Reciprocating engine
An engine that converts pressure acting on a reciprocating piston or similar component into mechanical work, usually rotary motion.
Piston: A movable component that fits closely inside a cylinder and transmits force through its motion. Pressure drives the piston back and forth, supplying the engine’s mechanical force.
Four-stroke engine: An internal-combustion engine cycle with intake, compression, power, and exhaust strokes. Its four piston strokes show a common way reciprocating engines generate repeated power.
Rotary engine: An engine that produces power through rotating rather than reciprocating primary motion. Its rotor avoids the piston’s repeated reversals and connecting-rod motion.
Automobile engine: An engine designed to propel a road vehicle, commonly using reciprocating internal combustion. Piston engines became the dominant power source for automobiles.
Crankshaft: A rotating shaft with offset crankpins that converts reciprocating motion into rotation. It turns the piston’s back-and-forth travel into continuous shaft rotation.
Two-stroke engine: An internal-combustion engine that completes a power cycle in two piston strokes. It produces a power stroke every crankshaft revolution, unlike a four-stroke engine.
Wankel engine: A rotary internal-combustion engine that uses a triangular rotor moving within a shaped housing. It performs intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust without reciprocating pistons.
Diesel engine: An internal-combustion engine that ignites fuel by injecting it into hot, compressed air. Its high-efficiency reciprocating design powers trucks, ships, and stationary machinery.
Connecting rod: A mechanical link that transmits force and motion between a piston and a crankshaft. It joins the piston to the crankshaft while accommodating their different paths of motion.
Internal combustion engine: An engine that releases fuel’s chemical energy by combustion inside its working chamber. Many reciprocating engines are internal-combustion engines, though reciprocation also occurs in other engine types.