The internal combustion engine owes its appearance to the Frenchman Philippe Le Bon, who discovered luminous gas in 1799. Already in 1801, an enterprising inventor took a patent for the design of a gas engine, from which their rapid evolution began.
Instructions
Step 1
The operation of an internal combustion engine is based on the effect of explosive combustion of a fuel-air mixture discovered by Le Bon. Ignited with a spark, the mixture ignites, rapidly expanding in volume, which makes it possible to use the force of the expanding gases to perform useful work.
Step 2
A typical internal combustion engine has one or more cylinders, usually four. The cylinders contain pistons, in the upper part of the cylinder head there are valves that supply the air-fuel mixture and exhaust the exhaust gases.
Step 3
The operation of valves and pistons is synchronized, which allows you to supply the combustible mixture and release the exhaust gases exactly at the right moments. The pistons are connected by connecting rods to the crankshaft, to which torque is transmitted during their movement. Since the pistons have upper and lower dead points, a flywheel is provided on the shaft, which allows them to pass due to the inertial force and stabilizes the operation of the piston group. The crankshaft is closed from below by a crankcase.
Step 4
A combustible mixture of the desired composition is created in the carburetor. When you press the gas pedal, the mixture becomes richer, when you release it, it becomes lean. Accordingly, the force developed by the engine increases or decreases. To prevent dust from entering the engine cylinders, the incoming air passes through a filter. The fuel is also filtered, getting rid of possible particles.
Step 5
The combustible mixture is ignited using spark plugs screwed into the upper part of the cylinders, which are supplied with high voltage at the right moments. The work of the pistons and ignition is precisely synchronized, therefore, the ignition of the air-fuel mixture occurs at a strictly verified moment, at the top dead center. Due to the pressure of the ignited mixture, the piston moves downward, doing useful work. On its reverse movement, the exhaust gases are squeezed out through the opened exhaust valve, then the piston goes down again, while the cylinder is filled with an air-fuel mixture. The next upward stroke of the piston compresses and heats the combustible mixture, then it is ignited, and the entire four-stroke cycle is repeated again.
Step 6
On modern engines, fuel is directly injected into the cylinders through injectors, its supply is electronically controlled. This saves fuel and increases engine reliability.
Step 7
One of the varieties of internal combustion engines are diesel engines that do not have spark plugs. The fuel is ignited in them due to the compression of the fuel mixture in the cylinder by the piston. To start the diesel engine, it must be cranked, which is achieved by using an electric or gasoline starter. The advantage of the diesel engine is its high developed power and the possibility of its operation on different grades of fuel. In addition, such engines are less fire hazardous, since diesel fuel ignites much worse than gasoline.
