Engine block

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Block of a modern V6 diesel engine. The large holes are the cylinders, the small round orifices are
mounting holes and the small oval orifices are coolant or oil ducts.

An engine block is the structure which contains the cylinders, and other parts, of an internal
combustion engine. In an early automotive engine, the engine block consisted of just the cylinder
block, to which a separate crankcase was attached. Modern engine blocks typically have the
crankcase integrated with the cylinder block as a single component. Engine blocks often also
include elements such as coolant passages and oil galleries.
The term "cylinder block" is often used interchangeably with engine block, although technically
the block of a modern engine (i.e. multiple cylinders in a single component) would be classified
as a monobloc. Another common term for an engine block is simply "block".

Contents

• 1Engine block components

o 1.1Cylinder blocks
o 1.2Cylinder liners
o 1.3Coolant passages
o 1.4Oil passages
o 1.5Crankcase
• 2Monoblocs
o 2.1Integrated crankcase
o 2.2Integrated cylinder head
o 2.3Integrated transmission
• 3Block material
• 4See also
• 5References

Engine block components[edit]

De Dion-Bouton engine, circa 1950. The cylinder heads are integrated into the engine block, however the
crankcase is separate. The bottom half of the crankcase also includes the oil sump.[1]

The main structure of an engine (i.e. the long block, excluding any moving parts) typically
consists of the cylinders, coolant passages, oil galleries, crankcase and cylinder head(s). The
first production engines of the 1880s to 1920s usually used separate components for each of
these elements, which were bolted together during engine assembly. Modern engines, however,
often combine many of these elements into a single component, in order to reduce production
costs.
The evolution from separate components to an engine block integrating several elements
(a monobloc engine) has been a gradual progression throughout the history of internal
combustion engines. The integration of elements has relied on the development
of foundry and machining techniques. For example, a practical low-cost V8 engine was not
feasible until Ford developed the techniques used to build the Ford flathead V8 engine. These
techniques were then applied to other engines and manufacturers.
Cylinder blocks[edit]
Cylinder blocks for a straight-6 engine

Cylinders cast in three pairs (on a marine engine)

Cylinders cast in two blocks of three

Cylinders cast in a single block of six, with integrated crankcase (turbocharger in background)

A cylinder block is the structure which contains the cylinder, plus any cylinder sleeves and
coolant passages. In the earliest decades of internal combustion engine development, cylinders
were usually cast individually, so cylinder blocks were usually produced individually for each
cylinder. Following that, engines began to combine two or three cylinders into a single cylinder
block, with an engine combining several of these cylinder blocks combined together.
In early engines with multiple cylinder banks — such as a V6, V8 or flat-6 engine — each bank
was typically a separate cylinder block (or multiple blocks per bank). Since the 1930s, mass
production methods have developed to allow both banks of cylinders to be integrated into the
same cylinder block.
Cylinder liners[edit]
Wet liner cylinder blocks use cylinder walls that are entirely removable, which fit into the block by
means of special gaskets. They are referred to as "wet liners" because their outer sides come in
direct contact with the engine's coolant. In other words, the liner is the entire wall, rather than
being merely a sleeve.
Advantages of wet liners are a lower mass, reduced space requirement and that the coolant
liquid is heated quicker from a cold start, which reduces start-up fuel consumption and provides
heating for the car cabin sooner.
Dry liner cylinder blocks use either the block's material or a discrete liner inserted into the block
to form the backbone of the cylinder wall. Additional sleeves are inserted within, which remain
"dry" on their outside, surrounded by the block's material.
For either wet or dry liner designs, the liners (or sleeves) can be replaced, potentially allowing
overhaul or rebuild without replacement of the block itself, although this is often not a practical
repair option.
Coolant passages[edit]
Main article: Internal combustion engine cooling
Oil passages[edit]
Main article: Oil pump (internal combustion engine)
Crankcase[edit]
Main article: crankcase

Monoblocs[edit]
Typical 1930-1960 flathead engine with integrated crankcase (the cylinder head is tipped upwards for
illustrative purposes)

An engine where all the cylinders share a common block is called a monobloc engine. Most
modern engines (including cars, trucks, buses and tractors) use a monoblock design of some
type, therefore few modern engines have a separate block for each cylinder. This has led to the
term "engine block" usually implying a monobloc design and the term monobloc itself is rarely
used.
In the early years of the internal combustion engine, casting technology could produce either
large castings, or castings with complex internal cores to allow for water jackets, but not both
simultaneously. Most early engines, particularly those with more than four cylinders, had their
cylinders cast as pairs or triplets of cylinders, then bolted to a single crankcase.
As casting techniques improved, an entire cylinder block of 4, 6, or 8 cylinders could be produced
in one piece. This monobloc construction was simpler and more cost effective to produce. For
engines with an inline configuration, this meant that all the cylinders, plus the crankcase, could
be produced in a single component. One of the early engines produced using this method is the
4-cylinder engine in the Ford Model T, introduced in 1908. The method spread to straight-six
engines and was commonly used by the mid-1920s.
Up until the 1930s, most V engines retained a separate block casting for each cylinder bank, with
both bolted onto a common crankcase (itself a separate casting). For economy, some engines
were designed to use identical castings for each bank, left and right.[2](p120) A rare exception is
the Lancia 22½° narrow-angle V12 of 1919, which used a single block casting combining both
banks.[2](pp50-53) The Ford flathead V-8 — introduced in 1932 — represented a significant
development in the production of affordable V engines. It was the first V8 engine with a single
engine block casting, putting a V8 into an affordable car for the first time.[3]
The communal water jacket of monobloc designs permitted closer spacing between cylinders.
The monobloc design also improved the mechanical stiffness of the engine against bending and
the increasingly important torsional twist, as cylinder numbers, engine lengths, and power ratings
increased.
Integrated crankcase[edit]
Most engine blocks today, except some unusual V or radial engines and large marine engines,
are a monobloc for all the cylinders, plus an integrated crankcase. In such cases, the skirts of the
cylinder banks form a crankcase area of sorts, which is still often called a crankcase despite no
longer being a discrete part.
Use of steel cylinder liners and bearing shells minimizes the effect of the relative softness of
aluminium. Some engine designs use plasma transferred wire arc thermal spraying instead
cylinder sleeves, to reduce weight. They can also be produced in compacted graphite iron (CGI)
such as some diesel engines.[4]
Integrated cylinder head[edit]
 Integrated cylinder head engines

DB 605 inverted V12 aircraft engine

Honda GX 160 engine in a ride-on lawnmower

Some modern consumer-grade small engines use a monobloc design where the cylinder head,
block, and half the crankcase share the same casting. One reason for this, apart from cost, is to
produce an overall lower engine height. The disadvantage can be that repairs become more
time-consuming and perhaps impractical.
An example of engines with integrated cylinder heads are the Honda GC-series and GXV-series
engines, which are sometimes called "Uniblock" by Honda.[5]
Integrated transmission[edit]
Several cars with transverse engines have used an engine block consisting of an
integrated transmission and crankcase. Cars that have used this arrangement include the 1966-
1973 Lamborghini Miura[6] and several cars using the BMC A-series and E-
series engines.[7][8] This design often results in the engine and transmission sharing the same oil.
Many farm tractor designs have cylinder block, crankcase, transmission and rear axle integrated
into a single unit. An early example is the Fordson tractor.

Block material[edit]
Engine blocks are normally cast from either a cast iron or an aluminium alloy. The aluminium
block is much lighter in weight, and has better heat transfer to the coolant, but iron blocks retain
some advantages and continue to be used by some manufacturers.

See also[edit]
• Core plug
• Head gasket
• Long block
• Short block

References[edit]
1. ^ Kennedy, Rankin (1912). The De Dion-Bouton Engine and Cars.
The Book of Modern Engines and Power Generators. London:
Caxton. pp. 78–89.
2. ^ Jump up to:a b Ludvigsen, Karl (2005). The V12 Engine. Haynes
Publishing. ISBN 1-84425-004-0.
 3. ^ Sorensen, Charles E.; Williamson, Samuel T. (1956). My Forty
Years with Ford. New York, USA: Norton. pp. 225–
231. ISBN 9780814332795.
4. ^ Brooks, Robert (January 25, 2012). "Navistar Now Producing
Engine Blocks, Heads in CGI". Foundry Management &
Technology. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
5. ^ "Honda General Purpose Engines: GC Series - Single Cylinder".
Archived from the original on 2010-11-27. Includes sectioned
drawings
6. ^ "Lamborghini Miura SV (1971)". www.netcarshow.com.
Retrieved 12 December 2018.
7. ^ "H and K-Series prototypes: BL's first attempt at replacing the A-
Series". www.aronline.co.uk. 22 July 2017. Retrieved 12
December 2018.
8. ^ "Tiny and Triumphant: The Morris / Austin
Mini". www.ateupwithmotor.com. 1 May 2010. Retrieved 12
December2018.

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 •

Crankcase
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
For other uses, see Crankcase (disambiguation).

De Dion-Bouton engine (circa 1905) with a crankcase formed from separate castings of the upper and
lower halves[1]

A crankcase is the housing for the crankshaft in a reciprocating internal combustion engine. In
most modern engines, the crankcase is integrated into the engine block.
Two-stroke engines typically use a crankcase-compression design, resulting in the fuel/air
mixture passing through the crankcase before entering the cylinder(s). This design of engine
does not include an oil sump in the crankcase.
Four-stroke engines typically have an oil sump at the bottom of the crankcase and the majority of
the engine's oil is held within the crankcase. The fuel/air mixture does not pass through the
crankcase in a four-stroke engine, however a small amount of exhaust gasses often enter as
"blow-by" from the combustion chamber.
The crankcase often forms the lower half of the main bearing journals (with the bearing caps
forming the other half), although in some engines the crankcase completely surrounds the main
bearing journals.
An "open-crank" engine has no crankcase. This design was used in early engines and remains in
use in some large diesel engines, such as used in ships.

Contents

• 1Two-stroke engines
o 1.1Crankcase-compression
o 1.2Lubricating crankcase
• 2Four-stroke engines
o 2.1Oil circulation
o 2.2Ventilation of combustion gasses
 • 3Open-crank engines
• 4See also
• 5References

Two-stroke engines[edit]

Two-stroke crankcase-compression engine

Crankcase-compression[edit]
Many two-stroke engines use a crankcase-compression design, where a partial vacuum draws
the fuel/air mixture into the engine as the piston moves upwards. Then as the piston travels
downward, the inlet port is uncovered and the compressed fuel/air mixture is pushed from the
crankcase into the combustion chamber.[2]
Crankcase-compression designs are often used in small petrol (gasoline) engines for
motorcycles, generator sets and garden equipment. This design has also been used in some
small diesel engines, however it is less common.
Both sides of the piston are used as working surfaces: the upper side is the power piston, the
lower side acts as a pump. Therefore an inlet valve is not required. Unlike other types of engines,
there is no supply of oil to the crankcase, because it handles the fuel/air mixture. Instead, two-
stroke oil is mixed with the fuel used by the engine and burned in the combustion chamber.
Lubricating crankcase[edit]
Large two-stroke engines do not use crankcase compression, but instead a separate scavenge
blower or supercharger to draw the fuel/air mixture into the compression chamber. Therefore the
crankcases are similar to a four-stroke engine in that they are solely used for lubrication
purposes.

Four-stroke engines[edit]
Four-stroke engine- oil shown in yellow at the bottom

Most four-stroke engines use a crankcase that contains the engine's lubricating oil, as either
a wet sump system or the less common dry sump system. Unlike a two-stroke (crankcase-
compression) engine, the crankcase in a four-stroke engine is not used for the fuel/air mixture.
Oil circulation[edit]
Engine oil is recirculated around a four-stroke engine (rather than burning it as happens in a two-
stroke engine) and much of this occurs within the crankcase. Oil is stored either at the bottom of
the crankcase (in a wet sump engine) or in a separate reservoir (in a dry sump system).[3] From
here the oil is pressurized by an oil pump (and usually passes through an oil filter) before it is
squirted into the crankshaft and connecting rod bearings and onto the cylinder walls, and
eventually drips off into the bottom of the crankcase.[4]
Even in a wet sump system, the crankshaft has minimal contact with the sump oil. Otherwise, the
high-speed rotation of the crankshaft would cause the oil to froth, making it difficult for the oil
pump to move the oil, which can starve the engine of lubrication.[5] Oil from the sump may splash
onto the crankshaft due to g-forces or bumpy roads, which is referred to as windage.[6]
Ventilation of combustion gasses[edit]
Main article: Crankcase ventilation system
Although the piston rings are intended to seal the combustion chamber from the crankcase, it is
normal for some combustion gasses to escape around the piston rings and enter the crankcase.
This phenomenon is known as blow-by.[7] If these gases accumulated within the crankcase, it
would cause unwanted pressurisation of the crankcase, contamination of the oil and rust from
condensation.[8] To prevent this, modern engines use a crankcase ventilation system to expel the
combustion gasses from the crankcase. In most cases, the gasses are passed through to the
intake manifold.

Open-crank engines[edit]
 Gardner 0 stationary engine (a plate acts as a safety shield, however the crankshaft is not fully enclosed).

Early engines were of the "open-crank" style, that is, there was no enclosed crankcase. The
crankshaft and associated parts were open to the environment. This made for a messy
environment, as oil spray from the moving parts was not contained. Another disadvantage was
that dirt and dust could get on moving engine parts, causing excessive wear and possible
malfunction of the engine. Frequent cleaning of the engine was required to keep it in normal
working order.
Some two-stroke diesel engines, such as the large slow-speed engines used in ships, have the
crankcase as a separate space from the cylinders, or as an open crank. The spaces between
the crosshead piston and the crankshaft, may be largely open for maintenance access.

See also[edit]
• Tunnel crankcase

References[edit]
1. ^ Kennedy, Rankin (1905). The De Dion-Bouton Engine and Cars.
The Book of Modern Engines and Power Generators (1912 ed.).
London: Caxton. pp. 78–89.
2. ^ "How Two-stroke Engines Work". www.howstuffworks.com. 1
April 2000. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
3. ^ "Why do some engines use a dry sump oil
system?". www.howstuffworks.com. 1 April 2000. Retrieved 27
September2019.
4. ^ "How Car Engines Work". www.howstuffworks.com. 5 April
2000. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
5. ^ "Dear Tom and Ray - October 1996". www.cartalk.com. Archived
from the original on 26 September 2011.
6. ^ Jeff Huneycutt. "Oil Pans For Power". www.circletrack.com.
Retrieved 16 November 2006.
7. ^ "Dear Tom and Ray - September 1999". www.cartalk.com.
Archived from the original on 26 September 2011.
8. ^ "Dear Tom and Ray - January 2001". www.cartalk.com. Archived
from the original on 28 September 2009.

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Cylinder (engine)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
For other uses, see Cylinder (disambiguation).
In a reciprocating engine, the cylinder is the space in which a piston travels.[1]
The inner surface of the cylinder is formed from either a thin metallic liner (also called "sleeve")
or a surface coating applied to the engine block. A piston is seated inside each cylinder by
several metal piston rings,[1] which also provide seals for compression and the lubricating oil. The
piston rings do not actually touch the cylinder walls, instead they ride on a thin layer of lubricating
oil.

Contents

• 1Steam engines
• 2Internal combustion engines
o 2.1Cylinder liners/sleeves
• 3See also
• 4References

Steam engines[edit]
Cylinder (and piston) in a double-acting steam engine

Main article: Cylinder (locomotive)

The cylinder in a steam engine is made pressure-tight with end covers and a piston; a valve
distributes the steam to the ends of the cylinder. Cylinders were cast in cast iron and later in
steel. The cylinder casting can include other features such as valve ports and mounting feet.

Internal combustion engines[edit]

Cross-section of a cylinder, along with the valves, spark plug, piston and connecting rod

See also: Internal combustion engine

The cylinder is the space through which the piston travels, propelled to the energy generated
from the combustion of the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber.[2]
In an air-cooled engine, the walls of the cylinders are exposed to the airflow, to provide the
primary method of cooling to the engine. Most air-cooled engines have cooling fins on the
cylinders and each cylinder has a separate case in order to maximise the surface area available
for cooling.
For motorcycle engines, a "reverse cylinder engine" is where the intake ports are on the front
side of each cylinder, and the exhaust ports are on the rear side of each cylinder.[3]
Cylinder liners/sleeves[edit]
Cylinder liners (also known as sleeves) are thin metal cylinder-shaped parts which is inserted
into the engine block to form the inner wall of the cylinder.[4][5] Alternatively, an engine can be
'sleeveless', where the cylinder walls are formed by the engine block with a wear-resistant
coating, such as Nikasil or plasma-sprayed bores.
During use, the cylinder liner is subject to wear from the rubbing action of the piston rings and
piston skirt. This wear is minimized by the thin oil film which coats the cylinder walls and also by
a layer of glaze which naturally forms as the engine is run-in.
On some engines, the cylinder liner is replaceable, in case it becomes worn or damaged. On
engines without replaceable sleeves, the cylinder can sometimes be repaired by boring out the
existing liner to produce a new smooth and round surface (although the diameter of the cylinder
is slightly increased). Another repair technique is 'sleeving' the cylinder— boring it and then
installing a sleeve in the extra space created by the boring.
Most engines use 'dry liners', where the liner is surrounded by the engine block and does not
make contact with the coolant.[6] However, cylinders with 'wet liners' are used in some water-
cooled engines, especially French designs. The wet liners are formed separately from the main
casting so that liquid coolant is free to flow around their outsides. The advantage of wet liners is
better cooling and a more even temperature distribution, however this design reduces the rigidity
of the engine.

See also[edit]
• Bore (engine)
• Cylinder (locomotive)
• Engine displacement
• Internal combustion engine
• Steam engine
• Stroke (engine)

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b Brain, Marshall. "HowStuffWorks "Basic Engine
Parts"". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
2. ^ "Internal Combustion Engine". The Gale Encyclopedia of
Science. Gale Group via HighBeam Research. Archived from the
original on 12 May 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2012. (subscription
required)
3. ^ "The long history of reverse-cylinder engine
designs". www.motocrossactionmag.com. Archived from the
original on 22 February 2014.
4. ^ "What is a cylinder liner?". www.tpr.co.jp. Retrieved 9
November2019.
5. ^ "What is a Cylinder Liner?". www.wisegeek.com. Retrieved 10
November 2019.
6. ^ "Types of Cylinder Liners". www.itstillruns.com. Retrieved 10
November 2019.

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