Engine components

There are hundreds of components used in Spark Ignition (SI) and Compressed Ignition (CI) engine, which function collectively to produce required output power. The important engine components are as follows.
Combustion chamber: It is the space above the piston in which the combustion of fuel takes place.
Cylinder: It is a cylindrical space in which the piston reciprocates.
Piston: It reciprocates into the cylinder. It fits perfectly into the cylinder.
Inlet valve: It is used to regulate the supply of inlet charge. It is mushroom shaped.
Exhaust valve: It allows the discharge of product of combustion (exhaust gases) into the atmosphere.
Inlet manifold: The pipe through which the air or air-fuel mixture is drawn into the cylinder is known as inlet manifold.
Exhaust manifold: The pipe through which the products of combustion are discharge to the atmosphere.
Connecting rod: It connects the piston and crank shaft. The big end of rod is connected to crankshaft by crankpin and small end is connected to piston by gudgeon pin.
Spark Plug: It is placed on the cylinder head. It initiates the combustion process in SI engine by giving the spark to air-fuel mixture.
Piston rings: Two piston rings are used. It provides tight seal between the piston and cylinder wall to prevent the leakage of combustion gases. It also provides lubrication to the cylinder wall.
Gudgeon pin: It links the small end of connecting rod and the piston.
Crankshaft: The reciprocating motion of piston is converted to rotary motion by crankshaft.
Camshaft: The cams on the camshaft govern the opening and closing of inlet and exhaust valves. The camshaft is driven by the crankshaft.
Flywheel: It acts as a reservoir of energy and is attached to the output shaft. It stores the energy produced during the power or expansion stroke.