Four-stroke engine

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Four-stroke cycle used in gasoline/petrol engines. 1 - Intake, 2 - Compression, 3 - Power, 4 - Exhaust. The right blue side is the intake and the left brown side is the exhaust. The cylinder wall is a thin sleeve surrounded by cooling liquid.

A four-stroke engine (also known as four-cycle) is an internal combustion engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes which comprise a single thermodynamic cycle. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either direction. While risqu slang among some [1] automotive enthusiasts names these respectively the "suck," "squeeze," "bang" and "blow" strokes. they are more commonly termed 1. INTAKE: this stroke of the piston begins at top dead center. The piston descends from the top of the cylinder to the bottom of the cylinder, increasing the volume of the cylinder. A mixture of fuel and air is forced by atmospheric (or greater) pressure into the cylinder through the intake port. 2. COMPRESSION: with both intake and exhaust valves closed, the piston returns to the top of the cylinder compressing the air or fuel-air mixture into the cylinder head. 3. POWER: this is the start of the second revolution of the cycle. While the piston is close to Top Dead Centre, the compressed airfuel mixture in a gasoline engine is ignited, by a spark plug in gasoline engines, or which ignites due to the heat generated by compression in a diesel engine. The resulting pressure from thecombustion of the compressed fuel-air mixture forces the piston back down toward bottom dead centre. 4. EXHAUST: during the exhaust stroke, the piston once again returns to top dead centre while the exhaust valve is open. This action expels the spent fuel-air mixture through the exhaust valve(s).

Four-stroke[edit]
Main article: Four-stroke cycle

Idealised Pressure/volume diagram of the Otto cycle showing combustion heat input Qp and waste exhaust output Qo, the power stroke is the top curved line, the bottom is the compression stroke

Engines based on the four-stroke ("Otto cycle") have one power stroke for every four strokes (up-downup-down) and employ spark plug ignition. Combustion occurs rapidly, and during combustion the volume [8] varies little ("constant volume"). They are used in cars, largerboats, some motorcycles, and many light aircraft. They are generally quieter, more efficient, and larger than their two-stroke counterparts. The steps involved here are: 1. Intake stroke: Air and vaporized fuel are drawn in. 2. Compression stroke: Fuel vapor and air are compressed and ignited. 3. Combustion stroke: Fuel combusts and piston is pushed downwards. 4. Exhaust stroke: Exhaust is driven out. During the 1st, 2nd, and 4th stroke the piston is relying on power and the momentum generated by the other pistons. In that case, a four-cylinder engine would be less powerful than a six- or eight-cylinder engine.

Gasoline Ignition Process Gasoline engine ignition systems generally rely on a combination of alternator or generator and leadacid battery for electrical power. The battery supplies electrical power for cranking, and supplies electrical power when the engine is off. The battery also supplies electrical power during rare run conditions where the alternator cannot maintain more than 13.8 volts (for a common 12V automotive electrical system). As alternator voltage falls below 13.8 volts, the lead-acid storage battery increasingly picks up electrical load. During virtually all running conditions, including normal idle conditions, the alternator supplies primary electrical power. Some systems disable alternator field (rotor) power during wide open throttle conditions. Disabling the field reduces alternator pulley mechanical loading to nearly zero, maximizing crankshaft horsepower. In this case the battery supplies all primary electrical power. Gasoline engines take in a mixture of air and gasoline and compress it to not more than 12.8 bar (1.28 MPa). When mixture is compressed, as the piston approaches the cylinder head and maximum stroke, a spark plug ignites the mixture. The necessary high voltage, typically 10,000 volts to over 30,000 volts, is supplied by an induction coil or transformer. The induction coil is a fly-back system, using interruption of electrical primary system current through some type synchronized interrupter. The interrupter can be either contact points or a power transistor. Some ignition systems are capacitive discharge types. CD ignitions use step-up transformers.

The step-up transformer uses energy stored in a capacitance to generate electric spark. With either system, a mechanical or electrical control system provides a carefully timed high-voltage to the proper cylinder. This spark, via the spark plug, ignites the air-fuel mixture in the engine's cylinders. While gasoline internal combustion engines are much easier to start in cold weather than diesel engines, they can still have cold weather starting problems under extreme conditions. For years the solution was to park the car in heated areas. In some parts of the world the oil was actually drained and heated over night and returned to the engine for cold starts. In the early 1950s the gasoline Gasifier unit was developed, where, on cold weather starts, raw gasoline was diverted to the unit where part of the gas was burned causing the other part to become a hot vapor sent directly to the intake valve manifold. This unit was quite [3] popular till electric engine block heaters became standard on gasoline engines sold in cold climates. Diesel Ignition Process- diesel fuel is injected directly into the cylinder so that combustion occurs at constant pressure, as the piston moves. Diesel engines and HCCI (Homogeneous charge compression ignition) engines, rely solely on heat and pressure created by the engine in its compression process for ignition. The compression level that occurs is usually twice or more than a gasoline engine. Diesel engines take in air only, and shortly before peak compression, spray a small quantity of diesel fuel into the cylinder via a fuel injector that allows the fuel to instantly ignite. HCCI type engines take in both air and fuel, but continue to rely on an unaided autocombustion process, due to higher pressures and heat. This is also why diesel and HCCI engines are more susceptible to cold-starting issues, although they run just as well in cold weather once started. Light duty diesel engines with indirect injection in automobiles and light trucks employ glowplugs that pre-heat the combustion chamber just before starting to reduce no-start conditions in cold weather. Most diesels also have a battery and charging system; nevertheless, this system is secondary and is added by manufacturers as a luxury for the ease of starting, turning fuel on and off (which can also be done via a switch or mechanical apparatus), and for running auxiliary electrical components and accessories. Most new engines rely on electrical and electronic engine control units (ECU) that also adjust the combustion process to increase efficiency and reduce emissions.

Operation[edit]

Four-stroke cycle (or Otto cycle) 1. Induction 2. Compression 3. Power 4. Exhaust

As their name implies, four-stroke internal combustion engines have four basic steps that repeat with every two revolutions of the engine: (1) Intake/suction stroke (2) Compression stroke (3) Power/expansion stroke and (4) Exhaust stroke 1. Intake stroke: The first stroke of the internal combustion engine is also known as the suction stroke because the piston moves to the maximum volume position (downward direction in the cylinder) creating a drop in pressure. The inlet valve opens as a result of the cam lobe pressing down on the valve stem, and the vaporized fuel mixture is sucked into the combustion chamber. The inlet valve closes at the end of this stroke. 2. Compression stroke: In this stroke, both valves are closed and the piston starts its movement to the minimum volume position (upward direction in the cylinder) and compresses the fuel mixture. During the compression process, pressure, temperature and the density of the fuel mixture increases. 3. A Power stroke: When the piston reaches a point just before top dead center, the spark plug ignites the fuel mixture. The point at which the fuel ignites varies by engine; typically it is about 10 degrees before top dead center. This expansion of gases caused by ignition of the fuel produces the power that is transmitted to the crank shaft mechanism. 4. Exhaust stroke: In the end of the power stroke, the exhaust valve opens. During this stroke, the piston starts its movement in the maximum volume position. The open exhaust valve allows the exhaust gases to escape the cylinder. At the end of this stroke, the exhaust valve closes, the inlet valve opens, and the sequence repeats in the next cycle. Four-stroke engines require two revolutions. Many engines overlap these steps in time; turbine engines do all steps simultaneously at different parts of the engines.