Computing Volume of Three-Dimensional Solids (Part Three) Cylinder

A solid having the shape of a can, or a length of pipe, or a barrel is called a cylinder. [Figure 1-26] The ends of a cylinder are identical circles. The formula for the volume of a cylinder is:

One of the most important applications of the volume of a cylinder is finding the piston displacement of a cylinder in a reciprocating engine. Piston displacement is the total volume (in cubic inches, cubic centimeters, or liters) swept by all of the pistons of a reciprocating engine as they move in one revolution of the crankshaft. The formula for piston displacement is given as:

The bore of an engine is the inside diameter of the cylinder. The stroke of the engine is the length the piston travels inside the cylinder. [Figure 1-27]

Example: Find the piston displacement of one cylinder in a multi-cylinder aircraft engine. The engine has a cylinder bore of 5.5 inches and a stroke of 5.4 inches. First, substitute the known values in the formula.

The piston displacement of one cylinder is 128.29 cubic inches. For an eight cylinder engine, then the total engine displacement would be:

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