AUTOMOBILE EXHAUST SYSTEMS

Submitted By:
Neeraj Dhankar (08107028)
 1. Introduction
An exhaust system is usually tubing used to guide
reaction exhaust gases away from a
controlled combustion inside an engine . The entire system
conveys burnt gases from the engine and includes one or
more exhaust pipes.
Depending on the overall system design, the exhaust gas
may flow through one or more of :
Cylinder head and exhaust manifold
A turbocharger to increase engine power.
A catalytic converter to reduce air pollution.
A muffler / silencer to reduce noise.

IMPORTANT PARTS:
1. CYLINDER HEAD: In an IC engine, the cylinder head sits
above the cylinders on top of the cylinder block . It consists
of a platform containing part of the combustion
chamber (usually, though not always), and the location of
the poppet valves and spark plugs.

.
2. EXHAUST MANIFOLD: Exhaust manifolds are generally
simple cast iron or stainless steel units which collect engine
exhaust from multiple cylinders and deliver it to the exhaust

pipe.
There are two basic types of exhaust manifold:

The log style manifold gets its name from the fact that it
consists of a single, larger diameter pipe into which very
short primaries merge one after another at abrupt angles,
kind of like the primaries are going into a log. The color of
manifold gets darker to the left because that part of the
manifold experiences four exhaust pulses (one per cylinder)
for each engine cycle whereas the other end experiences
one pulse for each engine cycle from the very last runner.
The side that experiences more pulses tends to have
durability issues.

The individual runner style manifold has much longer

primaries that merge together much more smoothly. The
primaries are designed such that they are all the same
length. The actual length of the primaries can be played with
to increase the engines performance. Individual runner style
manifolds are generally considered far superior from the
performance standpoint, but the log style manifold does
provided an alternative for those with a small budget and an
even smaller space for their exhaust manifold.
 With the individual runner style manifold there are
basically two choices:

The first type is a 4-1 merged manifold. In this type of

manifold, the four exhaust primaries come together into a
single merge collector that has four inlets and one outlet.

The second type is a 4-2-1 merged manifold. This type of

manifold uses three merge collectors with two inlets and one
outlet. Each primary will merge with one other primary to
form pipes called secondary pipes. The secondary pipes
merge together to finally form the single pipe out of the
manifold.

While the figure shows the manifolds as approximately the

same size, the 4-1 manifold is actually much compact as it
has a third as many merge collectors and no secondary
pipes. For serious engine tuners, the 4-2-1 will prove superior
because it can be tuned to help promote exhaust
scavenging, which is the process of timing exhaust pulse to
compliment each other. If done correctly, this can result in a
vacuum pulse reaching the exhaust valve of the cylinder just
as it is opening, which will help draw the exhaust out of the
cylinder, helping it fill with the new air/fuel mixture. A 4-1
manifold cannot be tuned to promote scavenging. Thus the
performance edge goes to the 4-2-1, but limited space tends
to favor a 4-1 manifold.
 3. MUFFLER:

Muffler (or silencer ) is a device for reducing the amount

of noise emitted by the exhaust on most vehicles.
It must be carefully chosen so as not to add a lot of backpressure.

Key concept :

To get the least amount of backpressure, mufflers should have

what is called a straight-through design.
A disadvantage to the straight through muffler is that it is often
louder than a reverse flow type of muffler. Usually a straight
though muffler needs a small sub muffler or a resonator to keep
the exhaust quiet.

TYPES:
1. Baffle type
2. Wave cancellation type
3. Resonance type
4. Absorber type
5. Combined Resonance and absorber type
4. CATALYTIC CONVERTER:

Catalytic Converters are the devices used for converting

toxic and harmful hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and
nitrogen oxides into harmless compounds. Converters
transform hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide into carbon
dioxide and water while separate nitrogen oxide into
nitrogen and oxygen respectively. Catalytic converter is
positioned underneath the passenger seat in most of the
vehicles. The converter make use of various catalysts like
platinum, palladium, and rhodium coated on a ceramic
honeycomb structure which turns the dangerous gases into
non toxic gases.

5. OTHER COMPONENTS:

Manifold gaskets: These are mostly made of cast or nodular

iron, embossed steel, high temperature fiber material,
graphite and other ceramic composites. The main function of
exhaust manifold gasket is to seal the connection between
the manifold and cylinder head. The design of exhaust
gasket usually depends on the type of engine used and
number of cylinders it has. It helps to prevent the leakage
and allows exhaust gas to flow through easily and
comfortably.

Exhaust clamps: These are the components used for

providing a strong connection between various pipe sections
and other engine components. Mostly, steel is used for
manufacturing exhaust clamps. It comes in wide array of
sizes and can accommodate different sizes of exhaust pipes
and connections. Exhaust brackets are a type of fastener
generally made of steel and is used for providing support to
different components used in an automobile exhaust system.

Exhaust Flange: This is a type of projecting rim used for

attaching, joining or fastening tightly various exhaust pipes
with the help of nuts and bolts. These flanges are mostly
 made of stainless steel, iron, aluminum, steel, carbon steel,
alloy steel, and hardened steel.

KEY CONCEPT:
Though it might seem inefficient to have a ton of pipes instead of
just one, those segments serve a purpose.

For one, bending pipes is hard work, and it's easier to

connect small angled segments to straight pipes than it is to
shape one long, expensive, heavy pipe to fit every contour of
a car.
Also, exhaust system components wear out at regular
intervals. It's easier and less expensive to replace one
rusted-out segment of pipe, banged-up muffler, or worn-out
catalytic converter than it would be to install a whole new
system.