Valve Mechanism of Modern Engines

Introduction:

Valves are mechanical devices that control the flow and pressure within a system or
process. Its main function is to direct or control the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized
solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways.

In automobile engines valve which allows mixture into the cylinder is the inlet valve;
the one through which the spent gases escape is the exhaust valve. They are designed to open
and close at precise moments; to allow the engine to run efficiently at all speeds.

The operation is controlled by pear-shaped lobes, called cams, on a rotating shaft, the
camshaft, driven by a chain, a belt, or a set of gears from the crankshaft.

Where the camshaft is mounted in the engine block, small metal cylinders tappets sit
in channels above each cam, and from the tappets metal pushrod extend up into the cylinder
head.
 The top of each pushrod meets a rocker arm which bears against the stem of a valve,
which is held in a raised (closed) position by a strong coiled spring the valve spring.

As the pushrod rises on the cam it pivots the rocker arm, which pushes the valve
down (open) against the pressure of its spring. As the cam lobe rotates further, the valve
spring acts to close the valve. This is called an overhead-valve (OHV) system.

Types of Valve Mechanism: Valve Mechanisms

A. Side Camshaft with Push-rod and Rockers

Overhead valve (side cam- shaft with push-rod and rocker)

This type of valve-operating mechanism uses:

(a) Camshaft

(b) Cam follower (tappet)

(c) Push-rod

(d) Rocker-arm

(e) Rocker-shaft
 (f) Return-spring, and

(g) Poppet-valve.

Advantages:

​ (a) A comparatively simple short timing chain or simple gear train can be used.

(b) The rocker arm leverage provides a degree of cam-profile lift multiplication which
can be transferred to the valve stem so that a smaller cam lobe can be used.

(c) Adjustment and maintenance is easy and can be carried without dismantling any
working engine components.

Disadvantages:

​ (a) During acceleration or operation at high engine speeds, the push-rod-and-rocker

assembly does not relay the exact cam-profile lift to the valve, because of the elasticity of the
system and the resulting vibrations.

(b) Larger tappet clearances are required for the expansion and contraction of very
long valve-train mechanism during operation.

(c) Due to the large number of contacting interface joints, the system develops more
wear as well as more noise.

B. Overhead Camshaft with a Sliding Inverted

Bucket Follower:
 Overhead camshaft with direct acting inverted-bucket followers

This type of valve operating mechanism uses:

(a) Camshaft,

(b) Sliding inverted bucket cam follower

(c) Return-spring, and

(d) Poppet-valve.

Advantages:

(a) This is the most compact and rigid cam-to-valve mechanisms, which directly relay
the designed input cam-profile, lift to the valve.

(b) If adequate lubrication is provided, very little wear takes place since the valve
stems are not subjected to side-thrust.

(c) Tappet clearances are generally small and, once adjusted, are maintained for a very
long period.

Disadvantages:
 (a) A much more elaborate drive between the crankshaft and the camshaft is
necessary.

(b) Lubrication has to be more accurately controlled and directed than for other
actuating mechanisms.

(c) Adjustment of tappets is relatively more difficult than in other mechanisms.

C. Overhead Camshaft with Pivoted Rocker-arm

This type of valve operating mechanism uses

(a) Camshaft

(b) Pivoted rocker-arm cam follower

(c) Return-spring, and

{d) Poppet-valve.

Overhead Camshaft with Pivoted Rocker-arm

Advantages:
 (a) The use of the rocker-arm follower provides a leverage ratio permitting a smaller
cam profile in the system.

(b) The pivot-arm follower has less inertia than that of the sliding-bucket follower.

(c) A single overhead camshaft can operate two separate rows of inlet and exhaust
valves.

(d) Adjustment of the tappet is normally simple and straight-forward.

Disadvantages:
(a) Motion from the cam to the valve tends to bend the rocker-arm; therefore the
system has to be relatively stiff, and however this characteristic does not match with the
direct-acting bucket-follower arrangement.

(b) Contact between the valve and rocker provides a degree of side-thrust to the valve
stem and guide.

(c) Wear and noise is relatively more than in the sliding bucket follower due to an
extra pivot joint in addition to the other two contact interfaces.

(d) This configuration requires very accurate lubrication.

Variable Valve Timing (VVT):

After multi-valve technology became standard in engine design, Variable Valve

Timing becomes the next step to enhance engine output, no matter power or torque.

Valves activate the breathing of engine. The timing of breathing, that is, the timing of
air intake and exhaust, is controlled by the shape and phase angle of cams. To optimize the
breathing, engine requires different valve timing at different speed. When the rev increases,
the duration of intake and exhaust stroke decreases so that fresh air becomes not fast enough
to enter the combustion chamber, while the exhaust becomes not fast enough to leave the
combustion chamber. Therefore, the best solution is to open the inlet valves earlier and close
the exhaust valves later. In other words, the Overlapping between intake period and exhaust
period should be increased as rev increases.
 Without Variable Valve Timing technology, engineers used to choose the best
compromise timing. For example, a van may adopt less overlapping for the benefits of low
speed output. A racing engine may adopt considerable overlapping for high speed power. An
ordinary sedan may adopt valve timing optimize for mid-rev so that both the low speed
drivability and high speed output will not be sacrificed too much. No matter which one, the
result is just optimized for a particular speed.

With Variable Valve Timing, power and torque can be optimized across a wide rpm
band. The most noticeable results are:

●​ The engine can rev higher, thus raises peak power. For example a car with
VVT engine outputs 25% more peak power than its non-VVT version.
●​ Low-speed torque increases, thus improves drivability. A car with VVT engine
provides 90% peak torque between 2,000 and 6,000 rpm.

Variable Lift
 In some designs, valve lift can also be varied according to engine speed. At high
speed, higher lift quickens air intake and exhaust, thus further optimize the breathing. Of
course, at lower speed such lift will generate counter effects like deteriorating the mixing
process of fuel and air, thus decrease output or even leads to misfire. Therefore the lift should
be variable according to engine speed.

Cam-Changing VVT:

2 sets of cams having different shapes to enable different timing and lift. One set
operates during normal speed, in most cases below 4,500 rpm. Another substitute at higher
speed. Obviously, such layout does not allow continuous change of timing, therefore the
engine performs modestly below 4,500 rpm but above that it will suddenly transform its
performance.

Cam-Phasing VVT:

Cam-phasing VVT is the simplest, cheapest and most commonly used mechanism at
this moment. However, its performance gain is also the least, very fair indeed. Basically, it
varies the valve timing by shifting the phase angle of camshafts. For example, at high speed,
the inlet camshaft will be rotated in advance by 30° so to enable earlier intake. This
movement is controlled by engine management system according to need, and actuated by
hydraulic valve gears.

Note that cam-phasing VVT cannot vary the duration of valve opening. It just allows
earlier or later valve opening. Earlier open results in earlier close, of course. It also cannot
vary the valve lift, unlike cam-changing VVT. However, cam-phasing VVT is the simplest
and cheapest form of VVT because each camshaft needs only one hydraulic phasing actuator,
unlike other systems that employ individual mechanism for every cylinder.

Cam-Changing + Cam-Phasing VVT:

Combining cam-changing VVT and cam-phasing VVT could satisfy the requirement
of both top-end power and flexibility throughout the whole rev range, but it is inevitably
more complex.

VVT's Benefit to Fuel Consumption and Emission:

 In theory, maximum overlap is needed between intake valves and exhaust valves’
opening whenever the engine is running at high speed. However, when the car is running at
medium speed in highway, in other words, the engine is running at light load, maximum
overlapping may be useful as a mean to reduce fuel consumption and emission. Since the
exhaust valves do not close until the intake valves have been open for a while, some of the
exhaust gases are recirculated back into the cylinder at the same time as the new fuel / air mix
is injected. As part of the fuel / air mix is replaced by exhaust gases, less fuel is needed.
Because the exhaust gas comprise of mostly non-combustible gas, such as CO2, the engine
runs properly at the leaner fuel / air mixture without failing to combust.

4 Valves in a Cylinder:

4 Valve Technology incorporates Two Inlet & Two Exhaust Valves in the engine. For -
Increased air-fuel intake, efficient combustion, more power.

Working:

This technology incorporates Four Valves, two each of the inlet and exhaust valves in
the engine. Thus, it is different and better than one valve each of inlet & exhaust valves used
in the conventional engine design. The engine uses its valves just like the nose. So, two inlet
valves mean more opening of the area to suck the air-fuel mixture.
 The two inlet valves increase the area of the air intake. It allows more air-fuel mixture
to get into the cylinder. Thus, it increases the amount of air than the conventional design. The
newer generation engines with the 4 Valve Technologies are now being commonly used in
both cars & bikes alike.

Disposition of Valves:

It may be recalled that it has long been established practice to mount both the inlet
and inlet and the exhaust valves over each cylinder in either I or V head manner. The latter
arrangement is particularly noted for its easy breathing qualities in petrol engines.

For diesel engines it would be any event, be physically impossible to obtain a

sufficiently high compression ratio without the compact clearance volume associated with the
I-head.

Examples of Valves Mechanism in Modern Engines:

 The most common valve activating mechanism in modern cars is the DOHC system.
It stands for Dual Overhead Camshafts. The main benefit of dual overhead cams is that they
allow an engine to have four valves per cylinder. Each camshaft operates two of the valves,
one camshaft handles the intake valves, and one handles the exhaust valves.

Toyota has developed a new form of valve actuation for internal combustion engines
which it claims improves fuel efficiency by 5 to 10 per cent, enhances throttle response,
reduces CO2 emissions, and boosts power by at least 10 per cent. To be known as Valvematic,
the new design offers a variable valve lift mechanism created through combining VVT-i
(Variable Valve Timing-intelligent), which controls the timing of intake valve
opening/closing, with a new mechanism that can also control the intake valve lift volume.
Operating Principle of 4 Valve Mechanisms:

This is the most common type of multi-valve head, with two exhaust valves and two
similar (or slightly larger) inlet valves. This design allows similar breathing as compared to a
three-valve head, and as the small exhaust valves allow high RPM, this design is very
suitable for high power outputs.

Each cylinder has two intake valves and two exhaust valves, making the total for a
four-cylinder power plant 16 and 24 for a six-cylinder.
Working:

This technology incorporates Four Valves, two each of the inlet and exhaust valves in
the engine. Thus, it is different and better than one valve each of inlet & exhaust valves used
in the conventional engine design. The engine uses its valves just like the nose. So, two inlet
valves mean more opening of the area to suck the air-fuel mixture.

The two inlet valves increase the area of the air intake. It allows more air-fuel mixture
to get into the cylinder. Thus, it increases the amount of air than the conventional design. The
newer generation engines with the 4 Valve Technologies are now being commonly used in
both cars & bikes alike.

●​ Twin intake valves open during induction prior to compression stroke to deliver
atomized fuel/air mix.
●​ Twin exhaust valves open to expel gases for exhaust stroke.

Advantages:
 1.​ Two intake and two exhaust valves improve the airflow both into and out of the
engine.
2.​ Provides better mixing of the air and fuel, improving economy and lowering exhaust
emission levels.
3.​ 4-valve head design positions the injector in the centre of the piston and combustion
chamber for even piston loads and uniform spray pattern.
4.​ Having the injector in the centre means the piston bowl can be symmetrical.
5.​ Traditional designs have offset injectors which mean the piston bowl shape has to be
varied to get a good fuel/air mix.
6.​ With a central injector it is easier to get a better and more consistent mix over the
whole cylinder volume.

Three Valve Mechanisms:

This has a single large exhaust valve and two smaller intake valves. A three-valve
layout allows better breathing than a two-valve head, but the large exhaust valve results in an
RPM limit no higher than a two-valve head. The manufacturing cost for this design can be
lower than for a four-valve design. The manufacturing cost for this design can be lower than
for a four-valve design. The three-valve design was common in the late 1980s and early
1990s.

By reducing the number of exhaust valves to one, the surface area of exhaust ports
and manifolds can be largely reduced. This reduces the time taken to heat up the catalytic
converter at cold start. With the advancement of emission control technology in the coming
years, Mercedes eventually abandoned the 3-valve approach.

Overhead Camshaft Engines:

 The whole purpose of having OHC configurations is to do away with another form of
valve actuation, OHV configurations use a centrally located cam shaft (central to the engine
block), and actuates the valves through the use of lifters, pushrods, and rocker arms. The
OHC configuration does away with most of this for the reduction of mass in the valve train.
This reduction of mass usually means the engine can run safer and cleaner at higher engine
speeds due to less inertial pressures on the valve train. Also, since this is more of a direct
actuation of the valves, there is less flex (due to push rods) and a more accurate valve
actuation occurs. The trade off in this is that the belts/chains/guides which control all of this
usually wear out over a period of time well before the engine's end of life (EOL), whereas on
an OHV engine, the valve train and timing chain usually will last until the engine is worn out.
The OHC configuration is a lot more complex than the OHV in that there are a more parts
which can go bad, which can cause catastrophic consequences if it fails

●​ SOHC - Single Over Head Cam

●​ DOHC - Double Over Head Cam

The cam has a "bump" or "hump" in it which actuates the valves which allow air into
and exhaust out of the cylinder of the engine at the correct time so the engine will run
correctly.

SOHC:

As for the configurations themselves, in SOHC configurations, the camshaft is placed

on top of the head. Picture shown is an example of a SOHC. The wheel at the right of the
picture is what the cam belt rides on. This wheel is attached to the cam itself. The cam then
actuates the rocker arms which you can see are pointing to either side of the head. This is an
example of a 3-valve per cylinder head (2-intake and 1-exhaust per cylinder).
DOHC:

In the picture, we can see there are two separate cam shafts riding atop the head. For
DOHC heads, the cams can be tied together with a short chain, then have a separate
chain/belt which drives the cams, or can have just a single chain/belt which runs the whole
thing. DOHC engines usually have a configuration of 2-intake and 2-exhaust valves per
cylinder, but in some cases like the uses a five valve per cylinder (3-intake and 2 exhausts). In
most cases, the cam directly actuates the valve without the use of a rocker arm (it may or may
not have a "lifter" between the cam and the valve).
Conventional Valve System:

A poppet valve (also called mushroom valve) is a valve typically used to control the
timing and quantity of gas or vapour flow into an engine.

It consists of a hole, usually round or oval, and a tapered plug, usually a disk shape on
the end of a shaft also called a valve stem. The portion of the hole where the plug meets with
it is referred to as the 'seat' or 'valve seat'. The shaft guides the plug portion by sliding
through a valve guide. In exhaust applications a pressure differential helps to seal the valve
and in intake valves a pressure differential helps open it. The poppet valve was most likely
invented in 1833 by E.A.G. Young of the Newcastle and Frenchtown Railroad. Young
patented his idea but the Patent Office fire of 1836 destroyed all records of it.

Prepared By

Nath Sir

05/06/2021