SPECTROSCOPIC INVESTIGATION OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION

The paper is intended to familiarize automotive engineers with the general subject of spectroscopy, by pointing out the various methods that can be employed to determine the actual instantaneous pressures obtained in normal combustion, the temperature-time card of the internal-combustion engine and the progress of the chemical reactions involved in normal and abnormal combustion.

The subject of spectroscopy is outlined and explained, illustrations are presented of different types of spectra, and spectroscopes and their principles are discussed.

The remainder of the paper is devoted to an outline of what the spectroscope can reveal about the nature of combustion.