Intake Manifold

The engine plays a very important part in the automobile industry. It serves as the brain unit of a vehicle since it produces the energy for the different parts or components to function simultaneously. Alone, the engine cannot carry the weight of work assigned to it, thus, it needs several other components. Here’s where the intake manifold comes in.

An intake manifold, also known as the “inlet manifold”, is a part of an engine which supplies the air or air/fuel mixture to the cylinders located within. It is usually made up of a series of circular tubes attached to different engine parts which includes the carburetor. The intake manifold does not only serve as a passageway for the air or air/fuel mixture to flow, but it also plays its primary function ofevenly distributing the combustion mixture or in some cases just pure air in a direct injection engine. Aside from these roles, the intake manifold can also be a mount for the fuel injectors, the throttle body, the carburetor and other parts of the engine.

Even distribution of the combustion mixture within the intake manifold is crucially important for the engine to perform well. Certain contour changes to it can lead to pressure drops, resulting in less air or air/fuel mixture passing through the combustion chamber. Today, modern intake manifolds employ individual tubes called “runners”, which emanates from the “plenum” or a central volume beneath the carburetor. The orientation and design of the intake manifold greatly affects the volumetric efficiency of an engine.