The Internal Combustion Engine

By Zach Maas

How the Internal Combustion Engine Works

The internal combustion engine is a type of engine that is used in cars and other vehicles. It is most commonly used in cars, where it is used to power the wheels and move the car. An internal combustion engine usually works with four strokes, and it works by burning compressed fuel and the releasing the waste as exhaust. The first internal combustion engine was created by Nicholaus Otto in 1876, but an internal combustion engine was not used to power a car until 1885, when Karl Benz designed and built an internal combustion engine powered car. Then, in 1872, Daimler patented the internal combustion engine.

Parts

The internal combustion engine has a large number of parts including:

• The spark plug, which ignites fuel

• The valves, which open and close to let fuel in and exhaust out

• The piston moves up and down

• The piston rings prevent leaks between the combustion chamber and the sump

• The connecting rod connects the piston to the crankshaft

• The crankshaft turns the pistons up and down movement into circular movement

• The sump contains oil that needs to be replaced every 1000 miles if the rings are broken

A traditional internal combustion engine uses gasoline to work and it has four steps. First, the valve opens to let the fuel in to the combustion chamber. Then the piston moves up and compressed the mixture. After that, when the piston reaches the top, the spark plug ignites the fuel mixture which causes the piston to spin around and spinning the axle. Finally, the piston reaches the bottom and releases the leftover exhaust.

Conclusion

However good it may be, the internal combustion engine does have some flaws. The emissions that it releases are very bad for the environment, but solutions are being created, such as hybrids. As you can see, the internal combustion engine is a good invention, but not without its flaws.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/engine2.htm