Man is a machine himself. Over the years, great innovators and numerous pioneers have contributed vastly for the development of machines that serve the human mankind in innovative ways. This synergy of man and machine has led to the inventions of numerous machines that have helped mankind to great lengths.
Internal combustion engine have been developed as a result of vision by human intelligence. Great inventors like Leonardo da Vinci, Karl Benx, Rudolf Diesel, Nikolaus Otto, all invented different types in internal combustion engines like two stroke engine, four stroke engine, etc. The basic idea behind all the engines is that rapid oxidation of air or combustion takes place in a closed space or the combustion chamber. This simple principle has given a new turn to the way mankind walks on the progressive path.
Internal combustion engines work on the principle of heat combustion in a closed space but this working in closed space has led to a new horizon for development of the human race. Internal combustion engines have enabled man to run anything on four wheels in top gear. You can now run everything from a motorboat to an airplane with the help of four stroke engines. The capability of these engines is measured in horse power which means more the horse power; more is the capability of an engine to take load and perform well.
Moreover, the internal combustion engines or IC engines as they are popularly known as have contributed vastly in the growth of various industries like constructions, automobiles, agriculture, marine boats, etc. This has made the internal combustion engines to mark their presence equivocally everywhere. The history of automobiles begins with the invention of IC engines and the progress and performance of today’s automobiles attributes all its credibility to improvements in the performance of IC engines.
All automobiles till date are equipped with IC engines. They convert the fuel into motion that drives the vehicle. There are different types of internal combustion engines like diesel engines, four stroke engines, two stroke engines, rotary engines, turbine engines, etc. The usage of any type of IC engine depends upon the work required to be performed by the machinery or the automobile. Man and machine have traversed a long way together. Man started to walk and run on his feet and then he invented the wheel. The wheel power was lent speed by horses, steam, electricity and internal combustion engines. The invention of IC engine became a milestone in the history of automobile industry. Steam engines powered cars by creating steam by boiling water. The steam pushed the pistons but the solution seemed to be very crude. It was a good option for locomotives but definitely not a solution for vehicles on road. Electrical cars also came into picture but the whole affair proved to be totally uneconomical and inefficient. It was not only very expensive but the vehicles were very heavy and stopped frequently for recharging. Thereafter the gas powered cars ushered into the automobile scenario which were highly successful and widely acclaimed. The invention of internal combustion engines marked a new generation in the process of automobile improvements and now remains the heart of the whole automobile industry.
Apart from automobiles, IC engines mark their impression in running construction equipments, agricultural pumpset, marine boats and more.
