Internal Combustion Engines
Don Gillie
University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Physics 212 Spring '05 Web Project
Prof. Newman


Most motor vehicles today use an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) to give them power to drive down the road; ICEs are a form of a heat engine.  Gasoline is burned to push a piston, which in return forces the car down the road.  As the gas in the cylinder is ignited and expanded it forces the piston down the shaft.  The force is carried through piston, which is connected to a crankshaft.  The force moves through the transmission, down the driveshaft, and out the tires.  The Otto Cycle is used to turn as much heat into the driving force as possible.
Heat Engines
Otto Cycle
Hemi Engines
Bibliography
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