1. Intake Stroke: During the intake stroke, the piston moves down inside the cylinder, creating a vacuum that draws air and fuel (in gasoline engines) or air (in diesel engines) into the cylinder through the intake valve.
2. Compression Stroke: In the compression stroke, the piston moves back up in the cylinder, compressing the air and fuel mixture (or air in diesels) to a high pressure. This increases the temperature and pressure of the mixture.
3. Combustion/Power Stroke: At the top of the compression stroke, the spark plug (in gasoline engines) ignites the compressed air and fuel mixture, creating a controlled explosion. The expanding gases produced during combustion push the piston down with great force, generating power. This is the power stroke.
4. Exhaust Stroke: After the combustion stroke, the piston moves up again in the cylinder, expelling the burned gases through the exhaust valve and out of the engine.
These four strokes occur sequentially and repeatedly in each cylinder of the engine. The cylinder cycle is a fundamental concept in the operation of internal combustion engines and is crucial for understanding their efficiency and performance.
