Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1911 edition. Excerpt: ... the automobile power plant. A brief catechism. What is the source of power in modern motor cars? The majority of cars are driven by what are termed internal combustion engines. Gas, oil, and gasolene engines are internal combustion engines. Is a steam engine an internal combustion engine? No. In a steam engine the combustion takes place outside the boiler, and at atmospheric pressure. The heat has to pass through the plates of the firebox, or through the metal of the tubes to reach the water. A large quantity of heat goes up the chimney, which is lost. In an internal combustion engine the heat is developed in the cylinder. Is the action of an internal combustion engine similar to that of a steam engine? No. Quite different. In a steam engine, steam is let into the cylinder at each end alternately, and drives the piston backward and forward. What are meant by a piston and cylinder? A cylinder is any circular object with parallel sides; a pencil is a cylinder; so is a lawn-roller; so is the barrel of a locomotive boiler; but, in speaking of machinery, a cylinder is a hollow casting, bored for its length truly circular and parallel, and this part is termetl the bore, and in it the piston works steam-tight or gas-tight. What is meant by combustion? Burning. The oxygen of the air combines with various substances and produces heat. There are various speeds of Vol. 6--20. combustion; for instance, a hay stack will sometimes heat, and after some weeks take fire--this is very slow combustion. Charcoal placed in an open dish burns very slowly. Gunpowder and the modern high explosives burn very rapidly. Is it possible to tell exactly how long the gas in a gasolene motor cylinder will take to burn? Probably in less than one-hundredth part of a...
