Individual cylinder model of a general aviation aircraft engine

A need exists for the improvement of general aviation (GA) aircraft piston engine performance through the use of advanced control strategies and diagn ostic studies. The life cycle time associated with the development of these technologies is always a concern when working with a cost-restrictive budg et. Approaches to technological improvements through trial-and-error experi mentation can work against a budget due to cost and development time. With the advancements in the computational speed of computers, simulations have become increasingly popular in helping engineers solve problems more quickl y through a better understanding of the problem and better preparation of d esign strategies prior to the experimental implementation stage. The aim of the present work is to develop an intermittent combustion aircraft engine simulation that can provide insight to the complex system behavior, aid in the development of control strategies, and aid in the development of diagno stic studies. The GA aircraft individual cylinder simulation is the first o f its kind and it has many potential applications. Some potential applicati ons may include idle speed control, fuel control, spark control, and engine sensor and actuator diagnostics.