Ever wanted to see through a head while an engine is running? I came across this video.  Pretty cool.

 

 

I saw that the other day.  Pretty interesting.  You can kind of see that the flame front moves from the plug, across the chamber and the effects of the varied mixture across the chamber.  There are some other videos like this on youtube that are full engineering test engines that have glass cylinders as well.  

 

I would love to see something like a small camera that I could put in a chamber and evaluate chamber design across different RPMs, loads, look at quench, etc. 

Throughout my life even with as much as I love engines and their mechanical function.....its still a mystery to me that an internal combustion engine works as well as it does.  Ya'd think that when parts start moving really fast in there thats there's just not enough time for the air to move about for the combustion process to function right.  But it does.....

It's all about a controlled explosion. Moves faster than you think just think about now modern engines with smog devices. Like injecting a shot of exhaust gases in the intake, etc. Makes now wonder a bit more....

Just the concept of intake/exhaust valves moving fast enough.....and returning under spring pressure is pretty amazing if you think about it.

It is all pretty amazing even with the lower rpm our trucks turn. Then you think about a race engine and the rpm they turn and it all still works. Pretty cool.