Introduction to Small Engines

Small Engine History

 1680 Christian Huygens develops a internal

combustion engine that utilized gunpowder as a
fuel source
 1698 Thomas Savery developed the Savery
pump utilizing steam to force water from the
ground
 1712 Thomas Newcomen develops a steam
engine in which many components are still used
in engines today including the piston in a
cylinder as well as valves and pivot arms
Small Engine History Continued

 1801 Eugene Lebon developed and internal

combustion engine that used coal gas ignited by
an electric ignition source

 1859 Etienne Lenoir introduces an internal

combustion engine that mixed coal gas and air
together
 It was at this same time that there was an
resurgence in steam power that put the internal
combustion engine on standby until 1862
Small Engine History Continued
 1862 Nikolaus Otto and Eugene Lange designed and
built the first gasoline engine

 1876 Otto successfully modified his gasoline powered

engine and introduced the four-stroke cycle engine.
Known as the Otto cycle.

 1892 Rudolf Diesel patented an new type of internal

combustion engine that ignited fuel under high
pressure. Later to become know as the diesel engine
 The first diesel engines used coal dust as a fuel source
Objectives

 Identify the key differences between a 2-

Stroke and 4-Stroke engine

 Identify the four strokes of a 4-cylcle engine

 Identify the two strokes of a 2-cycle engine

 Identify the five events of both the 4 and 2

cycle engine
Engine Classification

Engine
classification

External Internal
Combustion Combustion

Ignition Ignition
Spark Compression
(Gasoline) (Diesel)

Two Stroke Four Stroke

Spark vs. Compression Igniton

 A compression ignition engine uses

compression of the air-fuel mixture to ignite
the mixture
 Most commonly use diesel fuel

 A spark ignition engine uses an electrical

spark to ignite the air-fuel mixture
 Most commonly use gasoline as a fuel source
Four Stroke Engines

Intake

Exhaust Compression

Power
Four Stroke Cycle Engine

 Utilizes four strokes to complete one operating

cycle

 Four Stroke Engine Completes five distinct

events during each cycle
 Intake
 Compression
 Ignition
 Power
 Exhaust
Intake Stroke

 Piston
moving
down
creates
vacuum in
cylinder
drawing in
air-fuel
mixture
Compression Stroke

 Piston
moving up
compresses
air-fuel
mixture
Power Stroke

 Air-fuel
mixture
ignited by
spark plug
forces
piston down
Exhaust Stroke

 Piston
moving
up forces
out
exhaust
gases
Two Stroke Engine

Intake/Compression Power/Exhaust
Two Stroke Cycle Engine

 Utilizes two strokes to complete one operating

cycle

 Completes the same five events as the four

stroke engine
 Intake
 Compression
 Ignition
 Power
 Exhaust
Intake/Compression Stroke

 Air-fuel mix enters

combustion chamber
through transfer
ports
 piston moving up
compresses air-fuel
mix
 air-fuel mix drawn
into crankcase from
intake port
Power/Exhaust Stroke

 Air-fuel mix ignited

by spark plug
forces piston down
compressing air-
fuel mix in
crankcase
 Exhaust gas
discharged through
exhaust port
Energy Principles

 Two forms of energy:

 Potential energy
 Kinetic energy

 Potential energy is stored energy

 Kinetic energy is energy in motion

Small engine operating principles

 All internal combustion engines operate by

utilizing basic principles of
 Heat
 Force
 Pressure
 Torque
 Work
 Power
 Chemistry
Heat

 Definition
 Heat is kinetic energy caused by matter in motion
within a substance
Heat added to a substance causes velocity to
increase
Heat removed from a substance causes velocity to
decrease
We see this principle in action during the
compression and power stroke
Heat

 When the air-fuel mixture is compressed and

heated up it changes the mixture to a
gaseous state

 This prepares the air-fuel mixture for efficient

combustion
Force

 Force is anything that changes or tends to

change the state of rest or motion of a
body(anything with mass)

 For example if you push on an object a force

has been exerted on that object

 Force is measured in pounds(lb) in the English

system or Newton's(N) in the metric system
Force

 Force does not always result in movement of

an object

 Force can be applied in different ways to

produce pressure, torque or work
Pressure

 Pressure is a force acting on a unit of area

 Area is the number of unit squares equal to
the surface of an object
 When force and area are known pressure is
found by applying the formula
 P=F/A
 P= pressure (in lb/sq inch)
 F= force (in lb)
 A= area (in sq in.)
Pressure

 In an internal combustion engine pressure is

applied to the top of the piston head.

 Piston motion is transferred from the

connecting rod to the crankshaft .
Determining Pressure

 How much pressure is exerted if a force of

2000 pounds is applied to an area of 4.91
square inches?

 P=F/A
Answer

 P=2000/4.91

 P=407.33 psi
Additional practice

 What is the pressure exerted if 60 pounds of

force is applied to an area of 4 square inches?

 What is the pressure if a 1000 pound force is

applied to an area of 5 square inches?
Answers

P=F/A

 P=60/4

 P=15 psi

 P=1000/5

 P=200 psi
Torque

 Torque is a force acting on a perpendicular

radial distance from a point of rotation

 Torque is equal to force times distance

 The result is a twisting or turning force

expressed as pound feet (lb-ft) or in newton-
meters (Nm)
Torque

 When force and radius are know, torque is

found by applying the formula:

 T=F*r
 T=torque (in lb-ft or Nm)
 F= force (in lb)
 r= radius (distance)
Example

 What is the torque developed if a 60 lb force is

applied at the end of a 2 foot lever arm?

 T=F*r
 T=60*2
 T=120 lb-ft

 The same amount of torque would be applied if

120 lb. force was placed at the end of a 1’ lever
Additional Practice

 T=F*r

 You have a 2’long wrench and apply 25 lbs of

force how much torque has been applied?

 How could you apply the same amount of

torque but apply less force?
Levers

 Lever- a simple machine that consists of a

rigid bar that pivots on a fulcrum (pivot point)
with both resistance and effort applied

 Main purpose is to overcome large resistance

with reduced effort
 One of the main examples of a lever in a small
engine is the crankshaft

 Provides lever distance from the center line

of the crankshaft

 Converts force applied by the piston to result

in rotation of the crankshaft
Calculating Stroke

 Stroke is the linear distance a piston travels

inside the cylinder from the cylinder head end
to the crankshaft end

 Stroke is determined by throw of the crankshaft

 Throw is the measurement on a crankshaft from

the centerline of the crankshaft to centerline of
the connecting rod (offset)
Work

 Work is force applied through a parallel

distance causing linear motion.

 Work occurs only when the force results in

motion

 Work is measured in lb-ft or Nm

Work

 Requires only enough force to complete the

desired task

 If additional force is applied that force will result

in acceleration

 Work and torque are similar

 The only true difference is torque does not

always result in perceptible motion
Work Formula

 When force and distance are known, work is

found by applying the formula:

 W=F*D
 W= work
 F= force(in lb)
 D=distance (in lb)
Example

 What is the amount of work performed if a

mower pulled a container that weighed 330 lb
100 feet?

 W= 330*100

 W=?
Additional Practice

 How much work is performed when lifting a

72 lb engine from the floor to the top of a 3
foot high workbench?

 W=F*D
Power

 Power is the rate at which work is done.

 Power adds in a time factor

 Power can be expressed in several ways

 Force
 Distance
 speed
Power

 Typical examples include

 Horsepower
 Watts (W)
 Kilowatt (kWh)

 Both watt and horsepower measure how fast

work is completed
Power

 When force and distance are known, power is

found by applying the following

 P=W/T
 P=power (in lb-ft/min)
 W= work (force*distance)(in lb-ft)
 T= time (in min)
Example

 P=W/T
 P=power (in lb-ft/min)
 W= work (force*distance)(in lb-ft)
 T= time (in min)

What is the power output of an engine that

performs 100,000 lb-ft of work in 6 minutes?
Answer

 P=W/T

 P=100,000/6

 P= 16,666.67 lb-ft/min
Horsepower

 Horsepower (HP) is a unit of power equal to

746 watts (W) or 33,000 lb-ft per minute, 550
lb-ft per second

 HP is used to rate and rank the power

produced by an engine based on a finite
engine speed.
HP

 HP was developed by James Watt in the

1800’s

 Developed HP to give a reference of power to

the steam engine that he produced for the
mining industry

 He based his observations of power on the

average horse
Horse Power

 He determined that an average horse could

move/lift 33,000 lb on a linear plane, 1’in 1
minute.

 This is the basis for the standard 550 lb-ft per

second that is still used today

 Horsepower is found by applying the

following
Horse Power

 HP=W/T*33,000
 HP= horsepower
 W=work (force*distance) in lb-ft
 T=time ( in min)
 33,000=HP constant (in lb-ft)
Example

 What is the horsepower rating of an engine

that produces 412,500 lb-ft in 2.5 minutes?

 HP=W/T*33000

 HP=?
Answer

 HP=412,000/2.5*33000

 HP=412,000/82,500

 HP=5 Hp