PISTON ENGINE IN

AIRCRAFTS
Riki Darmawan
1470550019
DEFINITION
A piston is a machine component that shapes the
burning chamber along with cylinder block and
cylinder head. It performs an upwards and
downwards movement to carry out the machine
cycles, and it also have to transfer the energy
resulting from the combustion to the crankshaft
to the connecting rod, which then transfers the
energy to propeller.
PISTON REQUIREMENTS
Lightweight, to allow the machine to achieve
high speed rotation
Can withstand blast pressure resulting from the
combustion
Can withstand expansion
PISTON WORKING MECHANISM
1) Gas suction. A mix of gas and air is sucked
into the cylinder when the piston is moving
downwards
2) Compression in the combustion chamber when
the piston is moving upwards. At the end of the
compression, ignition is carried out by the spark
plug so that the gas combusts.
3)The piston moves downwards due to the high
pressure, high temperature combustion gas
resulting from the ignition process
4)Disposal. Disposing the leftover gas from
combustion.
PISTON ENGINE COMPONENTS
1. Cylinder
2. Piston
3. Connecting Rod
4. Spark plug
5. Crankshaft
6. Valves
7. Reduction gears
8. Carburettor
9. cowling
HOW DO PISTON AIRCRAFT &
TURBOPROPS COMPARE?
Price
From a manufacturing and engineering perspective, the reciprocating engines found in piston aircraft are
far less complex than their turboprop counterparts. This is primarily due to the high temperatures and
forces unique to turboprop engine operation, which must be accommodated both in materials and engine
design and which come at a price. For this reason, piston aircraft almost always offer a lower cost of entry.
Maintenance
While piston engines are indeed a more simple design, turboprop engines have far fewer moving parts and
the smooth, vibration-free operation of a turboprop engine typically offers greater reliability - and longer
time between overhaul (TBO) - than a piston aircraft. In other words you can generally log more hours on
your turboprop before you need to bring it in for inspection.
The typical TBO for a turboprop engine is 3,000 hours while TBO for a piston aircraft is generally 2,000
hours. So the higher upfront cost of a turboprop aircraft may be somewhat offset by lower maintenance
costs over time.
Performance
The power of a turbine engine almost always allows turboprop aircraft to travel at higher speeds than piston
aircraft. And as turboprop aircraft cabins are typically pressurized these planes also commonly fly at higher
altitudes.
Turboprop aircraft are generally most efficient at altitudes of 20,000 to 30,000 feet and at average speeds of
250 to 300 ktas, while piston aircraft, which are typically not pressurized, are usually restricted to altitudes
of 12,000 feet or less (unless an oxygen system is used). And as piston engines are less powerful than
turboprops engines, piston aircraft speeds are generally limited to about 200 ktas.
Distance
Piston aircraft are generally smaller aircraft, seating no more than six passengers, and are well suited for
relatively short missions of 300 miles or less, while turboprops tend to be larger aircraft with greater
passenger capacity - and more fuel on-board and are more likely to be found flying distances of up to 1,000
miles.
THANKS FOR ATTENTION