03

NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

FOR AERONAUTICS

REPORT No. 189

RELATION OF FUEL-AIR RATIO TO

ENGINE PERFORMANCE

By STANWOOD W. SPARROW

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 AERONAUTICAL SYMBOLS.
1. FUNDAMENTAL AND DERIVED UNITS.

Metric. English.
Symbol. 1-------------------.-------1----------------,-----------1
Unit. Symbol. Unit. Symbol.

Length .. . l meter...................... m. foot (or mile) ........... ft . (or mi. ).

Time .... . t second. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sec. second (or hour) ....... sec. (or hr.).
Force ... . F weight of one kilogram... . . . kg. weight of one pound. ... lb .
1-------------------
Power .. . p kg.m/sec ..... ' .... . . . . . . . . .. .......... horsepower..... . .. ...... lP
Speed ... ....... . .. . m/sec ..................... . m. p. s. mi/hr.. ................. M. P. H.

2. GENERAL SYMBOLS, ETC.

Weight, W=mg. Specific weight of "standard" air, 1.223 kg/m.'
Standard acceleration of gravity, = 0.07635 lb/ft. 3
g= 9.S06m/sec.2 = 32.172ft/sec. 2 Moment of inertia, mk 2 (indicate axis of the
W radius of gyration, le, by proper subscript).
Mass , m=-g Area, S; wing area, Sw, etc.
Density (mass per unit volume), p Ga.p, G
Standard density of dry air, 0. 1247 (kg.-m.- Spun, b,' chord leng th, c.
sec.) at 15.60. and 760 rom. =0.00237 Ob.- Aspect ratio = b/c
ft.-sec.) Distance from c. g. to elevator hinge,j.
Ooefficient of viscosity, j.L.
3. AERODYNAMICAL SYMBOLS.
True airspeed, V Dihedral angle, 'Y
1
Dynamic (or Impact) pressure, q="2 p V2 Reynolds Number = p Vl, where l is a linear di-
j.L

Lift, L,' 'absolute coefficient a=:S menSlOn.

e. g., for a model airfoil 3 m. chord, 100 mi/hr.,
normal pressure, 00: 255,000 and at 15.60,
Drag, D; absolute coefficient GD = DS 230,000;
q .
Cross-wind force, G,' absolute coefficient or for a model of 10 cm. chord, 40 m /sec.,
G corresponding numbers are 299,000 and
Gc = qS' 270,000.
Resultant force, R Center of pressure coefficient (ratio of distance
(Note tha t these coefficien ts are twice as of O. P. from leading edge to chord length),
large as the old coefficients La, Da.) Gp
Angle of setting of wings (relative to thrust Angle of stabilizer setting with reference to
line), i,.. lower wing. (it--i ...) = tJ
Angle of stabilizer setting with reference to Angle of attack, a
thrust line i. Angle of downwash, E

I
 REPORT No. 189

RELATION OF FUEL-AIR RATIO TO

ENGINE PERFORMANCE

By STANWOOD W. SPARROW
Bureau of Standards

80828- 24 1
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 REPORT No. 189.

RELATION OF FUEL-AIR RATIO TO ENGINE PERFORMANCE.

By TANWOOD W. SPARROW.

SUMMARY.

The purpo e of Lhi investigation wa' to ascertain from engme t sts the an weI' to the
following que tions:
(1) What allsoline-nir ratio giye maximum power?
(2) Is the nllue of this r dtio appreciably nfl'ecLed by uch change in ltU' pressure or tem-
per,1.tlU'e a are encountered in flight (
(3) What percent/lge of iL maximum power doe an engine de,elop when supplied ,,-ith It
mixtlue gi,ing minimwn pecific fuel 00 umpLion?
This report. WilS prepared for publica Lion by the National Aclyi ' ory Committee for .\.ero-
o,lutic anel the Le 'L upon which it is bn cd were made itt the BlU'CllU of Standard between
October, 19] 9, and May, 192:3. From these it i conducled that: (l) with gasoline n a fuel, 1ll.lXi-
mlUn po,,-er i obtllincd with fuel-nil' mixtur(' . of from 0.07 to 0.0, pounds of fuel per pound
of nil'; (2) maximum power i obta ined ,,-itll npproximately the ame r,ltio o\-er the mngc of
air pre smes i,nd tempenl tmc encounLered in f1ighL; (3) nearly minimwl1 sp('cific fuel con ump-
tion i secmed hy decrensing the fuel content of the charge until th power i' 93 pel' cent of its
maximum yalue.
Pre Ulnahly thi information i of 1110 t direct ynlue to the cnrhurctcr ellgineer. .\. CJr-
bmeter should upply the engine with a uitnble mi.-tme. This report discus ' e whnt mixtmes
haye been found 'uitnble for ynriou engine. It also furnishes the enaine designer with a
]),:.si for e timnting how much greater piston displacement an engine operllting \\-itll a maxi-
mum economy mixture should hn\Tc th in one oper,lting with a m 'lximUIll power mixture in
order for both to be ell pable of the ame power de\-elopm nt.
INTRODUCTION .

Of the publi heel information on the relation of fuel-nil' ratio to engine performance, little
Ius been deriyeel directly from te ts of Hv-illtion cnaines. Nor hnye mnn.\" tests been made at
low air pre sure Hnd temperature , condition of m ajor importance from an ll\-iation si<lI1dpoint.
~Iueh of the informntion that doe relate directl,\' to <lyiation prohlems is conL incd in Technicnl
Reports Jos, .,I, " .,1,9, and 108 of the ~ntiond AdyisoI'Y Committee fOJ: .\('l'olHl utie ". The title.
lWei author of tll<' e reports are gi.v-en in the bihlioal', ph.\"
Measurements of engine performance ,,-ith \Tfll'ious fu l-air mtios Illtvel)('en obtained in the
course of te Ls of a \'iation eng ine in Lhe nlti tu(/c> laboratory of the BurelU of Standards. In
mo t in Lances these LesLs were not macie primn rily to im-cstig!lLe the efiect of changes in fud-
ni.r ratio, and h<'nce the range of m ixture tntlied was ometil11(, ' l'<lthe1' n,llTOW. In geneI'll!
ho\\'e\'er, the information cO\'e1" a wide 1'111lge of fucl-.lir ntio ' , air pressul'(,s, IIiI' tC'mpcmture ,
engine speeds, and eI1aine londs. ~loreoyer, such data lU1Te been ohtnined from tests of seyernl
engine Lypes. It i bejien'd thnt an nnnly i of the ahoye-mentiol1rd datil will contribute
materilllly to xisLing kno\dedge of the relation beh\-een fuel-ail' ratio and engine performance.
The following reporL is the result of uch an analy is.
3
4 REPORT r' ATI ONAL ADVISOHY COMlVLlTTEE FOB AEHONAUTI S .

FUE L-AIR RATIO A D ENG! E PERFORMANCE.

What gasoline-ail' m lio give maximum pO'l NT?-In adju tinO' the carbureter to ob tain
maximum power , the following method was employed. Fir t the mixtur was al tered until
approximately maximum power (for the chosen et of condition ) wa obtained. A will be
hown later ,alue of power within 1 pel' cen t of the maximum are ob tained oyer a wide r ange
of fuel-ail' r atios. H en e EttIe diiIiculty \Va. experienc cl in obtaining a mL'(t ure to gi,e
approximately maximum power. 1'he next t p wa to find the leane t mixture wi th which this
power could be cleyelol ed. T o accomplish thi the mixture was made 0 lean a to cau e a
material el ecrea e in pmver and then emich ed ju t sufficien tly for maximum pow I' to b e r egained.
This method of adju tm en is tha t usually employed in nO'ine performance test when there
i time for operating \I".ith bu t one fu el-air ratio at each condition of engine p eed, load, etc.
The table of fu ol-air r a tio imme(liately follo\\-ing i b a cd yery larO'ely upon data obtained in
this fashion.
When time pCl'm i t , it i pr efer able to follow the (, mixture I'tLtio run " method rath er than
to depend up on a ingle ad ju tm ent for maxilllwll power . Ru n of thi type ar e made in th e
followin O' manner. A series of run i macle wi th all controlled conditions mainta ined the t~m e
excep t th e fuel-air ra tio and the er\O'ine tor que. uch a eric how Lhe power and pecific
fuel co n ump tion for variou fuel- au' r ati s. Ordinarily umcien t meas W'ement of friction
hoI' epow l' ar e ob tained to permit th e indicated horsepower (brake h oI' epower + friction
hoI' epow r) COITe pond ing to any bra ke hoI' epower mea ur em cnts to be calculated .
T ABLE I.

1 ML'(ture ratio gi\' ing maximulll

power.
I
Engine data. R. P. M . 1 - - - - - - - , - - -
Pow]d gasoline Pound air
per pound air. per pound
ga oline.

cylinders-bore 4.72 in ., stroke 5.12 in .. . .............. 1 1,600, 0.077:ltoO.07l:1 13:ltoI4:1

cylinders-bore 5.51 in., stroke 5.91 in .................. { }
l;~gg .074:1 to . 067:11 13. 5 : 1 to 15:1 1

12 cylinders-bore 5.00 in., stroke 7.00 ilL ................ { i;m } .083:1 to .071:1 12:1 to 14:1
1,000 }
6 cyliJlders-borc 6.50 in ., troke 7.09 ill ....... .. ......... { 1,200
1,400 .083:1 to . 071:] 12:1 to 14:1

6 cylinders-bore 5.90 in., stroke 7.09 in .... . .. ........... {

i;ggg }
1, 200
1,400 .077:1 to .071: 1 13:1 to 14: 1
J,600
1,400 }
12 cylinder -bore 6.62 in ., stroke 7.5 in .................. { 1,600 .083:1 to . 067:1 J2:1 to 15:1
I, 00

~;gag } . Oil:l to
6 cylinders-bore 6.62 in., stroke 7.5 in ................... { l;~gg .059:1 1J4:JtoJ7: 1
1,600
1,400 }
8 cylinders-bore 5.51 in., stroke 5.91 in . ................. { 1,600
1, 00
.078:J to . 070:1 13: J to 14:1
2,000

I It seems improbable that maximum power should ha\'e been obtained wiLh a mL"ture of 0.059 pOlLDd
fuel per pound air not because this \'aille is so much leaner than any of the others shown here but because
it is considerably leaner t han thc chemical combining proportions of the file!. The \'alue is included
because no particular inconsistency was noted in l h reading and because some olher engineshu\'ing very
large cylinders have shown tendencies to de\'clop maximulll power wilh extremely lean mixtures.

The inform ation given in T a ble I is in par t composed of r e ul t obtained from m ixtur e
ratio r un. The r esult ob tain ed by both m ethods ar e in cIo e agreement and it i probable
th at differ ence eyen between engine of th e sam e type overshadow errors likely to r e ul t from
th e use of the fir t m ethod de rib d. From x suIt to date it i ' conclu ded that ordinarily
m aximum power , at lea t in so far a. avia tion engines ar e concerned, i obtained wi th gasoline-
air r atio of between 0.07 and 0.0 puunds of fu el per po und of air (12.5 to J 4, .5 pound of air
per pound of fu el) .

RELATION OF F EIrAlR RATIO TO ENG fNE PERl?ORMANC1~ . 5

Is a constant ratio of fuel to air de. irable over the range of air pressures encountered in flight~
The an weI' to this que tion is " Yes," judged by re ult of mL'{ture rat io run with several engine
over a wiel e range of condi tions of engine op ra tion. Thi staLemen L i ' heli ev d to be irue
wh<.>ther th e de.:3 ired condi tion i maximum power or minimum sp ecific fuel consump ti on. 1
There arc Ie data in thi r port a to the laUer condition bocan. e in many of Lhe te'lts the
carbureter clid noL furnish a mixLure lean enough La permit minimum specifi c fu el con ' umplion
to be obtained .
Figure 1 shows a typical group of mixture rati o curve, at entrance air pre ~ ure COITC'.,pnnd-
ing Lo altitud es r anging from ea le\' el to 30,000 feet. In thi c; group of curve ' the range of
mix L ur e ~ wac; limi ted by the carbureter raLher than by the inability of the engi ne to operate
aL mix tures richer or leaner than those shown . From this figur e it appear ' that a pproxim ately
the same fuel-air ratio gives maximum power 2 o\yer the range of pl'e.,sul'es in ve.:3tigaLecl . Inas-
much a wiLhin on e per cent of maximwn p ower can be obtained over a wiele rang of fuel-air
ratios, th e selection of the mixture r aLio gi,ing maximum power from curyes such ac; tho e
given in Fig ure ] i som ewhat uncertain. Obviously, if the po,,-er
rema in app roximately the ' arne oyor a giv~n rang of fu el-air ralio, ~/600 teSfRPM
/63 - ; -
then the specifi c f uel con, um p t ion w ill yary almo, t directly as the
Full throttle
fue l-nil' raLio. lIenee, the sp e ific fuel con3lunption 11t maximum s Comp rifl" , 5.3~
power m ixture r atios is vcry sensitive to change in mi xLure r atio. )t/50
?" r- .V76j <:::
.\.. , ati 'factor.\' melhod for d termin in g vb ether 0 1' not the ame fu el- ~/40 '--

air r atio is dcsirabl over a gi yen range of coneli t ion would appear ~ /30
Q.
G
~
I I
to he the follow ing. From a group of CUrYC3 s uch as sh own in Ill' /" ~.'a6) Q.~ ~
Figure 1 . elect the fuel-air r atio that appears to gin Jl1.aximum power. I/)5/20
I~ Qj'
i-

N exL note the variation in p eci fic fuel consumption (from urve 1/)//0 I
1; I!; ....~
imilar to Figure 1 bu t with spec ifi c fuel conslUnption pI Lied \'ersu -"'l I-" Loo
'rl~
tl
fuel-air raLio) with thi" fu el-air ratio o,er the ranae of condiLi C'llS ~ 90
Q)
~
investigated. u .045 -& ~ ~
~80
If over this range the ame fuel-ail' ratio gives e entially the Q) J I'~ .!:,
same specifi c fuel con ump tion i t would seem justifiable to conclude t::t:l 70
that the ame fuel-air ratio is desirable. Figure 2,3,4, 5, 6, and 7 ~ 60 -'.
p3~ - a"
show re ul t obtained in thi fa hion. The e how the effect of "rJ 50 173/1 "
.-- .'026j -
~
change in entrance ail' pressure for about 30 condi tion of engine .840
peed, load, compre sion ratio, etc. In a very few in stance there 'tl
appears to be a con i tent incr ease or decrea e in sp ecmc fu el con-
~
.05 .07 .09 1.1
I I'
Fig. I Lb fuel per Ib air
sumption with change in en trance air density (at a con tant a il'
temperature) . N carly all, however, how no appreciable incr ea e or Test inches, on -cylinder engine, bore 4.i2
stroke 5.12 inches.
decrease, From the information ju Lpre ented it would appear that
a. con tant r atio of fuel to air i de irable over the r ange of enLrance air pres ures studied.
I a constant ratio of fuel to air desimble over the range of entrance air temperature
enco untered in flight ?-Again the an wer is " Yes," so long a the fuel i aviation gasoline and
the temperature range no greater than that tudi d in the e experiments. Figure how a
typical group of urves obtained from tests at ever al air temperature . Ninety-five per cen t
of maximum power is seen to have b een develop ed with n early the same fuel- ail' ratio over
the range of air temperatures investigated. The janificance of this appear when it i hown
later that ordinarily minimum specific fuel con ump iion I' suits from impover i hing the mixture
sufficiently to cau e a 5 p el' cent decrease in power. An analy i of a larO"e number of tests
I Specific fuel consumption is oxp ressed as pounds of fucl por indicated horscl.ower hour or as rounds of fuel per brake horsol.ower hour .
'At constant cngine speed, horsol.ower = [(1; mean efIccti\'e pr ssuro. Tho \'alue of K can bc calcu lated when tho engine speed and piston
displacenemt are know Jl.
6 REPORT ~~ATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR AERO.-,\U TICS .

Test 168 Test 167

Air temperature =: +/OC Compression rotio := 5.3 Air temperature = +IO"C Compression ratio = 6.3
Lb fu~1 pe,llb air'
.6 I-
l-
R5:~0L?od
I.
R.PM.
-:- Lb air per Ib, f~e/,
=' .080
=1/2i51
t- 6 .6 I
1800 RPM L6 fuel per 16 air = ' ~r 1-1-
6
X Laad - Lb air per Ib fuel # 12.2
.5 I I I I I I I 1,1,1 I 5 .5 5
lo
.6 I- 1800 R.AM L6 fuel per Ib air = .07S 6 .6 6
}{ Load - Lb air per,lb fuel
I I ' I
= 12.6 I- liOO RPM. Ll' fu,;1 per 16 air 'J. ~851-
.5
I
5 .5 I- J:;Lo~ Lb Olr, per Ib uel 8: /1 .8 5
t6 1400 RPM. I- Lb fuel per Ib air = .080
J:;Lf'ad, I- Lb ~Ir per Ib fu,el = 12.5
(
6.r:::
(
.r:::
&.6 1-1-
I -"-
IJob ~P~ ~uJI ~e~ j,))
&
", .5 I I I I
&
5", I- Fulllood
Lb Ih I.Oj2
Lb air per Ib fuel = 13.8
l. '2.5
~.6 6~ QJ
1800 RPM. I- Lb
fuel per Ib air = .070 I- Q ~.6
l5 ~Lf'ldT I- L~ ~ir p~r 16 fuel II ~31 = 5 '8 QJ
-2.5
I- 1800 RPM.
Full load
Lb fuel per 16 air = '~r8
Lb air per !!;Lfvel /2.9
"" 1
.0
I
:3 .6 I~OO RPM. I- L6 fuel per Ib air = .079 I- 6-..J :3.6 LULU I I I
% Load i I- Lb air per Ib fuel = 12.6 l- t- 1800 RPM t- Lb fu~1 per 16 0;) = .076 l-
.5 5 .5 I- % Load- I- Lb air per, Ib fuel =/3.1 - I- 5
I I I I I I I I l
111
.6 I- 1800kp~
I- Lb Ib fU~1 ~e~ Vi-
~ir ==/3.6 6 .6 I- ,l I
/400 RPM I-
,

Lb fuel per Ib bir = .079 l- 6

I-
..
Fuliload- I- Lb air per Ib fuel t- % Load- I- Lb air per Ib fuel = IE.~r I-
1
.5 5 .5 5
.08 .07 .06 .05 .04 .03 .02 .08 .07 .06 .05 .04 .03 .02
Fig,i! Air density in /b per cu ft Fig.3 Air density in /b per cu. ft.
Test 169 Test 170
Air temperature := +/OC CompressIon rotie =: 7.3 Air temperature = +IO"C Compression ratio = 8.3
0
.6 6 .6
l- I- 1400 R;~ Lb fuel per Ib ~ir = 'Oli-- I.: t- 1400R.P.M. LbO fuel pe'J.. Ib air = .0791-
){_Lo<,d 1L4> r p.r;r 16 fuel I
.5 l- I- % Load Lf' fir p:r /b ''leI :: 12.8 5 .r:::.5
(
.r::: d, fuel fer Ib air = .on &
",,4
~. 6 1800 RPM. 0 1..
% Load Lb air per Ib fuel = 13.0 ~.6
1.. 5
QJ
Q I 15
~ t- 1800 R';'::!:. Lb fuel per Ib air = .071

l6
'<.::: I- 1800 R.;t I- L fuel per Ib air =- .081 t-
.0.4
-..J
)fLood
1 I
Lb OIr per 16 fuel = 14.1

.0 . 5 I- ~L,o't I- Lb ~ir.,pet;lb f'f elr=, /2.4 .6

-..J I- IJoJ)P~ Lb fuel per Ib air = .078 F-
.6 6 .5 I- % Lood- Lb air per Ib fuel = 12.9r I- 5
I- Lb
1~4:;/1::;/(
fuel per /b air = .074 I-
.5
eb air rHor Ib fuel = /3.5 1
5 .4 4
I I I i I I I
.08 .07 .06 .05 .04 .03 .02 .. 08 .07 .06 .05 .04 .03 .02
Fig.4 Air density in /b per cu. ft figS Air density in /b per cu ft
Tests 163, 164, 165, 166. Tesls 163, 164, 165, 166.
Air temperature = -10C Air temperature = +IOC

I- 1600 R~I H~ b Fuel per Ib air ~ .071 I- l- t- 1600 RPM.i l Lb fuel per Ib air = .071 I-
.5
Full load Lb a ir Rer Ib fuel 14.0 = .5 Full load Lb air per 16 fuel =111.0'
Conpression ratio ::: 8.3 Compression ratio :: 7.3

.4 .4
~
l- I- 1600 R~t. Lb fuel per Ib o ir = .0 7 I I- I-
1600 R.PM. Lb fuel per Ib air = .071
I- Fullicod Lb a,r per Ib fuel = /4.0 1 Full load I- Lb a ir per 16 fuel ~ 14.0
.5 l- ,5 ~ Co!np'ression ratio = p.3
fompre,ss(on 't~'" 1=, 3 1~
1 6.
.4 .4
I- =
:~fl:;r
( I- Lb fuel per Ib air = .071 1600 R.p.M. I- Lb fuel per Ib a,r t:~711-
I-
.r::: Lb air p'er Ib fuel 14.01 Full /ood Lb a ir per Ib fuel = 14.
9,..5
~.4 I fompre~s!o~ 'j0l[" 1=
,
nI fomprYJ'''l'n tn
~ = =
Q 1600 R;~ I- Lb fuel per Ib air .077 l- 1600 R.PM. Lb fuJI per Ib air .0771-
q;. 5 I- Fulilcod f- Lt-'(" Pit: lI'.J!ue'I= 13.0 Fi"(of't Ll '(JPr ~b fuel 'J./iO
-2.4
.0
fomprers(ol rtjio 1= rr ~
C'lmprestT lotol =1 Yf
Lb fuel per Ib air = .07~1-
'f~71:;M-
...J I-
I I Lb airper Ib fuel = 13.0
.5 .5
I- LbJuel pe;"lb_air--=.- '~r71-
.4
~~~~:;r Lb oir Rer Ib fuel ~ 13.0
Compression ratio ::: 6.3 .4 jompreriOI't'iO
~LL
1=
I I I
rr
.5 1600 RPM. Lb fuel per Ib air - .077 .5 1600 R.P;Ai.. Lb fuel per Ib air = .077
I- I- Fulll0i.df - Lb alr,per 16 fuel = 13 .01 Fulllcod",;:::; Lb air per Ib fuel = 13.0
.4 CompFesslon rollo = 5.3 .4 Compf::ession r.atio-=5.3
.08 .0 7 .06 .05 ,04 .03 ,02 .08 ,0 7 ,06 .05 .04 .03 ,02
F/g.6 Air density in /b per cu. ft. fig. 7 Air dens ity in /b per cu. ft.
Engine used in test, 8 cylinder, bore 4.72 incbes, stroke 5.12 inches.
 RI~LAT10~ Oli' FuEL-AT.R RATIO 1'0 ENG I NE PERFORMANCE. 7
covering a temperature range o[ from -20 0 to +40 0 C. hows maximum power to be obtained
with approximately the ame fuel-ail' ratio at each temperature. Similar re ults have been
found in tests of motor-car engines using much Ie volatile fuels. 3 The volatility of the fuel is
in reality the determining faetor in thi que Lion. A constant
fuel-air ratio i ele irahle only so long a a chang of air tempera- .~ J. Test 174 I
ture does not change appreciably the relative quality of the mix- ~ 1600 R.P.M. Fu /I load
Compo ratio 5.3
ture supplied to the arious cylinders or the amount of fuel that ~ 140
has been vaporized at the time the comp;'e sion tl'oke j completed. -.Q130 97. 99% mbx. po~er
Q.

"Yhen thi is not the ea e the mixture ratio should be hanged

f/20
9Y:
-20e
"I ~I f'
, ....Q
when the kmperature changes in order to compen ate as far as ::. Iii.::''
po ible [or the change in vaporization or eli t ribution that has ~ 110 ~
Ii-- ~/OC ~
taken place.
Q!
~/20 f.
In so far as a\~iation ,,~ork is coneemeel the conclusions cover .~/I0 ":: ~ ~'t.
a somewhat wider range of temperatures than the actual val ues /f.120
-..;
u :: : ~
II

I:f .
I'
~ 8
would indicate. At an altitude of 25,000 feet the average air tem- <0..:
Q; 110 " ,
.,
30C ,!:, a
perature i - ~ 0 C. , omewhat lower than the temperature usually c: "C 'Cl
,
~/20 "
y . 40J ~
reached in these experiment. However, tests were made at - 20 0 "
C. at an altitude of 5,000 feet, and a fuel vaporizing under the e '() 110 "
condition would vaporize as completely at a considerably lower -l!!Cl
temperature at the lower pres ure prevailing at 25 ,000 feet. The ~ .05 .07
~F;g.8 Lb fuel per Ib air
.09 1.1

explanation for this lies in the fact that for . a given ratio of fuel
vapor and ajr the ratio between the pressure' of the vapor in the T est on cylinder engine, bore 4.i2 inches,
stroke 5. 12 inches .
charge after complete vaporization and the pre ure of the air
r <)main constant regal' Uess of what the pres ure of the air actually j . At 25 ,000 feet alti-
tude the pressure of the ail' is much lower than
200 at 5,000 feet. Hence the vapor pr ssure will
<.J
0.
he lower and complete vaporization can take
160
~ LV place at correspondingly lower temperatures.
~/20
Cl
~ 80
9-
l i 40
V f--
- !--I--
This

ture
will
full-line
for
be evident from Figure 9. The lower
curves
two
show initial condensation tempera-
fuel-air ratios pI tted against total
~
pre ure. The da h line shows averacre air tem-
00 20 40 60 80 100
Percent distilled
peratures at variou barometric pres ure (alti-
tudes) . For a fuel-air ratio of 0 .0 3 the con-
den ation temperature at a total pressure eor-
<.J 0
~'-~~'-~~~~7r-=r-.--;O 20~ re ponding to an altitude of 5,000 feet i _3 C. ,
~ 10
~
10~Cl while for a pressure corre ponding to an altitude
of 25,000 feet it i - 17 C. Inasmuch as the
O~ difference between the e temperature is 14 0 C.
9-
~+--r~--~~~~~~~--1-IO~ .... it seem entirely ju tifiable to conclude that
1+~~i'-'-'-i-"""-20 ""
vaporization at - 2 0 C. at 25,000 feet altitude
Cl
would be no Ie s complete than at - 20 0 C. at
-30~
5,000 feeL. Hence it i believed that the re uIt
~J-~~~~~--~-L~~J-~-4Dl
o ~ here pre ented cover average condition between
"C ea level and 25,000 feet.
Fu el chRracteristics of domestic Rviation gasolin e (from Wilson and In connection with the above di cu ion it
Barnard) .
j of intere t to consider whether vaporization
tend to become more 0[' les complete a the altitude is increa ed. A decrease in air pressure
and a decrease in air temperature are the two major onsequence of an increase in altitude .
Intake l\[, "ifolcl Tern . eraLllres a nd Fu I E eolH rn ~ . b)" II. C. D ckills(1l W . . J! m (s, and . W Sr anow . J ournal of SOCiety of Automot ive
Engine rs, Augu "t, 10":0.

 HEPO R'!, NATIO NAL ADVI SORY COMMITTEE F OR AERO N A TIC .

The former Lend to make vaporization m ore complete, the latter to make it Ie complete.
Their combined effe t an b e inferred from Figure 9. Initial condensation temperature h ave
b ~ e n Lahn from Wilson and Barnard . I At a pressure COITe ponding to an alti tude [ 25,000
fe L ini tial co ndcnsation tem pcr fttur cs are ftbou t 20 C. lower than at ea-l vel pres ure. Tho
actual le l' a e in t mp r atur for th is arne h ange in altitude j given by the da h line a
-16 C., more than twice a great. I-I ence under normal condi tion vaporization tends to become
les complete a the altitude is increa ed. As ha beon hown, wi th fu el and engines no worso
th an prcsent-day type, thi tendency does no t manife t i tself to an ex tent demanding any
materia enrich ing of the mL'dure over tho range of al ti tude investigated.
One mu t no t 10 e igh t of the eli tinction betw en constan t fuel- air r a ti o and a c nstan t
carburetel' aclju tment. To oh tain the former the carbureter adju tment m ust be manipulated
very frequently in pre ent- lay carbureters. The first problem that confron t the arbureter
engin eer is to provid e a carbureter capahle of beino- ad ju ted under any co ndition of oper ation
to give the desir od mixtur e. H av ing ac compli heel this he can then ben(i hi enero-ie toward
a r eduction in the nu mb l' of su h adjusLmo nt .that mu t be m acl e in order to main tain the
desir ed fuel-air ratio.
What percentnge of it maximum power does an engine develop when it lJecijic f uel consump-
tion is a minim71m ?-The chemical combi ning ra tio of a hydrocarb on fuel and air i und erstood
to h e a r atio uch that the product of eomplete eom bu tion ar e carh on dioxide and water with
no carbon mo noxide or oxygen. A is well kno",-n, maxim um engine power i ob ta in ed when
the fuel-air ratio i in exce of, and minimum pecifi c fuel consumption when the fuel-air ra ti o
is Ie than, that giving the pr01orbon for che:nical combin a tion. This can be attribu te d
i n par t a t lea t to imper fect mixing. 'l..n exce. of fu 1 is nece ary to the eomplete utilization.
of the air, while a n ex ce of air permit complete utilization of the fuel. To ob tain maximum
power the air houid he utiliz d completely. To ob tai n m inim um pecifi fuel con umption
the fuel hould h u tilized co ml letely.
Tizarcl ancl P ye 5 have made a much more complete analysi of thi problem th an will be
a t tempLed hero. From the conelu ion they haye r ached it appear th at even with perfect
mL-xino- maximum power hould be expoctod with a mixture richer, and minimum specifi c fuel
con umption with on o leaneT, t han the so-called chemical combining r atio.
Befor e pas ing to the curve men tion migh t b made of a pha e of the r elation between
mi xLure r atio and power tha t ha often caused co nfu ion . As a b a i for di cu ion a sume
the product of comhustion of a rich mixture to he carb on dioxide, carbon mo noxide, and waLe r.
T able II 6 show for ty pical hydrocarb on fuel the percen tage 0- available onero-y per pound of
fuel for mixLure of several degr ee of richnc s. It is apparen t that the energy availabl e theo-
reticall per pound of fuel m u t decr ea e when the mixture i m ade richer than that theor eti-
cally giving complete combu tiOD. The energy available depend upon the amount of air
p reso n t a well a upon the am ount of fuel. llpplying excess fuel, iDee i t doe not increase
the amoun t of air, does not incr ease the total amount of energy available and hence mu t de-
crease the energy available per pounel of fuel. It will be ob er ved that when the fuel conten t
of the charge i 50 per cen t in excess of the theor eti cal combining r atio there is a cl ecr ea e of
nearl y 50 per eent in Lhe available energy. At fi r t glance this appears in m arked con trast
wi th the compar ati, cl. small decrease 111 engllle power that r e ul t from using a mix ture of
thi degr ee 0 r riehne .
I Further Data on the Effecti ve Vola tility of ~fo tor Fllels, by Robt. E. WU.on a nd Dan ir l P. B arnard , H h. J ournal of ociet y of Automot;,'e
En~in eNs, March , 19,3. The actual values t here gh'e n ha ve b~e n questionr d by some write rs. (ce paper presented by Cruse at New Hawn
mee ting of American (,hemical ociot)' in April, 19:3.) The disagrer mr nt as to aetual values d ocs n ot exte nd to the chngc in condensation tem r:e ra
Lures w ith rhange in pressure wh ich is the pOint of interes t in this di <;C lIssioll .
' The Charact r of Various Fll' ls f)r [n t'rnal Co :nbus lio n l;;n~ in es, by H . T . T i,ard and D. R. Py ~. The Automobile Engineer, F ebruary,
March, Aprili. 1921.
Taken from The E conomical lil imtiol1 of LiqUid Fu el, by C. A. lorma n, Bulletin " o. 1 ~ of (he engineeri ng experiment &tatioll of (he
Ohio State UniverSity.

 RI~LATION OF F EL-AJR RATIO TO ENGINE PERFORMANCE. 9
TABLE II.

Pound fu el per p ou nd air ....... . . ... . .

POllJ1d~ air per pound fu el . . . . .. ...... . .
0.100
10
I 0.091
II
-I 0.0
12
0.077
13
0.071
11 O.on I
P 'r ') nla ~e of a" ailahle energy pcr
pound fuel. . . .. . .. . . ... _. .. . . . . . ... . . 53 63 73 82 91 100

The rea on j that in the u ual mixture ratio run the change in richne s is effected by chang-
ing the fuel content of the charge. Hence the change in power dep<'ncl not only upon the
avaihthle enoro-y per pound of fuel but al a upon the pound of fuel available . Taking an illus-
tration from Table II, when Lho pound fuel per pound air i 0.100 , th fuel content of the llarge

0.100
IS 0.0667 a great a when the ratio IS 0.0666. \l though the availahle energy per pound of

fuel i" only 53 pOl' cent of that available with the 0.0667 mixture, the corresponding energy

0.100
per uni t weight of eharge i 0.0667 .'i3 Ol' 80 per cen L. While Table II gi ye a ati fac to ry pic-

ture from the standpoint of specific fuel con umption, Tahle lIT i more aLi facLory from Lhe
sLandpoint of power.
TABLE III.

Pound fu el p nr pound air. .... ...... ..

Pounds air p or p ound fll el .. . ....... . . .
P cr';:(, lltaf?;c of a \"aila bl e energy p er
0.100
10
0.091
11
O. OS:l
12
0.077
13
0.071
14
I 0.067
15
p ound a il .. .... . ........ . ........... . RO R6 91 95 91 100

Figure 10, II , 12, 13, 14, and 1.5 how pecifi.c fuel con umption at variou percentage
of maximum indicated horsepower. With Lhe exception of three dotL d curve in Figure 15,
the re ult ar e all based on t<' ts made at the Bureau of Standard. I..viation engine of variou
type were u ed in ob'taining the greater portion of the e data but four and six cylinder motor-
car engin . and si ngle-cylindel' experimen tal engines were employed to orne exton t.
Considerin a the entire group of curycs the mosL striking fe:lture i Lhe small diiIcrence
beLween the minimum s pecific fuel con umption and the pecific fuel con umption obLaineci Kith
a mixtme impoverished until the power i 9.5 pel' cent of it m aximum ,due . Frequently the
acLual min imum Y,llue i not l' :l ched until the po I-er h 'ls been reducecl to 5 per cent of its
maximum value. In such case , however, the difference h et\I' een the pccific fu 1 con ump-
tion aL - per cent and 95 pCl' cent of m aximum powe], is comp,. r<.. tivd!- 111: 11 while the dif-
fer nce bet,,-een Lhe specific fud consumption at 95 per cent and a t m aximum power i lnrge.
Henco very nearly m inimum specific fuel consumption may be obL!tinod by decre.lsing the fuel
content of Lhe ch'lrge until the power developed i 95 pc]' ceot of it m !:n.:imum ,alue. ..:Uter
impoverishing the mixture to thi extent, the margin of :t feLy again t firing back into the
carbureter i till ample provided the engine pos e e a reasonably good distribution y tem .
From the above information iL i evident that an engine de ignecl for operation ,,-itll a mini-
mum specifi c fuel con umption mixture should have a pis ton displacement [l hout 5 per cent
greflLel' than one designed to be opera Lcd with a maximum power mixture . It should not be
inferred thaL there i ome pec uli1r v ir tue inherent in the 95 per cent value that makes it ,-astly
uperior to 9 -~ per cenL or 93 per cent. In mo t ca e th l aLter \TaIue o-iye lightly lower
sp ecific iu 1 conslUnption but at the co t of an appreciahle reduction in the margin of safety
agtlinst firing in Lh intake pipe. All things considered the 95 per cent value appear to be a
satis factory compromi e.
ince, in Figures 10 to 1.5, Lhe actual values of pecific fuel con umption are scparated so
widely, it at first seems surpri ing that the 9.5 per cent value should be so neal' the minimum in
 10 REPO.RT NAT IO NAL ADVISORY 'OMlVIl'rTEE FOR AERON AV'J'IC' .

0.8 Test 175 0.8 \ \ Test 174

1-1- ~,Cylinderi, Bcire 4. 72 in. Slr'oke' 5. 12 irl. +- ~,'cJ-lt;'de)-s',
i
- Bo're 4.72 in. SIr6ke 5. 121".,1 _ I-
0.7 1-1- vg. Bora"!... 63.5 cm Hq, Camp. ratio 6.3 -f-- 0.7 - vg. Barom. 63.5 cm Hq, Comp. ralio 5.3- I-
\ 1400 R.":M Appx.% load. 1400 RPM Appx. % load.
0.6 0.6
( 1\ ( _Ll 1
-1::0.5 I I -1:: 0 .5 I
40C 30C 20C 10 DoC C SoC 40C 30C 20C 10C DOC I C
~
~0.4
~ !.o' I;' ["I l'<'- ~
...,0.4 1 jJ'
I II 1/
~0.3 ~,jr tempera ure ~ 0.. 0.3
Air temperature

I q; Tes~/17~ I
~0.7 .i!.0.7
..::: Comp. ralio 6.3 - I-
~0.6 18~0 R.PM Ap~x. % /oad .{J0.6 pOD R.PM FUlljOad
-...J -..l
0.5 0.5 I I
40C 30C 20 DOC DOC 10C 39C 30C 20C 10C DoC 10C 20C
0.4 0.4
/ .Y oj-'" ,J.D' ...i <1-1"
'*'"A,,- temperature 10<+'" "f-.:p'
Air tempera ure T
0.3 90 100 90 100 90 100 90 100 90 100 90 100 90 100 0.3 90 100 90 100 90 100 90 100 90 100 90 100 90. 100
, Fi9.1a Per cent of maximum I.HP Fig.ll Per cent of maximum I.HP

1.0. Test 184 1.0 Tes'f d&ti= Ma"!ch 1921 I \ I

~ cylinde)-s, Bcire 6.62 in. Stroke' 7.50 irl. - 6 cylinders, Bore 3.25 in. Stroke 4.50 in~-I-
I
I-- 1-1--
0.9 I- Air temperature +15C Comp. ra tio 6.5~ 0.9 Comp. ralio 4.6 -1--
1400 R.P.M Full load
0.8 0.8 L1
L'I Ill.
0.7 O. 7
0.6 1'\ 0.6 I-
( L 500 1000 1500 2000
-1::0.5
74.1 63.3 51 .6 43.3 0
.c: 0.5
35.3
~ I JI ~
,,0.4
" 0.4 I~ ~

L
;""1-1-'" H'
~0.3
Appx. oromefer em Hg 'Revolutions per minute
~0. 3
I
Tesl .176 -.l
J Te'sf /87 -1
~0.9 I- 8 cyllnderd, 8dre 4. 72 in. Stroke 5. 12 in.-I- ~0.9 8 cyfihders, 80re 5.51 in. Stro/fe 5.91 In. -
..::: I- Avq. Barom. 63..5 cm Hg, Comp. ratio 7.3 -1- ,<:. Comp. ratio 5.4-
~O.B 1400 R.PM. Appx. % load ~o.a 1800 R.P.M. Full load
-...J -...J l-
0.7 0.7 t- 1--
1'\1-
0.6 0.6

0.5 I) 1\ 0.5
40C 30C 20C 10C OC 10C 20C 73.7 63.2 51.5 43. 35.9
0.4 \ II 0.4 .. -.l Lt
or" 9'" r J<,.< \1 9-" \ of I
I AIr tempera ure I Appx. barometer ern Hg
0.3 90. 100 90 100 90 100 90 100 90 100 90 10.0 90. 100 0.3 90 100 90 100 90 100 90 100 90 100 90 100 90 100
Fig.l2 Per cent of maximum I.HP Flg.l3 Per cent of maxtmum I.HP

1.0 I I 1.0 J
I cylinde'r, ' Bori: 5.00 in. Str'oke' 7.00 irl.- r- Curved A,B,C, deriv'ed from publish~d, ~afa I-
0.9 Compo ratio 5.0 - r: (0.9 C
Appx.~ load :2-1::
0.8 9.~ o.a
0.7
"
VJl0.7
B j/ I
~ C:Q) A
0.6 80..0.6 ~X aco7o 'Jf:. .5%
...... \1)

1: 0.5 1200 1400 1600 ~t.5 ,- ,'I

~0.4 V """ 0.4
Pure benzol
Gasoline A
Revolutions per minute I-
L 0.3 0.3
Q) I I \ \
:;: 1.0 4 cyl. Bore 3.75 in. Stroke 4.00,ir:.- 1.0 . I cylinder, Bore 5.00 in. Stroke 7.00 in.
Q) (
.i!.0.9 600 R.PM Parf load -1::0.9 _L 1500 R.P.M. Full load
~
-..lo.a ~
,,0.8 ~
ompression raTIO 0.4
0. 7 ~0.7 Aviation gasoline
0..
0.6 q,0.6
_compression ra io 14
.i!. Benzol
0.5 ~0.5 I ..
-..l
Jo"
0.4 0.4

0.3 70 80 90 lao 70 80 90 100 70 aD 90 100 70 80 0.3 70 80 90 100 70 80 90 100 70 80 90 100 70 80

Fig.l4 Per cent of maxim um I.HP Fig.l5 Per cenf of maximum I.HP

Curves A, B, and C, Figure 15, derh'ed from data published by Ricardo in Automotive Industries, August 4,1921, page 212.

J
 RELAT10N OF F EL-ATR RATIO TO ENGINE PERFORMAN E, 11

<,yery ea e. To 80111(' extent the m)'stery di appear when one appr('cint(" the diITerenee be-
Lween the cffecliye mixture in the c.ylinller and the l'ntio of fuel to air INying the carbUTeter.
The ('ffectiyc mixture r.liio in the c)'lindcr is that mixture which detcrminc ho\\' much heaL is
lih(,f.ttcd by comhu~tion. Oener<111)-, peaking, when the l' sultinO' incre nse in temperat ure i a
maximum, the power is a maximum; when Lh(' increase III tempcratul' per pound of fuel i a
nhlximum the pecine fu(,l con umption is l:l minimum. Obyiously, there i a fairly c1efmite
r Ltion betwccn the efl'ectiye mixture ratio [01' D1nxlll1um power and that for minimum specific
[ud consumption and henc(' a definite relation hetwe(,ll the power clen'lop('d in the two ca e .
_\.ctu<ll v-niue of po\\'er and specific furl consumption are gO'-(,l'l1ed hy Lh(' relation of the actual
to the eITectiyc l'lltio and hy the cyelie effiei('nc.\- \\'hich detcrmine how much of the heat Jiberated
by combustion i <:on\'c1'ted into work. IIence such 1.2
\-ulu('s nre likcl.\T to H 1'y bd \\'e('n wid(' limits. Such
vari,ltions do not di -turh the rebtion between the ~~r \ ~I \
f-~ ~
ef}'eclire mixtll1'e Ilnd Ihe amouni of h(' L jijwl'<tL('d c:: ~
~S! \
:G \
h)- comhustion. C'onsequ('ntl.v they do noi dist urh ;l:!
..::: 6D.... ti:Q) 60 -.. \
the )'e1<.tion het\\'('('n mnxinnun power and the power -Q)
Ci '0
giying minimum. pecific fu('l consumption.
Thus fnr, the curye . for the most part ha ye shown
f-.\:J 70

f---'5 80
~
~ 70
'580
-,
r('sult s hased on indicated rathrr th:~ n on hrake h01'Fe-
power. Gener.1 relations ha'\e been oughL fnd not
f---~ 90 .-/ ~ ~qn -
IDa
1100 --"
value which would change ,,-itll an,'" chr nge or me- 0.4 80 90100 80 90 100
eh~nic'll efficiency. Fltimn,tel~- , ho\\'('\-er. minimum Percent of Percent of
maxImum lHP. maximum BHP.
'pecific fuel consumption on a brake hoI' epower hrsis
i desired. Fig. I G hos been plotted to show the Curves ore 60s;;;[on Me os.sump/~"a~ thol the

efleci of the mech )nie al efficiency upon th(' pounds of ~

fuel p('r hl'fik(' hol'.'cpow('J' hour ,1n<l to, it! in ('onl'rrt- :G 90
ti::
ing results from an indicat ed to a hmk(' horsepower <l! 80
basis. \111e11 n chnnge in po\\'er is efTected by a change .Ci~ 70
in fuel-r. ir rat io the mcchanical effiei('ncy chnnges (j
60
solely hecau e of the change in indieated po\\'(,l', '5<l!
the friction remaining ub tantially consiani. Me- ~ 5080 84 88 92 96 100
r ig. 16 Percent of maximum I.HP.
ch amca. I effi'clCney= I.IIPI.IIP- F.HP Th e 10"" r group
Effcct of cbangr in mechanical rmciency upon the percent,
age of maximum power at which the minimum specific
of curves in Figme 16 wa obtained by a method fuel consumption is obtained.
described in Appendix 1. From these curyes, the me-
chanical efficiency at any pel' cent of m,lximuJ11 power can be determined if the efficiency at maxi-
mum power is known. This permit converiing rc ult from pounds of fuel per brake horsepower
.. . pound fuel per I.IIP hour
110m to pounds of fue1 per mchcated horsepower hour mce ~ l 1 . 1 If' . = pound
1\ ec 1amCil e 1e1ency
fuel per B.IIP hour.
The upper left-hand portion of Figure 16 giYe values of pound of fuel per hl'fike hor epower
hour corresponding to mechanical efficiencies of 60, 70, 0 90, and 100 per eenL at maximum
power. At the righL the same value arc ploUed but in the latter cn e v-ersu per cenL maxi-
mum brake hoI' epower instead of versus per cent maximum indicaLed horsepower. Per cent
B.IIP corresponding io any per ceni I.IIP can be cletenninecl from Lhe lower curves of FigW'e 16
by multiplying pel' ceni I.IIP hy the l'aiio hetween the mechanical efficiency at that per cent
I.IIP and the mechanical efficiency at maximum po"wer. Figur(' 16 show' nearly minimum
specific fuel conslUnption on a B.IIP ba i al 0 io he obtained both at 9':; pel' cent of maximum
I.IIP a.ncl at 9.') per cent B.IIP. The general applicability of thi' 95 pel' cent value can be
explained by the faci that there i 0 little difl'el'enee bet,,-een the ll1('chanical efficiencies at
maximum ,mel at g:') per cent of maximum power. From the foregoing it is concluded tlUlt
yery nearly minimum pccific fuel con umpLion (p I' B.IlP hour or pel' I.IIP hour) i obtained
 12 REPORT NATIO NAL ADVI SORY COMMITTEE FOR AERONAUTICS .

when the fuel-air r atio decr eased until the power (B.HP or I.HP) i 9 - per cent of its
maXllllillU value.
Carbureter engineer may de ire to know, for cer tain of the urves ' hown in Figures 10
to 16, the relation between th e ch ange in fuel con ten t of the charge and the sp ecific fuel con-
ump tion. This information an be determined readily as will be eviden t from the following
~~ : .

A = pound fuel per hour at a per c n t of maximum power .

B = pound fuel per hour at b per ce nt of maximum power.
k = horsepower at maximum power.
:O~ = horsepower at a per ce nt of maximum power .

to~ = horsepower at b per cent of m aximum power.

0= pound fuel per I.HP hour a t a per ce ri t of m aximum power .
D = p01.md fuel per I.HP hour at b per cen t of maximum power.

0 = A -+- ak = 100A .
100 ak

D = B ~J!!= 100B .
. 100 blc

A _ C100 A~ 100 B) (a ) = (~) C' .

B- ak . b7c . b b D

This m ay h e stated in words as follows. Th e ratio of the fu I conten t of the ch arge at a

gi ven per entage of maximum power to the fu el con ten t of the ch arg at orne other percen tage
of maximum power i equal to the r atio of the product of specific fuel consum ption and per
cen t power for the two conditions. In general 95 per cent of maximum h oI' epower i ob tained
when the fuel content of the ch arge is between 0 and 85 per cent of that wh ich gives maximum
power.
How does faulty distri bution aff ect power and specific fu el consumption ?- N ote th at the
ques tion do e no t r efar to the cau e of faul ty eli tribu tion but to the effect. In the discu sion
which follm\,. , distribution is con idered faul ty when all cylinders do not receive the same
quality or mixture. Occa ionally one cylinder r equires a mix ture of a quality differen t from
tha t of another cylinder , bu t such a requiremen t usually te ti:6 es to poor engine condition or
de ign . At tention already h a been directed to the difference b etween the effective fuel-air
r atio in the cylinder and the ratio of fuel to air that leaves th e carbureter . The lat ter ratio
will be the one termed mixture ratio throughou t the en uing discussion. Figure 17, 1 , and
19, illu trate faul ty di tribu tion. The lower .cm ve of Figure 17 i plot ted from exp erimental
data obtained wi th a singl.J-cylinder engine. I t represen t what could be ob tained from an
engine having 6 imilar cylinder each of which received the ame quan t ity and quali ty of
charge. The remaining curves show the r e ult when I , 2, 3, 4, or 5 of the ix cylinder r COlve
a fuel-air InL'd ure whose fuel con ten t is 20 per cen t Ie than th a t of the rem ainder.
All calculation are b ased on the a umption that each cylinder when supplied with a
cer tain fu el-air ratio develops the LM.E.P. i shown by the lower curve of Figure 17 to h ave
b een developed by the single-cylinder engine. In performance test meas uremen t are made
of the total weights of fu el and ail" r eceived by the engine and of th e to tal power developed by
it. R e ult such as would be obtained from uch measurement un ler the condition pecifie d
are hown by the variou curves . T o illustrate how th e curve are derived consider the case
when 3 of the cylinders are 20 per cen t lean. These will r eceive a mix ture of fuel and all' III
71. M. E. P. = indicaied mea n cfTocii vo pressure.
 BELATlON B' F EL-A IR RATIO TO ]~ NGINE P E R F ORMA NC E. 13
the ratio O. (0 .0 ) when the other 3 cylinders receive an 0.08 mixture. The apparent mi.x-
. WI'IIb e 3(0.) (0 .06 )+3 (0.08) wh'j
ture ratlo lC 1 equa
I F
0.072. f l' . f
'01' a ue -all' ratlo o O.
(0.08 ) =

0.064, the lower urve of Figure 17 gives an I.M.E.P. value of 6 . and for a ratio of 0.08 the
. 734
vaIue IS .. IT
:J..ence t h e apparent IMEP
. ., . . will b e 3(73 .4)+3
6 (6
--. ) = 71.1.

The lowe t m~'l::imum I.M.E.P. for the group of curve hown in Figure 17 i 73.2 while
the highest, obtained with perfect di tribution, i 73.. In Figure 1 are similarly obtained
curves of specific fuel consumption. The highest minimum specific fuel consumption is 0.45
while the lowe t, with perfect distribution i 0.432. Figure 19 is a recapitulation of the data

'O - t-- 'O - t--

r-f-- '0 t--
0
Cylinders 2'0 % leon Cylinders 20 % leon/ V

-
7
70 1 /' v .6
1/
I ./'
6V .5
/ 1- ./
.s,50 4
~70 .6 /
l 2
V V
~60 .5
2 I---"
-.Q50 4
(I)' /17
~;70 (.6
'"
V .J:: V
~60
l
Q.50
3 9.:. 5 3 ,
::t:
".4 ---
~
(I)

~ 70 0...6
/
u / Q; V
~60 <2. 5 ~
(I)
t.50
4 :S.4 ----
Cl
/
~ 70 /
.6
"b
60 .5 5
V
~ 7
tJ
~50
~ 4
'-.. V
/
/~A//
~ 7'0 .6 Vtreceive
cylin ders
V'AII cylinders

rig'/7
6'0
50
.05
rt receive the some f -
q~oltfy mixtur;e.

.'07 .09
L.b fuel per Ib air
,/1
.5
.4
.05
6g./8
1"-V
.07 .09
Lb fuel per Ib air
the
some quOltry -
mixture.
.11

ElIecL of ch a nges in d isLribuLion of 6-eyli nde r engine.

presented in the two previous figure. In thi one in tance points indicate value from faired
curve instead of experimental data. This has been clone in preference to drawing curve which
would overlap 0 mu h as to make it extremely dimcult to distingui h one from the other.
change in distribution unless greater than 20 per cent might appear to be of no great moment
sin e it results in no great change in either maximum power or minimum specific fuel con-
umption. If the mixtul' could be and wer acl ju tcd clo ely for each change of condition the
above conclusion would be valid. In ervicc the tendency i to aclju t the mixture so that the
engine will ftmction regularly over a wide a range of condition a po ible in order to reduce
the frequency with which adjustments mu t be made. r\.n architect plan a doorway so that
it will be of adequatc izc for thc talle ~ t and fate (, likely to pa ~ (,hrough. In much the ame
fashion an engine operator is likely to adjust the rn.L"Xture to be amply rich for any condition
likely to arise.
14 REPORT ~A1'IO.NAJJ ADVISOHY COl\1l\IITTEE "FOR AERONAun s .

I I I I I I I I I
0 / Cylinde r receives 20% leaner mixture t h an r emainder
t--- +3
2 "
"
" "
/I
"
"
"
11

11
'"
/I
/I

"
X 4 " /I
" /I
" II fI

0 5 II
" " I(
I 11 (I 1/

.9

.8
\
-u

~
(
-t:
&.7
1\
t~
All cylinders rec eive the ~
~
some qurlifY mixture . ..Ia
i~/
~
~h ~ +
0
ox. .
~
~
W
;/S g

4 50 60 70 80
40
Fig. IS IMEP /b p er s9. in.
EJIect of changes in distribution of 6-cylinder engine.

In uch a case the mL-xture ratio adju tment would depend upon the leane t cylinder , in
other word it would be uch that thi cylinder would operate atisfactorily und er extreme
condition. With perfect di tribution uch an adjustment might re ult in a con-iderable wa te
of fuel becau e it would be likely to provid e a fuel-air ratio richer thiln necessary during the
major por t ion of the operating time. A similar adju tment when one of 6 cylinder is 20 per
cent lean would cau e the remaining 5 cylind ers to be proportionately richer than neces ary
throughou t the entire range. In uch a a e the pecific fuel con umption might, be 20 per cent
greater than that with perfect di tribution.

CONCLUSIONS.

General conclusion are as follow

(1) When u ing ga oline a a fuel, maximum power usually i obtained with fuel-air mix-
ture of b etween 0.07 and 0.0 pound s of fuel per pound of air.
(2) Maximum power i obtained with approximately the same fuel-air ratio over the range
of air pre ure and temperature ordinarily encountered in flight.
(3) Jearl y minimum specific fuel con ump tion result from decreasing the fuel content
of the charge until the power i 95 pel' cent of its maximum value.
 RELATION OF ]<'UEL-AIR HATIO TO ENGINE PEHFORMANCE. 15
APPENDIX.

The curve in the lower part of Figure 16 were calculated [or a change in mechanical eIft-
cicncy re ulting from a chanO"e in engine power unaccompanied by a change in friction. Es-
sentially this condition exi ts when the fuel-air ratio is changed and the load on the engine is
adjusted so as to maintain a con tant peed.
Let
A = mfL'{imum I.IIP
B = B.lIP when A = I. lIP
C=F.IIP when A=1.HP
m = mechanical eIftciency when A = I.HP
a
a= I.lIP uch that:it =1'
b= B.lIP when a=1.HP
c=F.IIP when cL=1.IIP
x = mechanical efficiency when a = 1. II P
then
b a-c c
x= = - = 1 - -
a a a
c= 0 by a. umption

x=1- a
o

a=A1'
C
x=1- Ar
C=A-B
B =Am
C=A-Am=A(1-m)
x=1- A(1-m) =1- (1-~
Ar r
Values given in Figure 16 have been calculated from thi relation.
To obtain the group of curves in the upper right-hand corner of Figure 16 it wa necessary
to determine percentaae of B .HP corresponding Lo known percentages of 1.IIP. The following
analysi shows how thi can be accompli h d. Let subscript A represent the maximum power
condition and uh cript B the condition for which the per cent B.IIP i Lo be determined.
Then
B.HP A= (mech. effLC.A) (I.HP A)
B.IIP u = (mech. efUc.B) (I. lIP B)
B .IIP Il I.lIP Il (mech. effic'B)
B.IlP A= I.IIP--:;-(mcch. effic. A)

For any value of i:ii~:: the mechanical eIftcicncy can be determined from the lower group

of curve in Figure 16. ~:ii~: can then be determined from the above equation. The follow-
ing table shows percentages of maximum brake horsepower corresponding to variou percent-
ages of maximum indicated hoI' epower for condition where the mech,mical efficiency i 90
per cent, 0 per cent, 70 per cent, and 60 per cent.
 16 REPORT NATIONAL ADVI OHY COMMLTTEE FOR AEROXA TIC .

TABLE IV.

PC'f rent of m axim um B. TIP when

llleChtln ical effi cie ncy at nlax im um
power is-
Pcr cent of maxi-
mum I lIP.
90 N
ce nt.
~o per
een l.
I 70 pe r
cen t.
no per
ce ll t.
- - - - - - - - -,
tOO
97.6
tOO
97.1
100
96. (j
I
9';.0 9J . 2 93. 3
93. 9 91. 91. 7
92. J 91. 4 09. 9
90. 1 88. 6 86. (l
S7.5 5. 7 83. I
, 5.0 1.8 80.1
2.6 80.0 76.6

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

l. Oarbur ting Oon litions Oharacteristic of Aircraft Engine , by Percival S. Tice. Report
0. 4 of National Advisory Oommittee for Aeronautic.
2. Meterin a haracteri tic of Oarburetcr , by Percival . Tice. Report No. 49 of National
Advisory Oomilli ttee for Aeronau tic .
3. orne Factor of Airplane Engine P r[ormance, by Victor R. Gaae. Report No. 10 of
ational Advi ory Oommittee for Aeronautic.
4. The Oharacter of Variou Fuels for Internal Oombu tion Engine , by I-I. T. Tizard and
D. R. Pye. The \utomobil Engin or, February, March, April, 1921.
5. Element of Automobile Fuel Economy, by W. . Jame. Journalof ociety of Auto-
motive Engineer , June, 1921.
6. The InIluence of Various Fuels on Enaine Performance, by II. R. Ricardo. Automo-
tive Indu trie , \ pril, May, June, July, August, eptember, 1921.
7. Re ult of Experimental Flights at High Altitudes with Daimler, Benz, and Maybach
Engine to Determine Mixture Formation and Heat Utilization of Fuel, by K. Kutzbaeh.
Technical Note No. 125 of National Advisory Oommittee for \ eronautic .
. The Problem of Fuel for Aviation Engine , by K. Kutzbach. Technical Note No. 62
of ational Advi ory ommittee for Aeronautic .
9. Standard of Oarbureter P erformance, by O. O. Berry. Tnm action of \.m erican
Society of Meehani al Engineer, vol. 41 , pao-e 333.
10. Engine De ign for Maximum Pow r and Fuel Economy, by O. A. Norman. Pro-
ceeding of ociety of Automotive Engineer , vol. 15, part 2, page 2 O.
11. The Economical tilization of Liqui 1 Fuel, by O. A. orman. Bulletin o. 19 of the
Engineering Experiment tation of the Ohi o tate niYer ity.
12. Further Data on the Effective "\ olatility of Motor Fuel , by RoM. E. Wilson and
Daniel P. Barnard, 4th. Jomnalof ociety of AutomotiYe Engineer , March, 1923.
13. High Thermal Efficiency in Airplane ervice, by W. parroW". Technical Jote
0.39 of ational Aclyi ory ommittee for Aeronautic.
14. An Experimental urvey of Ga oline and Kero ene arburetion, by O. S . Kegereis
and G. A. Youno-. Journalof ociety of Automotive Engineers , January, 1923.

o
 Positive directions of axes and angies (forces and moments) are shown by arrows.

. Axis.
Force
Moment about axis. Angle. Yelocities.
(parallel Linear
to axis) Positive
Designation. Sym- symbol. Designa- Sym- direc- Designa- Sym- (comr,0- Angular.
bol. tion. bol. tion. bol. nenta ong
tion.
. axis) .

Longitudinal .... X X rolling ..... L Y~Z roll .... . <I> tI. P

LateraL ..... _.. y y pitc~g ... M Z~X pitch ... . e tI q
NormaL. ....... Z Z yawmg ..... N X~y yaw .... . 'l' w r

Absolute coefficients of moment Angle of set of control surface (relative to

L M neutral position), o. (Indicate surface by
0,=-- (J, = -
m qcS proper subscript.)
qbS
4. PROPELLER SYMBOLS.

Diameter, D Thrust, T
Pitch (a) Aerodynamic pitch, PI. Torque, Q
(b) Effective pitch, pe Power, P
(c) Mean geometric pitch, pg (If It coefficients " are introduced all units
(d) Virtual pitch, pv used must be consistent.)
(e) Standard pitch, p. Efficiency TJ = T V jP
Pitch ratio, p/D Revolutions per sec., ni per min., N
Inflow velocity, V'
Slipstream velocity, V. Effective helix angle <P= tan-' (2!n)
5. NUMERICAL RELATIONS.

1 IP = 76.04 kg. m/sec. = 550 lb. it/sec. 1 lb. =0.45359 kg.

1 kg. m/sec. =0.01315lP 1 kg. = 2.20462 lb.
1 mi/hr. =0.44704 m/sec. 1 mi. = 1609.35 m. = 5280 ft.
1 m/sec. = 2.23693 mi/hr. 1 m. = 3.28083 ft.