CRANKCASE

CRANKCASE
• houses the entire crank mechanism including
pistons, cylinders and connecting rods.
It contains the bearings and bearing supports in which the
crankshaft revolves.
It should be:
• Tight enclosure for lubricating oil.
(To prevent leakage)
• Support for attachment of the cylinders and the
powerplant to the aircraft.
(to opposed mechanical loads and forces)
• Must be rigid, strong and light.
(Cast of forged aluminum alloy)
• The shape of the nose or front of the crankcase
section varies considerably. In general, it is either
tapered or round.

CYLINDER PADS OR CYLINDER MOUNTING PADS

• provided with a suitable means of retaining or
fastening the cylinders to the crankcase
• Often on opposed engines

ENGINE MOUNT OR FRAMEWORK

• used to attach the engine assembly
• attaching the power plant to the fuselage of single-
engine aircraft or to the wing nacelle structure of
multi-engine aircraft

MOUNTING LUNGS
• integral with the crankcase or diffuser section or
detachable

* The mounting arrangement supports the entire power plant

including the propeller, and therefore is designed to provide
ample strength for rapid maneuvers or other loadings.
TYPES OF CRANKCASE

OPPOSED ENGINE CRANKCASE

• A typical horizontally opposed engine crankcase
consists of two halves of cast aluminum alloy that are
manufactured either with sand castings or by using
permanent molds.

RADIAL ENGINE CRANKCASE

• The number of sections can be as few as three or as
many as seven depending on the size and type of
engine.
• In general, a typical radial engine crankcase
separates into four main sections: the nose section,
the power section, the supercharger section, and the
accessory section.

• Nose Section - it is mounted at the front of a radial

engine crankcase and bolts directly to the power
section. The nose section usually houses and
supports a propeller governor drive shaft, the
propeller shaft, a cam ring, and a propeller reduction
gear assembly if required.
• Main or Power Section - It represents the section of
the crankcase where the reciprocating motion of the
pistons is converted to the rotary motion of the
crankshaft. It supports crankshaft bearings, where
cylinders are mounted.
• Diffuser or Supercharger Section - Located behind
the power section and is generally made of cast
aluminum alloy or magnesium. This section houses
the supercharger and its related components. It is
also called as “fuel induction and distribution section”.
It provides housing for attachments of induction pipes
and manifold pressure lines.
• Accessory Section - A typical accessory section
houses gear trains containing both spur- and bevel-
type gears that drive various engine components and
accessories. It has mounting pads for fuel pump, oil
pump, tachometer generators etc.
CRANKSHAFT

CRANKSHAFT
• The crankshaft is the backbone of the reciprocating
engine.
• Its main purpose is to transform the reciprocating
motion of the piston and connecting rod into rotary
motion for rotation of the propeller or helicopter
transmission.
• composed of one or more cranks located at specified
points along its length
• Since crankshafts must be very strong, they generally
are forged from a very strong alloy, such as
chromium-nickel-molybdenum steel.

• A crankshaft may be of single-piece or multi-piece

construction. The figure on the right shows two
representative types of solid crankshafts used in
aircraft engines. The four-throw construction may
be used either on four cylinder horizontal opposed or
four-cylinder inline engines. The six-throw shaft is
used on six-cylinder inline engines, 12- cylinder V-
type engines, and six-cylinder opposed engines.
• Crankshafts of radial engines may be the single-
throw, two-throw, or four-throw type, depending on
whether the engine is the single-row, twin-row, or
four-row type. A single-throw radial engine crankshaft
is shown in the figure on the right.

CRANKS
• cranks, or throws, are formed by forging offsets into a
shaft before it is machined.
JOURNAL
• serves as the center of rotation of the crankshaft
• surface-hardened to reduce wear

CRANKPIN
• the section to which the connecting rod is attached
• off-center from the main journals
• “throw” : two crank cheeks and a crankpin
• reduces the total weight of the crankshaft and
provides a passage for the transfer of lubricating oil

CRANK CHEEK OR CRANK ARM

• connects the crankpin to the main journal
• must be of sturdy construction to obtain the required
rigidity between the crankpin and the journal
CRANKSHAFT BALANCE OR COUNTERWEIGHT
• Compensate for outer moments, minimize internal
moments and therefore reduce the amount of
vibration and bearing stresses.
to distribute weight around a fulcrum
• Excessive vibration in an engine not only results in
fatigue failure of the metal structures, but also causes
the moving parts to wear rapidly.
• balanced around the axis of rotation
• Crankshafts are balanced for static balance and
dynamic balance - A crankshaft is dynamically
balanced when all the forces created by crankshaft
rotation and power impulses are balanced within
themselves so that little or no vibration is produced
when the engine is operating

DYNAMIC DAMPERS
• reduce vibration to a minimum during engine
operation
• merely a pendulum that is fastened to the crankshaft
so that it is free to move in a small arc
• incorporated in the counterweight assembly
CYLINDERS

CYLINDERS
• provides a combustion chamber where the
burning and expansion of gases take place,
and it houses the piston and the connecting
rod
• four major factors that need to be considered
in the design and construction
o must be strong enough to withstand
the internal pressures developed
during engine operation
o lightweight metal to keep down engine
weight
o good heat-conducting properties for
efficient cooling
o easy and inexpensive to manufacture,
inspect, and maintain
• The cylinder used in the air-cooled engine is
the overhead valve type.

CYLINDER HEAD
• controlling air flow in and out of the cylinders
and fuel deployment - Gives the cylinder more
heat conductivity for cooling
• holds the injectors and valves
• provides the mounting for various components
such as inlet and outlet exhaust valves and
ducts, spark plugs, fuel injectors, and
camshafts - Contains the intake valve,
exhaust valve (Bronze or steel valve guides
are usually shrunk and pressed or screwed
into drilled openings in the cylinder head to
provide guides for the valve stems.) and
sparkplugs (Stainless steel Heli-Coil spark
plug inserts are used in many engines
currently manufactured).
• Provides a place for combustion of the fuel/air
mixture.
• Contains fins for cooling
• made of aluminum alloy - good conductor of
heat and its light weight reduces the overall
engine weight
• forged or die-cast for greater strength
• inner shape of a cylinder head is generally
semi-spherical. The semispherical shape is
generally stronger than other designs and aids
in a more rapid and thorough scavenging of
the exhaust gases.
CYLINDER BARRELS
• The cylinder barrel in which the piston
operates must be made of a high-strength
material, usually steel.
• It must be as light as possible, yet have the
proper characteristics for operating under high
temperatures and pressures.
• It must be made of a good bearing material
and have high tensile strengt
• Made of a steel alloy forging with the inner
surface hardened to resist wear. (Nitrided)
• Worn Cylinder walls can be ground out and re-
nitrided or chrome plated.
• Chrome plated cylinders can be recognized by
orange paint mark on cylinder.
VALVES

VALVE
• primary function is to allow air into and out
of the cylinder
• to balance and control the flow of
gasses that come into and out of the
cylinders located in the engine.
• The fuel/air mixture enters the cylinders
through the intake valve ports, and burned
gases are expelled through the exhaust valve
ports.
• The head of each valve opens and closes
these cylinder ports. The valves used in
aircraft engines are the conventional poppet
type. The valves are also typed by their shape
and are called either mushroom or tulip
because of their resemblance to the shape of
these plants.
• filled with metallic sodium - sodium melts at
approximately 208°F and the reciprocating
motion of the valve circulates the liquid
sodium, allowing it to carry away heat from the
valve head to the valve stem where it is
dissipated through the valve guide to the
cylinder head and the cooling fins

VALVE MECHANISM
• For a reciprocating engine to operate properly,
each valve must open at the correct time, stay
open for the required length of time, and close
at the proper time. Intake valves are opened
just before the piston reaches top dead center
on the exhaust stroke, and exhaust valves
remain open after top dead center as the
cylinder begins its intake stroke.
• At a particular instant, therefore, both valves
are open at the same time (end of the exhaust
stroke and beginning of the intake stroke).
This valve overlap permits better volumetric
efficiency and lowers the cylinder operating
temperature. This timing of the valves is
controlled by the valve-operating mechanism
and is referred to as the valve timing.
• The valve lift (distance that the valve is lifted
off its seat) and the valve duration (length of
time the valve is held open) are both
determined by the shape of the cam lobes.
VALVE HEAD
• The valve head has a ground face that forms
a seal against the ground valve seat in the
cylinder head when the valve is closed.
• The face of the valve is usually ground toan
angle of either 30° or 45°. In some engines,
the intake-valve face is ground to an angle of
30°, and the exhaust-valve face is ground to a
45° angle.

VALVE FACE
• made more durable by the application of a
material called satellite. About 1/16 inch of
this alloy is welded to the valve face and
ground to the correct angle. Sterlite is
resistant to high temperature corrosion and
also withstands the shock and wear
associated with valve operation.
VALVE STEM
• surface hardened to resist wear
• withstand the hammering of the valve rocker
arm as it opens the valve
CAM RING & CAMSHAFT

TAPPET / VALVE LIFTER ASSEMBLY

• to convert the rotational movement of the
cam lobe into reciprocating motion and to
transmit this motion to the push rod, rocker
arm, and then to the valve tip, opening the
valve at the proper time.
• The tappet or valve lifter assembly consists of
the following:
1) A cylindrical tappet, which slides in and out
in a tappet guide installed in one of the
crankcase sections around the cam ring.
2) A tappet roller or face, which follows the
contour of the cam ring and lobes.
3) A tappet ball socket or push rod socket.
4) A tappet spring.
*Radial Engine TAPPET GUIDE
• opening the intake and pressure relief
valves of the engine
• As the cam ring revolves, the lobes cause the
cam roller to raise the tappet in the tappet
guide, thereby transmitting the force through
the push rod and rocker arm to open the valve.
In a single-row radial engine
• The tappet assembly consists of:
o A cylindrical tappet, which slides in
and out in a tappet guide installed in
one of the crankcase sections around
the cam ring
o A tappet roller, which follows the
contour of the cam ring and lobes
o A tappet ball socket or push rod
socket
o A tappet spring

CAM RING
• usually located between the propeller
reduction gearing and the front end of the
power section.
• In a twin-row radial engine, a second cam
for the operation of the valves in the rear
row is installed between the rear end of the
power section and the supercharger
section.
CAM TRACK
• sets of lobes spaced around the outer
periphery for the intake valves and the other
for the exhaust valves
• cam rings used may have four or five lobes
on both the intake and the exhaust tracks.
• The timing of the valve events is determined
by the spacing of these lobes and the speed
and direction at which the cam rings are
driven in relation to the speed and direction of
the crankshaft.

CAMSHAFT
• controls both the input of fuel and the
expulsion of exhaust fumes
• The valve mechanism of an opposed engine
is operated by a camshaft. The camshaft is
driven by a gear that meshes with another
gear attached to the crankshaft as shown in
the figure below.
• The camshaft always rotates at one-half the
crankshaft speed. As the camshaft revolves,
the lobes cause the tappet assembly to rise in
the tappet guide, transmitting the force
through the push rod and rocker arm to open
the valve.

SOLID LIFTERS / TAPPETS

• require the valve clearance to be adjusted
manually by adjusting a screw and lock nut.
Valve clearance is needed to assure that the
valve has enough clearance in the valve train
to close completely.

HYDRAULIC VALVE TAPPETS/ LIFTERS

• automatically keep the valve clearance at zero
when the engine is running, eliminating the
necessity for any valve clearance adjustment
mechanism
Push Rod
- tubular in form, transmits the lifting force
from the valve tappet to the rocker arm

Rocker Arms
- transmit the lifting force from the cams to
the valves

Valve or Tappet Clearance

- This is a small gap measured between the
rocker pad and the valve tip
- continuously heated by combustion and
expand at a greater rate than the rest of the
operating mechanism
- As the engine heats up, the small gap or
“valve clearance”, as shown in the figure
below, allows the valve to expand at its own
rate

Valve Springs
- Each valve is closed by two or three
helical springs
- Each spring vibrates at a different engine
speed and rapid damping out of all spring-
surge vibrations during engine operation
results

Piston
- cylindrical member that moves back and
forth within a steel cylinder
- acts as a moving wall within the combustion
chamber
- As the piston moves down in the cylinder, it
draws in the fuel/air mixture
TYPES OF PISTON CONSTRUCTION
- majority of aircraft engine pistons are machined from aluminum alloy forgings
- Grooves are machined in the outside surface of the piston to receive the piston rings, and cooling fins
are provided on the inside of the piston on some models for greater heat transfer to the engine oil

Trunk Type
- usually given to the pistons in four stroke
medium speed engines
- These pistons have composite design
which comprises of thin sectioned alloy
steel piston crown along with aluminum
alloy skirt

Slipper Type
- are not used in modern, high-powered
engines because they do not provide
adequate strength or wear resistance
- The top of the piston, or head, may be flat,
convex, or concave. Recesses may be
machined in the piston head to prevent
interference with the valves
Cam- Ground Pistons
- As the piston heats up during warm up, the
part of the piston in line with the pin has
more mass and expands more making the
piston completely round
- At low temperatures, the piston is oval
shaped and, when it warms to operating
temperature, it becomes round
- As many as six grooves may be machined
around the piston to accommodate the
compression rings and oil rings
 Piston Pins
- sometimes called a wristpin because of the
similarity between the relative motions of
the piston and the connecting or articulated
rod and that of the human arm.
- It is also known as gudgeon pin
- form of a tube from a nickel steel alloy
forging
- joins the piston to the connecting rod

TYPE OF PISTON PIN

Full-Floating Type
- used in modern aircraft engines
pin is free to rotate in both the piston and in the
connecting rod piston-pin bearing
 Piston Rings
- prevent leakage of gas pressure from the
combustion chamber and reduce to a
minimum the seepage of oil into the
combustion chamber
- fit into the piston grooves but spring out to
press against the cylinder walls
- when properly lubricated, the rings form an
effective gas seal
- Most piston rings are made of high-grade
cast iron
- purpose is to seal the clearance between
the piston and the cylinder wall, they must
fit the cylinder wall snugly enough to
provide a gas-tight fit
- They must exert equal pressure at all points
Note: Chrome rings must be used with steel on the cylinder wall, and must make a gas-
cylinder walls. Never use chrome rings on tight fit against the sides of the ring grooves
chrome cylinders - Gray cast iron is most often used in making
piston rings
- In some engines, chrome-plated mild
steel piston rings are used in the top
compression ring groove because these
rings can better withstand the high
temperatures present at this point

TYPES OF PISTON RING

Compression Ring
- prevent or minimize the escape of
combustion gases past the piston during
engine operation placed in the ring grooves
immediately below the piston head number
of compression rings used on each piston is
determined by the type of engine and its
design, although most aircraft engines use
two compression rings plus one or more
oil control rings
Oil Control Rings
- placed in the grooves immediately below
the compression rings and above the piston
pin bores
- Oil control rings regulate the thickness of
the oil film on the cylinder wall
 If too much oil enters the combustion chamber, it
burns and leaves a thick coating of carbon on the
combustion chamber walls, the piston head, the
spark plugs, and the valve heads
PART OF OIL CONTROL RING

Oil Scraper Ring

- has a beveled face and is installed in the
groove at the bottom of the piston skirt
- The ring is installed with the scraping edge
away from the piston head or in the reverse
position, depending upon cylinder position
and the engine series
- In the reverse position, the scraper ring
retains the surplus oil above the ring on the
upward piston stroke, and this oil is returned
to the crankcase by the oil control rings on
the downward stroke

Connecting Rod
- the link that transmits forces between the
piston and the crankshaft
- must be strong enough to remain rigid
under load and yet be light enough to
reduce the inertia forces

TYPES OF CONNECTING ROD ASSEMBLE

Plain-Type Connecting Rods

- used in inline and opposed engines
The end of the rod attached to the crankpin is
fitted with a cap and a two-piece bearing. The
bearing cap is held on the end of the rod by bolts
or studs. To maintain proper fit and balance,
connecting rods should always be replaced in
the same cylinder and in the same relative
position
Fork-and-Blade Rod Assembly
- used primarily in V-type engines
- The forked rod is split at the crankpin end
to allow space for the blade rod to fit
between the prongs.
- A single two-piece bearing is used on the
crankshaft end of the rod.
This type of connecting rod is not commonly
used on modern reciprocating engines.
Master-and-articulated Rod Assembly
- commonly used in radial engines
- In a radial engine, the piston in one cylinder
in each row is connected to the crankshaft
by a master rod
- All other pistons in the row are connected
to the master rod by articulated rods
- In an 18-cylinder engine, which has two
rows of cylinders, there are two master
rods and 16 articulated rods. The
articulated rods are constructed of forged
steel alloy in either the I- or H-shape,
denoting the cross-sectional shape.
Bronze bushings are pressed into the bores in
each end of the articulated rod to provide
knuckle-pin and piston-pin bearings.
Split-Type Rod Assembly
- is a special type of master and articulated
rod assembly
The master and articulated rods are assembled
and then installed on the crankpin; the crankshaft
sections are then joined together
Knuckle Pins
- solid construction except for the oil
passages drilled in the pins, which
lubricate the knuckle pin bushings
- may also be installed with a loose fit so
that they can turn in the master rod flange
holes, and also turn in the articulating rod
bushings
- called full-floating knuckle pins
- In either type of installation, a lock plate on
each side retains the knuckle pin and
prevents a lateral movement

Propeller Reduction Gearing

- The increased brake horsepower
delivered by a high horsepower engine
results partly from increased crankshaft
rpm
- therefore necessary to provide reduction
gears to limit the propeller rotation speed
to a value at which efficient operation is
obtained
- Reduction gearing for engines allows the
engine to operate at a higher rpm,
developing more power while slowing
down the propeller rpm
 Propeller Shaft
Propeller Shafts
- three major types: tapered, splined, or
flanged
- Tapered shafts are identified by taper
numbers
- Splined and flanged shafts are
identified by SAE (Society of Automotive
Engineers) numbers
- The propeller shaft of most low power
output engines is forged as part of the
crankshaft.
- It is tapered and a milled slot is provided
so that the propeller hub can be keyed to
the shaft
SECTION OF PROPRELLER SHAFT

Accessory (rear) section

- material may be either aluminum alloy
which is used most widely , or magnesium
- it is cast in one piece and provided with
means for mounting the accessories, such
as magnetos, carburetors, fuel, oil,
vacuum pumps, starter, generator,
tachometer drive, etc., in the various
locations required to facilitate accessibility

Accessory Gear Trains

- containing both spur- and bevel-type
gears, are used in the different types of
engines for driving engine components
and accessories
- On opposed, reciprocating engines, the
accessory gear trains are usually simple
arrangements.
- Many of these engines use simple gear
trains to drive the engine’s accessories at
the proper speeds
TYPES OF GEARS

Spur Type Gears

- generally used to drive the heavier loaded
accessories or those requiring the least
play or backlash in the gear train

Bevel Gears
- permit angular location of short stub shafts
leading to the various accessory mounting
pads

Sumps
- used to collect oil circulating through the
engine after the oil has completed its tasks

TYPE OF SUMPS
Wet Sump Engines
- use the sump as the storage tank for the
oil
- a pump collects the oil and transfer to their
destination through the oil galleries. The
oil then returns to the sump for cooling
before recirculation

Dry Sump Engines

- store their oil in a remote tank
- dry sump engines have oil quantities that
are comparatively large. For example, an
airplane equipped with a 9-cylinder radial
engine may have an oil capacity of 8
gallons. A 14-cylinder radial engine
typically has an oil tank with a 30 gallon
capacity.
 Induction System
- brings in air from the outside, mixes it with
fuel, and delivers the fuel-air mixture to the
cylinder where combustion occurs
- Outside air enters the induction system
through an intake port on the front of the
engine cowling
- begins with the inlet air filter, or opening for
carburetor heat or alternate air entrance,
and ends at the intake port. Induction air
passes through the air box, if used, into the
fuel-metering system and induction pipes
before reaching the intake ports of the
cylinders

Reciprocating Engine Exhaust Systems

- Its main function is to dispose of the gases
with complete safety to the airframe and
the occupants of the aircraft
- to provide protection against the
potentially destructive action of the
exhaust gases

TYPES OF EXHAUST SYSTEMS

Short stack (open) system
- is generally used on non-supercharged engines and low-powered engines where noise level
is not too objectionable

Collector system
- sometimes found on World War II airplanes like the P-51 Mustang
PART/SECTION OF EXHUAST SYSTEM
Exhaust Collector Ring
- installed on a fourteen-cylinder radial
engine
- welded corrosion-resistant steel assembly
manufactured in seven sections, with
each section collecting the exhaust
from two cylinders