What is the relation between torque and

rotational speed in an automobile

engine?
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Updated Mar 5 2013 · Upvoted by
Kenneth Sizer, BS physics W&M, MS physics CU · Author has 2.7k answers and 4.1m answer views
power = torque x speed

The torque of an engine is mostly a function of size (displacement). Torque is relatively flat
with engine speed, more so for large engines, less for small. Thus power output is primarily
a function of engine speed. To obtain a given amount of power, say 100 horsepower, a small
engine must run significantly faster than a large engine.
High torque and low speed is better for engine life. A small, light engine running at high
speed is better for competition, reduced manufacturing cost, and making a car seem sporty.

When torque starts to decline, declining power is not far behind, as seen on this chart.
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Justin Cremer, Mech Eng. Several Restorations. Newbie car racer. Household mechanic.
Answered Mar 4 2013 · Author has 396 answers and 2.4m answer views
It's generally linear as shown by others. This is usually the most preferred in road cars,
because it meets most people's expectations (higher revs=higher "power") an is the most
predictable.

For high performance applications you can build an engine for more low RPM torque or
more absolute max torque (the latter requiring more skill to keep the engine in the torque-
producing rpm range).
The use of a turbo charger also puts an engine into the case: the turbo needs a certain
velocity of exhaust gas to do its thing, which requires a certain minimum RPM. Once that
RPM is crossed, the turbo starts adding more intake air boosting the power and torque.
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Sumit Tiwari, Graduate Engineer Trainee (BIG DATA) at Larsen & Toubro Infotech (2017-
present)
Answered Jun 1 2017
Originally Answered: Why is the torque very low when an engine is rotating at a high speed?
It can be understood from formula of Power

Power = 2*pi*N*T

Where pi=3.14 , N= rotation speed in rps , T = Torque in Newton-metre , Power in watt

Now for a constant power engine

We can conclude from given formula

T is inversely proportional to N

Hence Torque is low when speed of rotation is high

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Sam Agrawal, Mechanical Engineer, Auto-Mobile Freak

Answered Mar 31 2016 · Author has 800 answers and 1.7m answer views
In an automobile, the torque is varied through the use of a gearbox. The relation between
the torque of vehicle and speed is Power = Torque x Speed. So as the speed increases, the
torque decreases.

The torque and power produced by the engine is varied in following manner:

As you can see, the maximum torque is obtained at around 50% of the engine speed.

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Munipalle Lakshmi Narasimha Rao, interested in technology and techniques

Answered Feb 24 2017 · Author has 634 answers and 303.1k answer views
For practical purpose, an engine power is rated in BHP (break horse power) at a specified
speed as 6,000 rpm. Above and below that the speed the rated power will be less. The
vehicle needs varying speeds as in traffic, high ways and hills. So the same power is
converted into more speed or less speed of the tire rotation. Thus the engine power is made
to rotate the tire at slow speed with great torque or higher speed with less torque. To get the
 maximum power from the engine it is run almost at the rated speed for high power. With
the help of a gear box they change the speed thus altering the torque also.

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SARAVANAKUMAR G BIT

Saurabh Yadav, Studying ECE at National Institute of Technology Hamirpur,Did Internship

at BSNL
Answered Mar 15 2016 · Author has 275 answers and 1.2m answer views
1. POWER (the rate of doing WORK) is dependent on TORQUE and RPM.
2. TORQUE and RPM are the MEASURED quantities of engine output.
3. POWER is CALCULATED from torque and RPM, by the following equation:
HP = Torque x RPM ÷ 5252

Torque and Angular Acceleration

Relationship Between Torque and Angular Acceleration

Torque is equal to the moment of inertia times the angular acceleration.

Key Points

 When a torque is applied to an object it begins to rotate with an acceleration inversely

proportional to its moment of inertia.
 This relation can be thought of as Newton’s Second Law for rotation. The moment of
inertia is the rotational mass and the torque is rotational force.
 Angular motion obeys Newton’s First Law. If no outside forces act on an object, an object
in motion remains in motion and an object at rest remains at rest.

Key Terms

 Angular acceleration: The rate of change of angular velocity, often represented by α.

 Torque: A rotational or twisting effect of a force; (SI unit newton-meter or Nm; imperial
unit foot-pound or ft-lb)
  Rotational inertia: The tendency of a rotating object to remain rotating unless a torque is
applied to it.

Just like Newton’s Second Law, which is force is equal to the mass times the
acceleration, torque obeys a similar law. If you replace torque with force and rotational
inertia with mass and angular acceleration with linear acceleration, you get Newton’s
Second Law back out. In fact, this equation is Newton’s second law applied to a system
of particles in rotation about a given axis. It makes no assumptions about constant
rotational velocity.

The net torque about an axis of rotation is equal to the product of the rotational inertia
about that axis and the angular acceleration, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Relationship between force (F), torque (τ), momentum (p), and angular momentum (L) vectors in a
rotating system

Similar to Newton’s Second Law, angular motion also obeys Newton’s First Law. If no
outside forces act on an object, an object in motion remains in motion and an object at
rest remains at rest. With rotating objects, we can say that unless an outside torque is
applied, a rotating object will stay rotating and an object at rest will not begin rotating.

If a turntable were spinning counter clockwise (when viewed from the top), and you
applied your fingers to opposite sides the turntable would begin to slow its spinning.
From a translational viewpoint, at least, there would be no net force applied to the
turntable. The force that points to one side would be cancelled by the force that points
to the other. The forces of the two fingers would cancel. Therefore, the turntable would
be in translational equilibrium. Despite that, the rotational velocity would be decreased
meaning that the acceleration would no longer be zero. From this we might conclude
that just because a rotating object is in translational equilibrium, it is not necessarily in
rotational equilibrium.