Vibration Spectra as a Feedback for Controlling Multicylinder Engine Performance

Increasing requirements for vehicle confort, economy and reliability lead some investigators to consider the relationships between the mechanical vibrations with the heat and fluid flow induced vibration and noise in a more accurate manner. This paper describes the variation of the vibration phenomena associated with the motion of some engine components under different operating conditions. The measured vibration spectra indicates its capability in predicting symptoms of early engine failures, hence, expediting their control using a suitable feedback system. Parametric studies involving the effect of air-fuel ratio, ignition timing and engine speed on the vibration pattern are also carried out. These studies indicate that the amplitude of vibration decreases as the speed increases then increases again after certain engine speed. The effect of ignition system characteristic on the induced vibration are obtained and the correlation between the developed power and the engine dynamics over a range of operating conditions are discussed.