Early gasoline was a by-product of the refining process for kerosene. At first, gasoline was thought to be useless. Nikolaus Otto developed a gasoline motor in the mid-1860s. But it was Otto’s chief engineer who later harnessed gasoline power for a vehicle. His name? Gottlieb Daimler, as in Daimler-Chrysler.
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Although most car owners who practice DIY car care do not need an in-depth knowledge of their car’s mechanical workings, I feel compelled to provide as much car care information as possible. So read on to learn exactly how your car gets its giddy-up.
There are two givens at work in the internal combustion engine: Gasoline burns. An internal combustion engine means just that: an engine with something burning – combusting – inside.
The greater the amount of gasoline surface area, the greater the explosions when air and sparks are added. Gasoline is broken into small particles (sprayed) to increase the power of the explosion, and the more particles there are, the more surface exposure of the gasoline to air occurs in the engine.
Since the engine is an “internal” combustion engine, a container must be found to keep the explosion on the inside. Here’s an idea. Put the gasoline in a sturdy metal can and press down a tight-fitting lid. Find a way to introduce a lighted match inside that can, and kaboom! A contained explosion. Well, nearly contained. The lid will blow off. So the engine isn’t perfect just yet, but the “metal can” idea is an example of how an automobile cylinder works. Instead of a can with the lid sealing the opening from the outside, the cylinder is a “can” constructed of thick and sturdy alloys, with the lid sealing the mouth of the cylinder from the inside, like the lid on a soup can. That way, when the gasoline explodes (the spark plug provides the match-like spark), the lid moves straight up in the identical line of motion every time. Two problems must be solved to make our engine work. After the explosion, the exhaust must be siphoned off and a new supply of fuel must be introduced. After all, one explosion won’t propel a car very far. And there is a second problem, a problem of a different sort: The explosion sends energy in a linear motion, but tires spin around. To restate the tire problem the way Henry Ford, or Ransom Olds, or Walter Chrysler might have said it: The reciprocating (up and down motion) energy produced by the gasoline explosion has to be converted into rotary (round and round motion) energy. Here’s the whole description in car talk: The lid of the can is the piston, the container itself is the engine block, and the hole into which the piston fits is the cylinder. And the energy generated by the explosion must be converted over and over from the reciprocating motion of the piston into the rotary motion of the crankshaft. Should your mechanic ever say, “You’ve got a worn piston,” or “Your block is cracked,” now you’ll know what he means. A worn piston means the “lid” that converts the explosion into usable energy is allowing some of the energy to slip by. A cracked block means the “can” is no longer containing the energy.
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