Nowadays is very easy to reach information through the internet, the problem now is to search properly and find something useful and what you are looking for.

In the following sections you may find some interesting PDFs providing some guidance and interesting information about Automotive Engineering.

Courses on internal combustion engines are offered at the TU Queretaro. In spite of the great boom of electric vehicles, conventional engines will still be in operation for some years to come.

The engine course explains the principle of operation, starting with movements and their impact on the forces of the pistons. This theory is of utmost importance when working with in-line engines and where harmonic movements are generated that ultimately generate vibrations in the vehicle.

Why are European engines smaller?

One of the main reasons why it is believed that small engines prevail in Europe is because of the lack of fuel as raw material. This thought is partly right but it is NOT the main reason. The main reason is because the Germans understood the dynamic behavior of an engine and learned to balance it by including new shafts with masses.

With this knowledge it was possible to develop small engines with low fuel consumption but high performance.

n the United States the v6 and v8 engines were very popular many years ago and the main reason is that in the USA there was no knowledge of how to balance an engine. As a matter of course a "V" engine is normally balanced and an inline engine is not.

To balance an engine it is necessary to know the dynamic behavior of its pistons and the forces and moments they cause. This is the only way to balance the resulting harmonic forces. Normally the first and second harmonics are always balanced. The other 3rd, 4th, etc. harmonic forces are already balanced for two reasons:

1. The forces are so low that it is not worth spending more time trying to balance them.
2. The mathematical analysis is more complex and in turn a real-life application is more costly than it would actually help.

Course on kinematics and force in motors in PDF format

Below you will find the file to download the course in PDF.

Depending on the use of the vehicle, there are gasoline and diesel engines. In America, gasoline is almost exclusively used for passenger vehicles and diesel only for cargo vehicles.

However, in Europe Diesel engines are also available in passenger vehicles. The main reason is range. With a diesel engine you get more torque at lower revolutions which in the end also means lower fuel consumption.

Generally, people in Europe who travel a lot, either for work or pleasure, buy a vehicle with a diesel engine. The disadvantage of diesel is emissions. Some states have now banned the circulation of certain diesel engines (depending on their emission range). This has caused an economic loss for both companies and individuals. In addition, including the VW engine scandal, many people have been affected as their vehicles do not have the emission standard described in their documents and they can no longer drive them in certain cities.

The following is a guide on the calculation of the Gallon and Diesel engine cycle. The guide includes the processes, thermodynamic situations and some formulas that help the understanding of the engine operation. Here you can download the guide in PDF.