TWO STROKE ENGINE

  TWO STROKE ENGINE 

A two-stroke engine is an internal combustion engine that completes the process cycle in one revolution of the crank shaft (an up stroke and a down stroke of the piston, compared to twice that number for a four-stroke engine). This is accomplished by using the beginning of the compression stroke and the end of the combustion stroke to perform simultaneously the intake and exhaust (or scavenging) functions. In this way two-stroke engines often provide strikingly high specific power, at least in a narrow range of rotations speeds. The functions of some or all of the valves of a four stroke engine are usually served by ports that are opened and closed by the motion of the pistons, greatly reducing the number of moving parts. Gasoline (spark ignition) versions are particularly useful in lightweight (portable) applications such as chainsaws and the concept is also used in diesel compression ignition engines in large and non-weight sensitive applications such as ships and locomotives.

Invention of the two-stroke cycle is attributed to Scottish engineer Dugald Clerk who in 1881 patented his design, his engine having a separate charging cylinder. The crankcase-scavenged engine, employing the area below the piston as a charging pump, is generally credited to Englishman Joseph Day (and Frederick Cock for the piston-controlled inlet port).

parts of wankel engine