The Hemi: When, What and Why

aids the "breathing" of the engine (or more technically, its volumetric efficiency), by situating the intake and exhaust valves directly opposite each other in the chamber. And the design also allows the spark plug to be placed more closely to the center of the chamber, facilitating the dispersion of the flame after the spark plug fires. For a deeper understanding of the principles of combustion, an excellent description of the processes involved in an internal combustion engine can be found at this Website.

The reason the design is superior is because it simply works better. The dome of the chamber is limited primarily by the size of the valves, which means you can use larger valves and basically shrink the size of the chamber around them. The bigger the valves, the better the engine can get air in and out of the chamber. With less total surface area there is less heat to dissipate and thus less power is wasted on dissipating it. There is better breathing and a more balanced flame dispersion, and thus less power wasted through inefficiency. It truly is an innovative design, and has been since about 1902, when the Welch brothers set about making the first hemi.

Copyright 2005, Dan Cooper

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