Observations of Flame in an Engine

340112

01/01/1934

Event
Pre-1964 SAE Technical Papers
Authors Abstract
Content
DURING an investigation conducted at the Bureau of Standards under the sponsorship of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, visual and photographic observations were made of the spread of flame to all parts of the combustion chamber of a single-cylinder L-head engine. Heads equipped with a large number of small windows symmetrically distributed over the combustion chamber were observed through a stroboscope, flame diagrams being obtained for a wide range of engine-operating conditions and for a variety of fuels, combustion-chamber shapes, and arrangements of single and twin ignition.
In this paper, the major factors influencing flame movement in the engine are discussed and their effects upon the diagrams are indicated.
As a means of studying more intensively conditions in and behind the flame front, measurements were made of the variations in intensity and spectral distribution of the infra-red radiation emitted through selected windows during normal and knocking explosions. The character of this radiation indicates that it is emitted almost exclusively by the final reaction products, water vapor and carbon dioxide, and the variations in its intensity show that reactions producing these substances continue in a normal explosion of 20 deg. or more of crank angle after inflammation of an element of charge. In those portions of the charge where fuel knock occurs, the reactions appear to be much more rapid.
Meta TagsDetails
DOI
https://doi.org/10.4271/340112
Pages
8
Citation
Marvin, C., "Observations of Flame in an Engine," SAE Technical Paper 340112, 1934, https://doi.org/10.4271/340112.
Additional Details
Publisher
Published
Jan 1, 1934
Product Code
340112
Content Type
Technical Paper
Language
English