Text/Qin Ming
The automobile market competition is so fierce, it is indispensable to the industry technology update iteration speed is too fast reasons, but the industry is progressing, some concepts are deeply rooted, many users also have prejudices against the three-cylinder engine, feel that the three-cylinder machine is not worthy of appearing on the car, it should have been eliminated by the times, through BMW, Buick and Chevrolet and other models to choose to carry three-cylinder engine can be seen, three-cylinder engine is useful. 、
The simple understanding of a three-cylinder engine is an engine composed of three cylinders, three identical single cylinders arranged on the same body, and sharing a crankshaft to output power. Compared with the four-cylinder engine, it is only missing a cylinder, and the workmanship is exactly the same, but this does not mean that the three-cylinder engine is "born disabled", nor does it mean that the three-cylinder engine is completely inferior to the four-cylinder engine. Chevrolet's three-cylinder engine shortlist for the 2021 Ward Top Ten Engine List is a testament to the world's attention.
Although the three-cylinder engine is one less cylinder than the four-cylinder engine, the corresponding reduction is also ignition, oil supply, connecting rod and crankshaft, camshaft corresponding part, it can be clearly seen that the three-cylinder engine working mode is the same as the four-cylinder engine, although only 3 cylinders are the same to complete the intake, compression, work, exhaust 4 steps, so the three-cylinder engine and the four-cylinder engine Work process distribution is very different unlike the four-cylinder machine, each cylinder work distribution is balanced, resulting in power output is not as smooth as the four-cylinder machine. This is also indeed the inherent disadvantage of the three-cylinder engine, the power output is not linear and the jitter problem.
There are losses and gains, and the three-cylinder engine performs better in terms of fuel consumption due to its own structural advantages. Reducing one cylinder in exchange for a smaller volume and lighter mass, engine downsizing makes it smaller, more power dense, and more thermally efficient.
In the range of 1.0L-1.5L displacement, because the number of cylinders is small, the volume of each cylinder is larger, which will directly improve the low torque performance of the engine, and the three-cylinder engine is better than the four-cylinder engine at low speed, because the three-cylinder engine has a work clearance, compared to the exhaust interference problem of the four-cylinder engine, with small inertia turbine technology, the three-cylinder engine also has a smaller turbo lag.
And the three-cylinder engine is more suitable for the current popular hybrid system, the three-cylinder engine is small in size and light in weight, which can reduce the overall weight, and the smaller volume saves more space in the engine compartment and provides space for electrified components. On the other hand, the mechanical friction is small with a small number of cylinders, and the increase in the number of cylinders will reduce the efficiency of the single cylinder, compared with the efficiency of the three-cylinder engine.
Although the three-cylinder is a product of the last century, but it is still in use, many people expressed their incomprehension, because of the limited technology at that time, the shortcomings of the three-cylinder machine is difficult to be greatly improved, with the rise of various new technologies, the three-cylinder engine has certainly been many changes and upgrades.
In the jitter, the fundamental problem is the balance problem, you can add the balance axis, by the direction of the balance shaft rotation to offset the imbalance, and then the rubber shock wheel and cushion rubber material to reduce the transmission of vibration.
The reason why the three-cylinder engine can "resurrect", because the policy is not violated and environmental protection emissions are unstoppable, emissions and fuel consumption regulations are becoming more and more stringent, three-cylinder engine is due to "natural disability" less than a cylinder, so fuel consumption emissions are also lower, naturally easier to meet the emission standard bricks. The characteristics of small displacement and small volume, better with hybrid models, but also allow it to carry the boat in the wave of new energy, which is why major manufacturers have been retaining three-cylinder engine models.