Split-single

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Split-single engine used by the DBS Valveless car from 1908-1915 Two stroke Valveless engine, working cycle (Autocar Handbook, Ninth edition).jpg
Split-single engine used by the DBS Valveless car from 1908-1915

The split-single (Doppelkolbenmotor to its German and Austrian manufacturers), is a variant on the two-stroke engine with two cylinders sharing a single combustion chamber.

Two-stroke engine internal combustion engine

A two-strokeengine is a type of internal combustion engine which completes a power cycle with two strokes of the piston during only one crankshaft revolution. This is in contrast to a "four-stroke engine", which requires four strokes of the piston to complete a power cycle during two crankshaft revolutions. In a two-stroke engine, the end of the combustion stroke and the beginning of the compression stroke happen simultaneously, with the intake and exhaust functions occurring at the same time.

Combustion chamber turbine engine

A combustion chamber is that part of an internal combustion engine (ICE) or a reaction engine in which the fuel/air mix is burned.

Contents

Principle of operation

Operating principle Two stroke Valveless engine Animation-2.gif
Operating principle

The split-single uses a two-stroke cycle (i.e. where every downward stroke produces power) with the following phases:

  1. Pistons travel upwards, compressing the fuel-air mixture in both cylinders. A spark plug ignites the mixture (in the right side cylinder in the animation) when the pistons is near the top of the cylinders.
  2. Pressure from the ignited air-fuel mixture pushes both pistons downwards. Near the bottom of the travel, an exhaust port becomes exposed (in the left side cylinder in the animation), causing the exhaust gases to exit both cylinders. [1] At the same time, the intake port is exposed on the other cylinder, causing a fresh air-fuel mixture (which has been pressurised in the crankcase by the downward movement of the pistons) to be drawn in for the next cycle.

Characteristics

The advantage of the split-single engine compared to a conventional two-stroke engine is that the split-single can give better exhaust scavenging while minimising the loss of unburnt fresh fuel/air charge through the exhaust port. As a consequence, a split-single engine can deliver better economy, and may run better at small throttle openings. A disadvantage of the split-single is that, for only a marginal improvement over a single-cylinder engine, a split-single engine is larger, heavier and more expensive. Since a manufacturer could produce a conventional two-cylinder engine at similar cost to a split-single engine, a two-cylinder engine is usually a more space- and cost-effective design. [2] Most engines used a single combustion chamber (i.e. two cylinders), however some engines used two combustion chambers (i.e. four cylinders) or more. [3]

Initial designs of split-single engines from 1905-1939 used a single Y-shaped or V-shaped connecting rod. Externally, these engines appeared very similar to a conventional single-cylinder two-stroke engine; they had one exhaust, one carburettor in the usual place behind the cylinders and one spark plug.

After World War II, more sophisticated internal mechanisms improved mechanical reliability and led to the carburetor being placed in front of the barrel, tucked under and to the side of the exhaust. An example of this arrangement was used on the 1953-1969 Puch 250 SGS.

Puch 250 SGS

The Puch 250 SGS (Schwing-Gabel-Sport) is a motorcycle that was manufactured by the Austrian Steyr Daimler Puch AG's Puch division in Thondorf near Graz. The motorcycle is powered by a split-single two-stroke engine. It was marketed in the United States by Sears as the "Allstate 250" or "Twingle", with the model number SR 250, and sold primarily via the Sears catalog. It was a common "first motorcycle" for many riders.

Early engines using a "side-by-side" layout (with the carburettor in the "normal" place behind the cylinder) had similar lubrication and pollution problems as conventional two-stroke engines of the era, however the revised designs after World War II addressed these problems.[ citation needed ]

Pre-World War II examples

Lucas

The first split-single engine was the Lucas,[ citation needed ] built in the UK in 1905. It used 2 separate crankshafts connected by gears to drive 2 separate pistons, so that the engine had perfect primary balance.

Garelli

From 1911-1914, Italian engineer Adalberto Garelli patented a split single engine which used a single connecting rod and long wrist pin which passed through both pistons. Garelli Motorcycles was formed after World War I and produced a 350 cc (21 cu in) split-single motorcycle engine for road use and racing from 1914-1926. [4]

Trojan

The Trojan two-stroke, as used from 1913 in the Trojan car in the UK, was independently invented but would now be described as a split-single. Photos of a 1927 "twin" model at the London Science Museum show the internals. [5] The "fore-and-aft" layout of the cylinders means that the V-shaped connecting rod has to flex slightly with each revolution. Unlike the German/Austrian motorcycle engines, this engine was water-cooled. The tax horsepower regulations in the United Kingdom resulted in a lower road tax for the Trojan compared with a conventional engine of similar displacement. [6]

Trojan also made a another split-single engine later with the cylinders arranged in a 'V' formation. The unusual 'V6' design had two split-single sets of cylinders (4 cylinders total) on one bank of the V and two scavenge blower cylinders on the other bank of the V. [7] [ failed verification ]

Puch

After World War I ended, Austrian industry struggled to recover. Italian engineer Giovanni Marcellino arrived at the main factory of Puch with the instruction to wind up operations. Instead of liquidating the factory, he settled in the town and designed and began production of a new split-single engine which debuted in the 1923 Puch LM racing motorcycle. [8] Influenced by industrial opposed-piston engines, the Puch engine had asymmetric port timing and pistons arranged one behind the other (instead of the side-to-side arrangement used by Garelli). To avoid flexing of the connecting rod, the small-end bearing of the cooler intake piston was arranged to slide slightly fore-and-aft in the piston. [9] In 1931 Puch won the German Grand Prix with a supercharged split-single. [8] By 1935, a four-cylinder version of the Puch split-cylinder design produced 10 kW (14 hp) and was used in motorcycles. [10]

Motor racing

From 1931 until 1939, DKW racing motorcycles powered by split-single engines dominated the Lightweight and Junior racing classes. [11]

At the 1931 and 1932 Indianapolis 500, Leon Duray's competed with cars powered by the 16-cylinder Duray U16 engine using a split-cylinder design. [12]

In 1935, the Monaco-Trossi Grand Prix car was built with a 16-cylinder radial engine using a split-cylinder design. [13]

Post-World War II Examples

Puch

Puch's split-single production and racing were restarted in 1949,[ citation needed ] and a split-single engine was used in the Puch 125T model. [14]

The 1953-1969 Puch 250 SGS (sold in the United States by Sears as the "Allstate 250" or "Twingle") used with an improved system of one connecting rod hinged on the back of the other. These engines typically use the forward piston to control both intake and exhaust ports, with the interesting result that the carburettor is at the front of the engine, under and to the side of the exhaust. The rear piston controls the transfer port from the crankshaft to the cylinder. [15] Increasingly, these models were fitted with an oil mixing pump, fed from a reservoir incorporated in the petrol tank. Some also have a twin-spark plug ignition system firing an almost figure-eight shaped combustion chamber. The improvements tamed, if not virtually eliminated, the previous problem of two-stroke plug fouling.[ citation needed ] A total of 38,584 Puch 250 SGS motorcycles were produced between 1953 and 1970. [16]

Puch ceased production of split-single engines around 1970. [17]

EMC Motorcycles

EMC Motorcycles in the United Kingdom manufactured a 350 cc (21 cu in) split-single engine that was used in the 1947-1952 EMC 350. [18] After 1948 the engine also was fitted with an oil pump controlled by the throttle, which dispensed two-stroke oil into the fuel at a variable rate depending on throttle opening, instead of having to pre-mix oil in the fuel. [19]

Iso Autoveicoli

The Italian manufacturer began producing a 236 cc (14 cu in) split-single engine in 1952 for their Iso Moto motorcycle. This engine was then used in the Iso Isetta bubble car from 1953–1956. [20]

Triumph-Werke Nürnberg

Triumph-Werke Nürnberg (TWN) in Germany began production of a split-single engines for their motorcycles in 1946. The 250 cc (15 cu in)TWN BDG 250 and 500 cc (31 cu in)TWN BDG 500 models, produced from 1946-1957, [21] used a Y-shaped connecting rod, so the pistons are "side-by-side", making the engine little different visually from a regular two-stroke. Other split-single models from TWN were the 1954-1957 TWN Cornet (200 cc with 12 volt electrics and no kickstart), the 1953-1957 TWN Boss (350 cc) and the 1954-1957 Contessa scooter (200 cc). [1] The bulbous shape of the exhaust of the Cornet and Boss is a two-stroke TWN feature, not linked to the split-single engine. All TWN motorcycle production ceased in 1957.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Straight-twin engine inline piston engine with two cylinders

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Inline-four engine Inline piston engine with four cylinders

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U engine inline engine with two parallel banks driving separate crankshafts

A U engine is a piston engine made up of two separate straight engines joined by gears or chains. It is similar to the H engine which couples two flat engines. The design is also sometimes described as a "twin bank" or "double bank" engine, although these terms are sometimes used also to describe V engines.

Motorcycle engine

A motorcycle engine is an engine that powers a motorcycle. Motorcycle engines are typically two-stroke or four-stroke internal combustion engines, but other engine types, such as Wankels and electric motors, have been used.

Stroke ratio

In a reciprocating piston engine, the stroke ratio, defined by either bore/stroke ratio or stroke/bore ratio, is a term to describe the ratio between cylinder bore diameter and piston stroke. This can be used for either an internal combustion engine, where the fuel is burned within the cylinders of the engine, or external combustion engine, such as a steam engine, where the combustion of the fuel takes place outside the working cylinders of the engine.

Honda CL125

The Honda CL125 was a scrambler motorcycle made by Honda from 1967 to 1974. Two different engines were used through the models life: 1967-1969: CL125A 124cc 2 cylinder 4-stroke, 1973-1974: CL125S 122cc 1 cylinder 4-stroke.

Honda NR motorcycle

The Honda NR was a V-four motorcycle series started by Honda in 1979 with the 500cc NR500 Grand Prix racer that used oval pistons. This was followed during the 1980s by a 750cc endurance racer version known as the NR750. The oval piston concept allowed for eight valves per cylinder which generated more power due to the increased air/fuel mixture throughput and compression. In 1992 Honda produced around 300 street versions of a 750cc model, the NR, with a 90-degree V angle. Whereas the NR500 had used an oval piston with straight sides, the road going NR750 used an elliptical piston with curved long sides. The bike became the most expensive production bike at the time when it was selling for $50,000 and with the rarity, nowadays they rarely change hands.

Single-cylinder engine

A single-cylinder engine is a piston engine with one cylinder. It is often used on motorcycles, scooters, go-karts, ATVs, radio-controlled vehicles, portable tools and garden machinery.

Honda CRF series

The Honda CRF series is a line of four-stroke motocross and trail motorcycles manufactured and marketed by Honda.

Garelli Motorcycles Uetersen

Garelli Motorcycles was an Italian moped and motorcycle manufacturer. It was founded in 1919 by Alberto Garelli.

Triumph (TWN) German bicycle and motorcycle company

Triumph-Werke Nürnberg AG or TWN, was a German bicycle and motorcycle company. In 1886, Siegfried Bettmann founded the Triumph bicycle factory in Coventry, England, and in 1896 he founded a second bicycle factory in his native Nuremberg, Germany, under the same Triumph name. Both factories branched out into making motorcycles: the Coventry factory in 1902 and the Nuremberg factory in 1903.

EMC Motorcycles

EMC Motorcycles or the Ehrlich Motor Co was a British motorcycle manufacturer. Based in Isleworth, the business was founded by Joseph Ehrlich who emigrated to the United Kingdom from Austria in the 1930s.

A big bang engine is an unconventional motorcycle engine designed so that most of the power strokes occur simultaneously or in close succession. This is achieved by changing the ignition timing, changing or re-timing the camshaft, and sometimes in combination with a change in crankpin angle. The goal is to change the power delivery characteristics of the engine. A regular firing multi-cylinder engine fires at approximately even intervals, giving a smooth-running engine. Because of a big bang engine's power delivery imbalance, there exists more vibration and stress in the engine. Thus, the power peaks are very strong and can overwhelm the rear tire, but when the rear tire does slide, the temporary lull in power between power strokes generally makes the slide easier to catch.

Desaxe

A desaxe engine, is one in which each cylinder is positioned with its exact center slightly offset from the center line of the crankshaft. "Désaxé", in French, means "unbalanced". Desaxe engines are usually automotive, but the term can also apply to steam engines.

Kawasaki A7 Avenger

The A7 Avenger was a 350 cc (21 cu in) Kawasaki motorcycle sold 1967 through 1971.

References

  1. 1 2 "Triump TWN". www.classicmotorcycles.org.uk. Archived from the original on 17 January 2012.
  2. ↑ "Split-single torque and economy rival that of a four-stroke". www.sammymiller.co.uk.
  3. ↑ Walker, Mick (11 October 2018). Mick Walker's European Racing Motorcycles. Redline Books. ISBN   9780953131136 – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ "Garelli Mosquito". www.ukwheels.com. Archived from the original on 6 May 2012.
  5. ↑ Trojan Two-stroke 1927 Science Museum photo of split-single with V-shaped Connecting Rod.
  6. ↑ "Trojan". www.uniquecarsandparts.com. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  7. ↑ "Trojan Museum Trust". www.trojanmuseumtrust.org. Retrieved 2016-11-11.
  8. 1 2 Walker, Mick (2000), Mick Walker's European Racing Motorcycles, ISBN   9780953131136 , retrieved 2011-08-28
  9. ↑ Puch's two-stroke double-piston engines Archived 2007-10-09 at the Wayback Machine asymmetric port opening of 1923 Puch Marcellino design, inspired by industrial opposed-piston engines.
  10. ↑ "Cylinders with two pistons used in motorcycle engine". Popular Mechanics. Hearst Magazines: 843. December 1935. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  11. ↑ "Triumph TWN". www.classicmotorcycles.org.uk. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012.
  12. ↑ "A Most Remarkable Engine: The Duray U16". www.macsmotorcitygarage.com. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  13. ↑ "Monaco Trossi 1935 Grand Prix Racer". www.oldmachinepress.com. 2 September 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  14. ↑ "Puch Restorations". www.motorwestmotorcycles.com. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  15. ↑ "1966 Sears Allstate 250". www.sprynet.com. Archived from the original on 4 November 2018.
  16. ↑ Friedrich F. Ehn: Das große Puch-Buch. Weishaupt, Graz 1993, ISBN   3-900310-49-1 (German). 38,584 Puch 250 SGS were produced from 1953 to 1970.
  17. ↑ "AllstateTwingle". www.mbvmc.org. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  18. ↑ "1948 EMC 350 - Mark I". www.nationalmcmuseum.org. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  19. ↑ "Old Bike Australasia: Splitting the single - EMC 350cc". www.shannons.com.au. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  20. ↑ "1957 Isettacarro". www.microcarmuseum.com. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  21. ↑ "1953 TWN BDG250 - Siamese Twn". www.bsmotoring.com. 27 July 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
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