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WHY IS THE BOXER ENGINE IS SUPER COOL? - BOXER ENGINES EXPLAINED.

BOXER ENGINES: INTRODUCTION:                          We all know various engine setups and designs. The INLINE and the V engines are the most common in this automotive world . There's also a different kind of engine that holds up its heritage from the end of the 18th century  till date ,that's THE BOXER ENGINE!!. WHY SO THE NAME BOXER??                             Boxer engines are powerful,efficient and way loud than the other engines ,they are also called as Horizontally opposed engines .The name boxer is given due its odd firing order of pistons and its arrangement .                             In a inline engine the pistons are straight but in a Boxer engine the pistons are faced opposite to each other and also their movement is similar to a boxer ,using his hands to fight . That's super cool right . WHO GOT THIS FIRST?                        Its none other than our Great German inventor and engine pioneer Karl Fiedrich Benz. He is widely recogni

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE 2 STROKE ENGINES?, DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 2 STROKE AND 4 STROKE.

2 STROKE VS 4 STROKE:
(Image Credit:PakWheels)

INTRODUCTION:

                      We all would have come across these words ,the two stroke and the four stroke.In most of the auto magazines ,so what do  they really mean ?Lets get into Basics of the 2 Stroke and the 4 stroke engines and the reason behind the disappearance of the good old 2 STROKE ENGINE.

BASIC DIFFERENCE:

                            The Basic difference between the 4 stroke and the 2 stroke engine is right in its name.  The 2 STROKE in general, means the engine  that has only two strokes or two cycles to produce the power output, meanwhile the 4 STROKE means the engine that has 4 strokes or 4 cycles to produce the power output.STROKE is nothing but the movement of the piston from TDC(Top Dead Centre) to BDC(Bottom Dead Centre) or vice versa. A combustion cycle is the complete process of fuel and air being sucked into the combustion chamber, igniting it, and expelling through the exhaust.
                             The main difference between a 2-stroke and a 4-stroke engine is, how quickly this combustion cycle process occurs.

4 STROKE:

                   Generally, in a four stroke engine it has four steps the INTAKE , COMPRESSION , COMBUSTION, and EXHAUST.
(image Credit:PED)
  1. Intake: a downward stroke sucks in the air & fuel mixture.
  2. Compression: an upward stroke compresses the air fuel mixture.
  3. Combustion (Power): The fuel and air mixture is ignited and causes a explosion inside,causing downward movement of the piston and the power is generated here.
  4. Exhaust: Another upward stroke sends the exhaust gases out of the cylinder through exhaust valves.
     Also  in a four stroke engine the crankshaft rotates two times to produce power or power stroke.A typical four stroke engine will have VALVES and for the intake and the exhaust . They are controlled by a cam mechanism.

2 STROKE:

                 The two stroke engine is patened only after the four stroke engine .Karl Benz at 1879 produced the first TWO stoke engine .He considered it  efficient as it only involves 2 cycles,rather than 4 in otto's cycle.
                 In a two stroke engine, the compression and ignition occurs at a single step and the combustion(power) and the exhaust strokes happen at a single step , by this a two stroke engine has only two steps to produce power.
              
  1. Ignition/Compression: the piston moves up, sucks the air and the fuel in it and compresses.
  2. Combustion/Exhaust: As the fuel is ignited, the piston is forced down, expelling the exhaust gases.
    (Image Credit:PED)
      Also in 2 stoke engine they  have only intake and exhaust ports ,they do not have any valve mechanism .The crank shaft rotates only one time to produce a power stroke.In two stroke engine the combustion happens in the combustion chamber and the crank case acts as an air chamber through which the fuel will move to the combustion chamber.
        When the piston moves up a vaccum is created and the air and the fuel is sucked from the carburator. After the fuel is ignited the piston moves down faster causing a rush of exhaust gas to leave the cylinder,which makes the cylinder to pull more of air and fuel into it.It is commonly known as SCAVENGING EFFECT.
          Hence Two stroke offers more power and consistent power delivery and it also produces a great torque . Due to this the 2 stroke engine produces a very good sound. Who will forget the sound of good old YAMAHA'S ? still they make our heads turn when they pass by.
          Also the two strokes are easy to get our hands on it and also it is light weighted.  The two stroke engines also has a great POWER to WEIGHT ratio.Which makes them super cool.
        The two stroke engine can be mounted on any orientation ,which makes it easy to fit in a vehicle.

WHY ARE 2 STROKES ARE NOT COMMON NOW?

          If two sroke engines are fun , powerful, WHY aren't they are available now? Even though the two stroke has a good power output and nice torque it has lots of problems to deal with.

DESIGN:

            The design of the two stroke engine itself is a big issue .In a two stroke engine there is no proper separation between the combustion chamber and the drive shaft(crank mechanism). A four stroke engine has a  chamber for combustion and drive mechanisms .So the oil for lubrication will not mix up with the air and the fuel mixture.But in case of the two stroke the oil and the fuel mixes and will not lubricate in the crank shaft and in cylinder walls properly.

INEFFICIENCY:

              The two stroke engine is also not much efficient as the four stroke engine .Due to its low stroke , and also they have very less thermal efficiency ,that is our ratio of the work done by the engine to the heat supplied to it.

EMISSIONS:

            This is the main reason for degradation of two stroke engines .They are due to its lack of separation between the combustion chamber and the drive shaft. The oil mixs up with the fuel and practically you are burning oil with the fuel which causes pollution.
           Also most of the fuel is not burned properly due to less strokes  that will also cause pollution .

DURABILITY:

         The two stroke engine will have more wear than a four stroke engine,it is due to its poor lubrication and higher Rpms.Proper maintenance is required to make the engine live long .

GOVERNMENT RESTRICTIONS:

            With alarming global warming in concern ,almost every nation has brought its own emission norms .In some countries they are very strict.Also a manufacturer must make their engines within a country's emission standards .Unfortunately the two stroke engines didn't fall within the criteria due to its very high pollution rate.

WHERE ARE TWO STOKES USED NOW:

                     The two strokes have been stopped using only in the automobiles but are found in LAWN MOVERS, small power tools  and in smaller applications such as remote-controlled cars, lawn tools, chainsaws, boat motors and dirt bikes.Due to its light weight and high power to weight ratio they are still used in these applications.

CONCLUSION:

                 Two strokes are always fun to drive and that "buzzing" sound from its exhaust will always makes it very special ,which a 4 stroke engine will never give .But considering pollution the manufacturers stopped production of two stroked motorbikes.But still people have craze over the two stroke engines that will never die .I  personally love them. What about you? Mention your thoughts in comments.

         

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