reciprocating engine

Engine utilising one or more reciprocating pistons

Also known as piston engine

Instance of: engine class
Subclass of: piston engine

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

A reciprocating engine, more often known as a piston engine, is a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common features of all types. The main types are: the internal combustion engine, used extensively in motor vehicles; the steam engine, the mainstay of the Industrial Revolution; and the Stirling engine for niche applications. Internal combustion engines are further classified in two ways: either a spark-ignition (SI) engine, where the spark plug initiates the combustion; or a compression-ignition (CI) engine, where the air within the cylinder is compressed, thus heating it, so that the heated air ignites fuel that is injected then, in a diesel engine, or earlier, in a hot bulb engine.

Overview

All data

27 statements · 11% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Members / parts: cylinder block
piston
cylinder head
head gasket
poppet valve
valve guide
valve seat
spark plug
Show 2 moreShow less
camshaft
connecting rod
Properties for this type: engine configuration
valvetrain configuration
compression ratio

On other databases

12 identifiers linking reciprocating engine across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

11%

externally sourced

Source last edited September 10, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). reciprocating engine (Q630010). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/reciprocating-engine-Q630010