Air-Fuel Mixture

air-fuel mixture [′er ′fyül ‚miks·chər]

(mechanical engineering)

In a carbureted gasoline engine, the charge of air and fuel that is mixed in the appropriate ratio in the carburetor and subsequently fed into the combustion chamber.

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Air-Fuel Mixture 

the mixture of vaporized fuel and air entering the cylinders of internal combustion engines or formed within them, together with residual gases. The products from the combustion of the air-fuel mixture constitute the working substance for converting the thermal energy of the burned fuel into mechanical work. The basic parameter characterizing the mass composition of the air-fuel mixture is the coefficient of excess air α = L/L₀, where L is the actual amount of air in the air-fuel mixture (in kg) and L₀ is the amount of air theoretically required for complete combustion of the fuel in the air-fuel mixture (in kg). An air-fuel mixture with α < 1 is called rich, and one with α > 1 is called lean.