There are many components that add up to make an internal combustion engine. These components include: a cylinder, a cylinder head, pistons and rods, a crankshaft.
*The cylinder
is one of the most important parts of the engine. This
part guides and houses the piston, allowing it to move up
and down freely.
http://www.automation-drive.com/engine-block
*The cylinder
head is the next important part of the
engine. It allows the air to mix with the fuel into the
engine. Once the combustion happens, it opens again
letting the exhaust out of the engine. Very precise timing
with the use of synchronized valves opening and closing
does this.
http://www.motorera.com/dictionary/cy.htm
*The pistons
and rods are the moveable parts that go up
and down in the cylinder of the engine. When they move up
they compress the air fuel mixture in the engine, which is
then ignited by the spark of the spark plug.
*The final main component is the crankshaft. The crankshaft
is what is connected to the pistons. The crankshaft
rotates and from this rotation, it moves the pistons up
and down in the cylinder. Without all of these components
the internal combustion engine would not work.
http://www.hensonracingengines.com/Crankshaft_Balancing.html
*The housing
is somewhat self-explanatory to what it is. It is
basically where everything is “housed” and where the air
and fuel mix, combust, and ignites.
http://www.mr2.com/forums/threads/60417-Rotary-Engine
*The rotor is a triangular convex component that rotates around the housing. Click Here to see how the rotor moves around the housing and how it contributes to the engines performance.
http://xtremerotaries.com/services/rotor-machining/lightening
*The final main component is the output shaft. It is also
called the eccentric shaft due to the fact that it has
round lobes that are mounted to it eccentrically.
According to Howstuffworks.com “The lobe acts sort of like
the crankshaft in a piston engine. As the rotor follows
its path around the housing, it pushes on the lobes. Since
the lobes are mounted eccentric to the output shaft, the
force that the rotor applies to the lobes creates torque
in the shaft, causing it to spin.”