Choosing the Number of Cylinders.—It is a very difficult problem to select the best engine for a particular purpose, as there are so many factors which influence one’s choice. A single cylinder engine would only be used for a motor-cycle or a small car of low power; the vibration and noise resulting from the use of a single cylinder petrol engine of even six horse-power are most objectionable, and difficulties of starting and risk of engine unexpectedly pulling up and stopping are greatly enhanced. The two-cylinder engine offers better prospects, and was for some time considered quite good enough for most purposes, but owing to its comparatively bad balance and its low torque it has fallen into disfavour. We have seen how the rotating parts of the engine can be balanced, but we have not considered the reciprocating parts. To understand this question of balancing we must talk about “inertia forces.” All bodies possess inertia, that is, they resent changes in their state of rest or motion. If a body is moving uniformly it tends to keep on doing so, whereas if it is at rest it tends to remain so. To start the body off from rest, or to stop the body and bring it to rest, requires a force to be exerted, and this force may be called the inertia force. When a petrol engine is running at high speed the piston has to be started and stopped at the top and bottom of its stroke every time the crankshaft revolves once, and to do this very large forces are needed, because it has to be done so quickly. These inertia forces take the form of pushes or pulls on the shaft and framework of the engine, and thus cause vibrations to be set up. If the periodicity or frequency of these forced vibrations happens to coincide with the natural period of vibration of the shaft material the shaft will commence to whip, and may possibly break under the excessive strain. In a two-cylinder engine with cranks 180 degrees apart (or half a revolution) one piston is moving upwards and the other piston is moving downwards, both at very high speed; and both have to be brought to rest when the cranks come on their respective dead-centres. The piston which is moving up tends to lift the shaft up with it, and the one which is moving down tends to pull the shaft down with it, because the connecting rods check the progress of the pistons and bring them to rest at the top and bottom of their strokes. If these two pulls acted in line with each other they would balance, but the cylinders are usually mounted side by side, and then the two pulls virtually act at the ends of a bar whose length is the longitudinal distance between the vertical centre lines of the two cylinders. Thus these two inertia forces tend to rotate the whole engine first in a clockwise direction and then in a counter-clockwise direction, according to which piston is moving up or down. The only way to balance these forces under these conditions is to extend the crankshaft longitudinally and place another pair of cylinders and cranks in line with the first, but so arranged that the inertia forces tend to turn the engine in the opposite direction to the first pair. This gives us the well known four-cylinder arrangement so much in evidence at the present time, the arrangement of cranks being shown in Fig. 21. A six-cylinder engine gives perfect balance if all the parts are of equal weight, and the cranks at 120 degrees to each other in opposed pairs.

Again, a single-cylinder engine gives one power stroke in every two revolutions of the shaft, a two-cylinder gives a power stroke in every revolution, a four-cylinder gives two power strokes, and a six-cylinder gives three power strokes in every revolution of the shaft. Hence a six-cylinder engine is very flexible (i.e., can accommodate itself easily to varying loads), is perfectly balanced, and can be made both powerful and economical. One objection to the use of engines with multiple cylinders (exceeding, say, four in number) is that the crankshaft is more liable to vibrate and cause very harsh running at high speeds on account of the fact that the periodicity of the power impulses imparted to the shaft approaches the natural period of vibration of the shaft. This effect arises from torsional oscillations and is distinct from the periodicity due to inertia forces which acts in the vertical plane. A four-cylinder engine is nearly as good as a six-cylinder of equal power, and is of course much cheaper in first cost, takes up less room, and weighs less. A good four-cylinder engine will often prove more economical in running costs than a six-cylinder, as it will probably be running a greater length of time at or near its full output, and the work done on the idle strokes of the cycle will be less owing to the smaller number of cylinders.

Another feature to consider is the arrangement of the cylinder castings. A monobloc casting (cylinders all in one casting) gives a very short engine and reduces the length of the crankshaft, but in the event of one cylinder bore being damaged the advantage lies with the separate cylinder construction.

The Question of the Valves.—The question as to which is the better engine, the sleeve valve or the poppet valve, cannot be said to have been definitely decided yet. The great feature of the poppet valve used to be its very quick opening and closing, but nowadays engines turn over so fast that very strong springs are needed to close the valves in a reasonable time. One complete revolution of the engine means that the crank has turned through 360 degrees, and the inlet valve is open while the crank turns through 190 degrees (on the average), but during part of this time it is being lifted or opened, and during an equal period it is being closed. The question then is, “How long does it remain fully open?” The answer is—not more than ten degrees at the most! To keep the inlet valve open longer than this would require excessively stiff springs and throw a great strain on the valve gear. Now this is where the sleeve valve managed to get a look in—as one might say. With two sleeves moving in opposite directions, or one sleeve receiving a special form of motion, we can open and close the ports and keep them fully open for just as long period or even longer than the poppet valve. If it were not for the fact that sleeve valves are heavy and not so easy to keep gas-tight as poppet valves, it is perfectly obvious that the poppet valve would have disappeared or taken second place long before this.

Another great advantage of the sleeve valve is that by making large ports we can easily secure larger valve openings than are possible, for practical reasons, with a poppet valve. It is now claimed also that the interior of the cylinders keeps free from carbon deposit much longer with sleeve valves than with poppet valves, this carbon deposit being due chiefly to the use of too rich a mixture which causes the combustion to be imperfect and results in the deposit of solid carbon on the walls and sides of the combustion chamber. Carbon deposit is also caused by using unsuitable lubricating oil, but it principally arises from the use of too rich a mixture for the purposes of securing quick acceleration. Perfect combustion is only secured by the use of a relatively weak mixture, which would prevent the maximum power being developed and give rather a feeble acceleration. Modern engines have to be very carefully designed to reduce this nuisance of the carbon deposit to a minimum, and also with a view to its speedy and efficient removal when it does take place. Detachable cylinder heads have been introduced principally to allow of rapid removal of carbon deposit from pistons and valves and the combustion chamber. If the carbon deposit is allowed to accumulate, pinking or sharp knocking commences, due to pre-ignition of the charge by red-hot particles of carbon. This results in loss of power, and is first noticed by inability to climb steep hills that were formerly negotiated with ease. Mention must also be made of the great claim for silence of running of sleeve valve engines, and this is thoroughly justified with high-class engines of the sleeve valve type, provided they are in the hands of skilled drivers. In unskilled hands one finds that the poppet valve is safer, and will stand more knocking about without much increase in noise resulting. Rotary valves have fallen into disuse on account of the difficulty of keeping them gas-tight. There is nothing to choose between poppet and sleeve valves on the score of economy in running.

Economy and Durability.—A good modern petrol engine of reasonable size—say over 3 in. bore—will give one brake horse-power for an hour from the consumption of two-thirds of a pint of petrol. This means that an engine giving 12½ horse-power on the brake would use a gallon of petrol every hour. But economy in petrol consumption is not the only desirable feature of a petrol engine. There must be economy in lubricating oil and in cost of replacements or repairs. Nowadays the tendency with high grade steel alloys and other modern metals of high strength and durability is to cut everything down to its minimum size with a view to reducing the cost of production. This often leads to many serious troubles in running on the road. In choosing an engine one should carefully examine such points as provision for wear and adjustment, strength and rigidity, and whether the engine impresses one with a sense of its durability and also its general accessibility.