FOUR STROKE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE
FOUR STROKE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE This is an animated computer drawing of one cylinder of the Wright brothers' 1903 aircraft engine. This engine powered the first, heavier than air, self-propelled, manoeuvrable, piloted aircraft; the Wright 1903 Flyer. The engine consisted of four cylinders like the one shown above, with each piston connected to a common crankshaft . The crankshaft was connected to two counter-rotating propellers which produced the thrust necessary to overcome the drag of the aircraft. The brothers' design is very simple by today's standards, so it is a good engine for students to study to learn the fundamentals of engine operation. This type of internal combustion engine is called a four-stroke engine because there are four movements, or strokes , of the piston before the entire engine firing sequence is repeated. The four strokes are described below with some still figures. In the animation and in all the figures, we have colored the fuel/air i