An experimental study on the effects of spring stiffness on the combustion and dynamic characteristics of a linear engine

We investigated the effects of the stiffness of springs applied to linear compressor chambers experimentally. The applied springs could prevent conflict between the engine piston head and engine head cover as well as be available to save the regenerative energy. The linear engine bore size was 30 mm, the maximum stroke was 31 mm and effective stroke volume of a cylinder was 25.45 cc. The spring stiffness was varied: 0, 0.5, 1.00, 2.9 and 14.7 N/mm. The linear engine was fueled with a pre-mixture combined with LPG (propane 99%) and air. As an experimental result, higher spring stiffness affected growth in regenerative energy and stroke. Also, IMEP was increased by rising stroke. Finally, increased IMEP and regenerative energy made more electricity than no spring.