Phenomena that determine knock onset in spark-ignited engines

Experiments were carried out to collect in-cylinder pressure data and microphone signals from a single-cylinder test engine using spark timings before, at, and after knock onset for four different octane-rated toluene reference fuels. This data was then processed and analyzed in various ways to gain insight into the autoignition phenomena that lead to knock. This was done to develop a more fundamentally based prediction methodology that incorporates both a physical and chemical description of knock. The collected data was also used to develop a method of data processing that would detect knock in real time without the need to have an operator listening to the engine. Bandpass filters and smoothing techniques were used to process the data. The processed data was then used to determine knock intensities for each cycle for both the cylinder pressure data and microphone signal. Also, the rate of build-up before reaching peak amplitude in a bandpass filtered pressure trace was found. A trend was found showing that cycles with knock intensities greater than 1 bar with rapid build-up (5-10 oscillations) before reaching the peak are the type the cycles whose autoignition events lead to engine knock.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Revier, Bridget M. (Bridget Mary)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• John B. Heywood.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/35635

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/35635