Four Stroke Engine

The four stroke engine was first demonstrated by Nikolaus Otto in 18761, hence it is also known as the Otto cycle. The technically correct term is actually four stroke cycle. The four stroke engine is probably the most common engine type nowadays. It powers almost all cars and trucks. The four strokes of the cycle are intake, compression, power, and exhaust. Each corresponds to one full stroke of the piston; therefore, the complete cycle requires two revolutions of the crankshaft to complete. My original intent was to accurately show that the points need to remain closed for only a fraction of a second, called the dwell. By illustrating this, I inadvertently obscured the overall operation of the circuit. Perhaps someday I'll prepare a more detailed illustration of the ignition system alone. Larger four stroke engines usually include more than one cylinder, have various arrangements for the camshaft (dual, overhead, etc.), sometimes feature fuel injection, turbochargers, multiple valves, etc. None of these enhancements changes the basic operation of the engine.

Compression As the piston rises, the poppet valve is forced shut by the increased cylinder pressure. Flywheel momentum drives the piston upward, compressing the fuel/air mixture.

Exhaust At the bottom of the power stroke, the exhaust valve is opened by the cam/lifter mechanism. The upward stroke of the piston drives the exhausted fuel out of the cylinder. Ignition System This animation also illustrates a simple ignition system using breaker points, coil, condenser, and battery. A number of visitors have written to point out a problem with the breaker points in my illustration. In this style ignition circuit, the spark plug will fire just as the breaker points open. The illustration appears to have this backwards. In fact, the illustration is correct; it just moves so fast it's difficult to see! Here's a close-up of the frames just at the point the plug fires:

Intake During the intake stroke, the piston moves downward, drawing a fresh charge of vaporized fuel/air mixture. The illustrated engine features a poppet intake valve which is drawn open by the vacuum produced by the intake stroke. Some early engines worked this way; however, most modern engines incorporate an extra cam/lifter arrangement as seen on the exhaust valve. The exhaust valve is held shut by a spring (not illustrated here).

Power At the top of the compression stroke, the spark plug fires, igniting the compressed fuel. As the fuel burns it expands, driving the piston downward.

Diesel Engine
The diesel engine was first patented in 1892 by Rudolph Diesel.8 The diesel is similar to the four stroke, but uses a different method to ignite the fuel.

Valve detail The valves are operated by a variety of mechanisms on diesel and four stroke engines. The engine illustrated here features dual overhead camshafts, sometimes abbreviated DOHC. These are usually driven by a chain or cog belt as shown here. With his first practical engine in 1897, "Diesel proved to the world that his was the most efficient engine ever built."8 Diesels are still among the most energy efficient engines available. They are widely used in large trucks, boats, earthmoving machinery, etc.

Injection Near the top of the compression stroke, the fuel injector drives fuel into the cylinder. The fuel immediately ignites upon contact with the hot compressed air. Intake The intake valve opens, and fresh air (containing no fuel), is drawn into the cylinder.

Exhaust The exhaust valve opens, and the exhaust is driven out of the cylinder.

Compression As the piston rises, the air is compressed, causing its temperature to rise. At the end of the compression stroke, the air is hot enough to ignite fuel.

Power As the fuel burns, the gas in the cylinder heats and expands, driving the piston.

Two Stroke Engine

The two stroke engine employs both the crankcase and the cylinder to achieve all the elements of the Otto cycle in only two strokes of the piston.

Crankcase compression During the downward stroke, the poppet valve is forced closed by the increased crankcase pressure. The fuel mixture is then compressed in the crankcase during the remainder of the stroke.

Power At the top of the stroke, the spark plug ignites the fuel mixture. The burning fuel expands, driving the piston downward, to complete the cycle. (At the same time, another crankcase compression stroke is happening beneath the piston.) Since the two stroke engine fires on every revolution of the crankshaft, a two stroke engine is usually more powerful than a four stroke engine of equivalent size. This, coupled with their lighter, simpler construction, makes the two stroke engine popular in chainsaws, line trimmers, outboard motors, snowmobiles, jet-skis, light motorcycles, and model airplanes. Unfortunately, most two stroke engines are inefficient and are terrible polluters due to the amount of unspent fuel that escapes through the exhaust port. Compression The piston then rises, driven by flywheel momentum, and compresses the fuel mixture. (At the same time, another intake stroke is happening beneath the piston).

Intake The fuel/air mixture is first drawn into the crankcase by the vacuum that is created during the upward stroke of the piston. The illustrated engine features a poppet intake valve; however, many engines use a rotary value incorporated into the crankshaft.

Transfer/Exhaust Toward the end of the stroke, the piston exposes the intake port, allowing the compressed fuel/air mixture in the crankcase to escape around the piston into the main cylinder. This expels the exhaust gasses out the exhaust port, usually located on the opposite side of the cylinder. Unfortunately, some of the fresh fuel mixture is usually expelled as well.

Wankel Engine
The Wankel rotary engine is a fascinating beast that features a very clever rearrangement of the four elements of the Otto cycle. It was developed by Felix Wankel in the 1950s.1 Speed 10 fps In the Wankel, a triangular rotor incorporating a central ring gear is driven around a fixed pinion within an oblong chamber.

Engine Construction

Power The mixture burns here, driving the rotor around.

Intake The fuel/air mixture is drawn in the intake port during this phase of the rotation.

Compression The mixture is compressed here.

Exhaust And the exhaust is expelled here. The rotary motion is transferred to the drive shaft by an eccentric wheel (illustrated in blue) that rides in a matching bearing in the rotor. The drive shaft rotates once during every power stroke instead of twice as in the Otto cycle. The Wankel promised higher power output with fewer moving parts than the Otto cycle engine; however, technical difficulties interfered with widespread adoption. In spite of valiant efforts by Mazda, the four stroke engine remains much more popular.