Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
in-line engine
References
Images
Diagram showing four types of gasoline engines: an opposed-piston engine with pistons facing each other, a Wankel rotary engine with a triangular rotor, an in-line engine with pistons arranged vertically, and a V-type (V-8) engine with pistons set in a V shape. Arrows indicate the direction of motion in each engine.
Britannica AI Icon

in-line engine

engineering
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

Diagram showing four types of gasoline engines: an opposed-piston engine with pistons facing each other, a Wankel rotary engine with a triangular rotor, an in-line engine with pistons arranged vertically, and a V-type (V-8) engine with pistons set in a V shape. Arrows indicate the direction of motion in each engine.
gasoline engines Gasoline engine types include (A) opposed-piston engines, (B) Wankel rotary engines, (C) in-line engines, and (D) V-8 engines.

An in-line engine is a type of internal combustion engine where the cylinders are arranged in one or more parallel straight lines. This design contrasts with other configurations like V-engines or radial engines. In-line engines are a common type of piston-and-cylinder engine, where combustion creates pressure on a piston, causing it to move back and forth within a cylinder to perform work. These engines are widely used, particularly in the automotive and aeronautics industries.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
5 Britannica Sources
  1. in-line engine
  2. flat engine
  3. gasoline engine - Comparison with other engines
  4. gasoline engine - Opposed-piston engines
  5. internal-combustion engine

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.