What makes internal combustion engines accelerate?

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So if an internal combustion engine is idling, when we add more gas/air by opening the throttle why does the engine accelerate? Do the explosions in the cylinders increase in velocity? I would have assumed that the explosions occur at the same speed regardless of the amount of fuel/air in the cylinder. So I don’t understand why the engine rpm increases.

thanks

In: Engineering

10 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

When the piston travels down on the intake stroke, it is sucking air and fuel into the engine cylinder by creating a low pressure zone. It only happens for a short time, however. The intake throttle butterfly valve will change how much air passes through into the engine during that stroke. By opening more, it allows more air to enter the engine. More air/fuel mix creates a more forceful combustion in the cylinder, which accelerates the piston down during the power strike more forcefully.

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