Reciprocating engines convert chemical energy into mechanical motion using pistons. The steam engine was the first widely used example, while internal combustion engines use fuel to burn inside cylinders. The power delivered is linked to the total internal volume of cylinders.
A reciprocating engine uses pistons to convert chemical energy into mechanical motion. It does this by burning a fuel and then directing the hot gas to push a piston. The piston is connected in such a way that it will begin to rotate a circular crankshaft; when the piston has reached the end of its stroke, it will return to its original position without bringing the crankshaft back. Historically, the most common types of reciprocating engines have been the steam engine and the internal combustion engine. The amount of power that a reciprocating engine delivers is linked to the total internal volume of its cylinders.
The first example of a reciprocating engine that was widely used was the steam engine. In the early 19th century, British engineers developed steam engine designs that provided enough power to compete with water wheels. This power could be used for a variety of purposes far from rivers: steam engines soon reached factories, railway locomotives, and ships and were a driving force behind the First Industrial Revolution.
In these steam engines, coal is burned to supply the heat to boil water. The resulting high-pressure steam is channeled into a cylinder with a piston. The piston is pushed to the end of the cylinder, turning the crankshaft through a connecting rod. At this point, a valve directs the steam away from the cylinder so that it no longer acts on the piston. Now that the crankshaft is moving, its momentum can drag the piston back to its original position, and the cycle can start all over again.
Another type of reciprocating engine is the internal combustion engine. An internal combustion engine gets its heat from a chemical fuel, like gasoline, that burns inside its cylinders. Intake valves allow air to flow before the fuel burns. Similarly, exhaust valves allow gases to exit the engine after combustion has taken place. Carburetors or, increasingly, fuel injectors, allow the proper mixture of fuel and air for ideal combustion.
In an internal combustion engine, the pistons are mechanically connected to a crankshaft; if one piston moves, all other pistons must move with it. However, their positions are staggered so that while one piston is burning, another may be exhausting. This configuration leads to a less jerky reciprocating engine, because power is produced for more than one part of the full cycle. In automobiles, internal combustion engines typically have between four and eight cylinders.
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