COMPRESSION RATIO


Meaning of COMPRESSION RATIO in English

Degree to which the fuel mixture in an internal-combustion engine is compressed before ignition.

It is defined as the volume of the combustion chamber with the piston farthest out divided by the volume with the piston in the full-compression position (see piston and cylinder ). A compression ratio of six means that the action of the piston compresses the mixture to one-sixth its original volume. A high ratio promotes efficiency but may cause engine knock.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.