Mechanical Department
Internal Combustion Lab. (0620520)
Experiment (2) : MORSE TEST
AIM:- To find Brake Power (BP), the Indicated Power (IP), Mechanical Efficiency (ƞmech.) and friction
power (FP) on Multi-Cylinder spark ignition Engine.
THEORY:-
Morse test used to measure the indicated power and mechanical efficiency of multi cylinder engines .
The engines test is carried out as follows . The engine is run at maximum load at certain speed . The B.P
is then measured when all cylinders are working, Then one cylinder is made in operative by cutting off
the ignition to that cylinder . As a result of this the speed of the engine will decrease . Therefore , the load
on the engine is reduced so that the engine speed is restored to its initial value . The assumption made on
the test is that frictional power is depends on the speed and not upon the load on the engine .
Calculate the power output for the engine firing on all cylinders (BP) and with each cylinder short-circuited
in turn (Pi, P2 ...)
where:
Pi = power output without cylinder firing.
Definitions :
1- Break power (BP) : The useful power available at the crank shaft of the engine is called brake
power of the engine . The brake power of the engine are determined by : BP = ( 2 π N T ) KW
Where:
N: The Engine rotational speed in [rev. /sec.]
T: The engine torque measured from the dynamometer in [N.m]
- To convert Watt into hp: 1 hp = 746 W
2- Indicated power (IP) : The power actually developed inside the engine cylinder due to the
combustion of the fuel are called indicated power .Calculate the indicated power from: IP = nBP –
(P1+P2+...+Pn)
Where:
n: is the number of cylinders.
Indicated Power ( IP ) of each Cylinders:
IP1 = ( BPT - BP2,3,4 ) KW
IP2 = ( BPT - BP1,3,4 ) KW
IP3 = ( BPT - BP1,2,4 ) KW
IP4 = ( BPT - BP1,2,3 ) KW
Total IP of the Engine, IPT = ( IP1 + IP2 + IP3 + IP4 ) KW
Page 1 of 4
Eng. Azad F. Otoum
Mechanical Department
Internal Combustion Lab. (0620520)
3- Frictional power (FP) :The power loss due to friction between the moving parts are called as
frictional power . Calculate from : FP = IPT – BPT
FP = (n-l)BP – (P 1+P2+...+Pn)
4- Mechanical efficiency (ƞmech.) : It is defined as the ratio of Brake power to indicated power .
Calculate from mech = BP x 100
IP
PROCEDURE:-
1. Before starting the engine check the fuel supply.
2. Switch the electricity on.
3. Open the cooling water valve, and set the flow rate to the desired value.
4. Start the engine on the Start Mode, After warming-up, switch to Full-Load mode.
5. Adjust the load to obtain the desired engine speed. Record this engine speed , torque, and load reading for
the BP calculation.
6. Now cut off one cylinder. Short-circuiting its spark plug can do this.
7. Reduce the load so as to restore the engine speed as at step 5 . Record the dynamometer reading for BP
calculation.
8. Connect the cut off cylinder and run the engine on all cylinders for a short time. This is necessary for the
steady state conditions.
9. Repeat steps 6, 7, and 8 for other remaining cylinders turn by turn and record the dynamometer readings
for each cylinder.
- The device used in this experiment has the following specifications:
Auto-3 Engine Test Unit: it uses the gasoline as working fuel, One- Cylinder and Four-Strokes.
Page 2 of 4
Eng. Azad F. Otoum
Mechanical Department
Internal Combustion Lab. (0620520)
RESULT:- The two following tables of data must be filled in order to find (BP, Total IP, FP and ƞmec. of the
Multi-Cylinder SI Engine) and draw the relations below. Brake Power (BP) in Watts versus the engine rotational
speed (N) in rev. /sec. and Brake Power BP in hp versus the engine rotational speed N in rev. /sec.
Speed, Torque Brake Power Brake Power
Trial N [rev. /sec.] T [N.m]
BP [W] BP [hp]
1
2
3
4
5
No. Cylinders Working Torque, Brake Power IP of the cut off cylinder,
T [N.m] BP (KW) (KW)
1 1-2-3-4 BPT = ----------------------------
2 2-3-4 BP2,3,4 = IP1 =
3 1-3-4 BP1,3,4 = IP2 =
4 1-2-4 BP1,2,4 = IP3 =
5 1-2-3 BP1,2,3 = IP4 =
IPT =
Brake Power (W)
Brake Power (W)
Torque (N.m)
Page 3 of 4
Eng. Azad F. Otoum
Mechanical Department
Internal Combustion Lab. (0620520)
Rotational speed (N) rps Rotational speed (N) rps Rotational speed (N) rps
Page 4 of 4
Eng. Azad F. Otoum
