Did you know planes bring 2.3 million passengers to/from 80 countries daily?
With significant air travel hubs closing due to coronavirus outbreaks, people are itching to travel the sky.
Have you become enamored by airplanes? Whether you’re a member of the general public or a pilot, it would do well to learn more about the inner workings of a plane engine. The average passenger is unaware of how staggeringly impressive the engines powering their flights are.
Read on to learn more about how aircraft engines work. Dive in to learn more about this fascinating topic!
Introduction to Aircraft Engines
An aircraft engine is a complex machine designed to give the necessary energy for a plane to fly. This energy comes from converting fuel into thrust, propelling the plane through the air.
Aircraft engines come in many powerful forms. They are incredibly complex machines that power commercial, private, and military planes. Maintaining and servicing these engines is essential to optimize performance.
Different Components
Aircraft engines consist of a variety of components. Potential pilots and plane owners must understand their functionality, significance, and purpose. The parts give an in-depth look at each piece and describe their roles in the engine system.
Engine Mount
Engine mounts are an integral part of a plane engine. They support the installation and transport of machines in planes. They are also necessary for attaching control linkages, fuel lines, and exhausts.
Engine mounts absorb engine vibrations. It prevents the aircraft from experiencing a harsh ride or becoming structurally unsound.
Propeller Hub
The propeller blade connects to the engine’s core, which is the hub. The hub connects the prop blades to the main machine and enables it to spin consistently. It is a complex system, often comprising many components.
Parts of the hub include the propeller dome, backing plate, drop flange, and thrust washer, all which help give a secure attachment and prevent vibrations. The seat also helps reduce engine overload and delivers enough thrust when the plane takes off or lands. The hub and the rest of the components comprise the aircraft engine.
Cylinders
Cylinders are responsible for the combustion required for propulsion. They can be found in both reciprocating and rotary engines.
Reciprocating engines use aluminum or steel liners for cylinders. In reciprocating engines, cylinders typically range from two to eight. Cylinders in rotary engines are one-piece aluminum and come in various sizes and shapes.
Regardless of their form, they are typically placed around a crankshaft. Cylinders connect to pistons and valves, allowing for the required combustion that the engine needs.
Ignition
Ignition is the spark necessary to combust fuel in an engine. Aircraft engines use an ignition switch, spark plug, cables, and a magneto.
The spark plugs ignite the air and fuel mixture inside the combustion engine chamber. High-tension cables are responsible for carrying spark energy to spark plugs. Magneto, a 100-year-old technology, is an electronic ignition system that produces the spark needed to ignite the fuel mixture.
Auxiliary
The auxiliary parts of an aircraft engine are the parts that are designed to help the engine run more efficiently in a variety of conditions. These include the fuel system, starter, spark and control systems, oil and coolant systems, exhaust system, and many other components. Depending on the model, some plane engines may include added features to help boost their performance.
Different Types
Plane engine types come in various shapes and sizes, and each type is made for a specific purpose. The most popular types are piston, turbojet, turboprop, and turboshaft engines.
Piston
In this type of engine, the reciprocating motion of the piston acts against a turning crankshaft to create power. The fuel is burned with the piston in the cylinder, and the pistons are connected to the crankshaft, which is connected to the propeller. That is why it is known as a piston propeller engine.
This engine type is usually cheaper and easier to maintain but less efficient than newer designs. It is still widely used in light aircraft and general aviation and is popular among pilots due to its relatively low cost and wide availability.
Turbojet
Turbojet engines use diffusers, inlets, compressors, combustion chambers, turbines, and exhaust nozzles to generate thrust. The diffuser compresses incoming air before it enters the channel. The compressor compresses it before burning it in the combustion chamber.
Byproducts of the combustion are then passed through the turbine, and the force of these exhaust gases is used to drive the compressor, and the turbine, in turn, drives the fan. The exhaust gasses then exit the nozzle, causing added thrust and propelling the aircraft forward.
Turboprop
Turboprop plane engines are also known as ‘propjets.’ They represent the latest evolution of aviation engines. They are becoming increasingly popular as an efficient and cost-effective choice for powering aircraft.
Turboprop is a type that utilizes a turbine-based engine to drive a propeller. A vital ingredient of a turboprop engine is that the exhaust gases are used to rotate the propeller and, in doing so, generate thrust.
Turboshaft
Turboshaft engines are high-powered and lightweight engines. They are typically used in helicopters and lighter fixed-wing aircraft. They have fewer moving parts than piston engines and most turboprops.
Turboshaft engines do similarly to gas turbine engines. They use a single-power turbine and a centrifugal compressor. They also offer greater fuel efficiency.
Maintenance and Servicing
Joint problems can occur with any plane engine. That is why it is important to have maintenance and servicing. They ensure that all components are working correctly.
Maintenance and servicing involve checking for leaks, wear and fatigue, combustion deposits, and other potential issues. They also involve cleaning, inspecting, replacing, and repairing.
Regular inspections prevent debris from entering the engine. It keeps it running at optimal efficiency.
Know How Aircraft Engines Work
This guide to aircraft engines covers all aspects. It covers the introduction to aircraft engines, their different components and types, and the maintenance and servicing, allowing you to understand more about the entire process. With its clear and informative explanations, this guide is an excellent tool for anyone interested in aircraft engine knowledge.
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