Petrol Engine uses a cycle of four strokes and petrol as the fuel. Each
cycle includes 2 rotations of the crankshaft and four strokes, namely:
1.An Intake Stroke
2.A Compression Stroke
3.A Combustion Stroke also called Power Stroke
4.An Exhaust Stroke

The steps involved are as follows:

1).Intake Stroke: As the name suggests in this stroke the intake of fuel takes place. When the engine
starts, the piston descends to the cylinder's bottom from the top. Thus the pressure inside the cylinder
reduces. Now the intake valve opens and the fuel and air mixture enters the cylinder. The valve then
closes.

4
2).Compression Stroke: This stroke is known as compression stroke because the compression of the
fuel mixture takes place at this stage. When the intake valve closes (exhaust valve is already closed), the
piston forced back to the top of the cylinder and the fuel mixture gets compressed. The compression is
around 1/8th of the original volume. An engine is considered more efficient if its compression ratio is
higher.

3).Combustion/Power Stroke: Now in case of petrol engine when the fuel mixture compresses to the
maximum value the spark plug produces spark which ignites the fuel mixture. The combustion leads to the
production of high pressure gases. Due to this tremendous force the piston is driven back to the bottom of
the cylinder. As the piston moves downwards, the crankshaft rotates which rotates the wheels of the
vehicle.

4).Exhaust Stroke:
As the wheel moves to the bottom the exhaust valve opens up and due to the momentum gained by the
wheel the piston is pushed back to the top of the cylinder. The gases due to combustion are hence
expelled out of the cylinder into the atmosphere through the exhaust valve.

5
Advantages:

More torque:
This is the most important reasons why people choose a 4-stroke engine. The two-stroke boasts its speed
and power, but the four-stroke shows extra torque. It is more reliable and quitter.
Last longer:
Four stroke engines last longer and use much, much less oil. Compared to two-stroke engines, the four
stroke engine is durable for use. The more times an engine goes around, the quicker it will wear out. As 2-
strokes must rev to very high RPM to make any power, most applications using them are geared toward
maintaining that RPM. Thus, they can’t live as long as four-stroke engine.
Run much cleaner than 2 strokes:
A 2 stroke makes a lot of exhaust smoke because it burns oil mixed with fuel. On the contrary, four-stroke
engines have a dedicated oiling system that’s kept largely separate from the combustion chamber, which
help to ensure that the only thing burning in the engine is gasoline.
More efficient use of gas:
If you have picked up both of them, you may obviously realize the problem. The intake and exhaust
accounted 360 °crank angle, the exhaust top dead center the piston upward, the residual gas is exhaust
forcibly. When a mixture of fuel and air is forced by atmospheric pressure into the cylinder, the piston
down to the intake bottom dead center, the incoming fresh mixture almost combust. Substantially, there is
no wasted fresh mixture. However, for two-stroke engine, the fresh mixture is escaping with exhaust gases
during exhaust stroke.

Disadvantages:

Complicated:
Two-stroke engines do not have valves, simplifying their construction. However, there are more parts to
worry about in a four-stroke engine which results in harder to troubleshoot.
Half as powerful as two stroke engines:
For equivalent engines, the four stroke ones fire once every two revolutions, while two stroke engines are
more powerful because every revolution of the engine includes a power stroke.
More expensive than 2 stroke:
A four-stroke engine is much more expensive and complex than a two-stroke one. It has more complied
with more parts so they often require repairs more often and it is usually more expensive.