How does an engine “suck” in air? Like during the intake stroke it goes down which creates a low pressure area and the air rushes in. But how does all that work? How does the piston going down allow air to be pulled in? LOL please explain it as simple TY!
In: Engineering
Have you ever heard the saying “nature abhors a vacuum”? That’s because the laws of physics dictate that differences in pressure will always try to equalize.
So when the piston moves downward, the volume of the cylinder increases. Put another way, the space inside the cylinder becomes greater. If you were to seal the cylinder off and do this, the pressure inside the cylinder would drop considerably. But the cylinder isn’t sealed. The intake valve is open.
So as the piston moves downward, the space inside the cylinder increases, and air rushes in to fill it.
In a manner of speaking, the piston isn’t really “pulling” the air in. The piston is moving down, which creates more space. The air from outside actually pushes its way in.
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