[JA304] INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

CHAPTER 5
CYLINDER BLOCK AND
CYLINDER HEAD
BY

MOHD SAHRIL MOHD FOUZI

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
UNGKU OMAR POLYTECHNIC

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CYLINDER BLOCK & CYLINDER HEAD

General objective:
To understand the application and structure of the cylinder block and head.
Specific objectives:

At the end of this unit you should be able to:

1. explain the application of the cylinder block.
2. explain the material selected to provide cylinder block.
3. explain two types of sleeve
3.1 Wet sleeve
3.2 Dry sleeve
4. explain the advantages and disadvantages of sleeve.
5. discuss the design of a cylinder head.

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CYLINDER BLOCK & CYLINDER HEAD

Introduction
A cylinder block and cylinder head are the main supporting structures to which
all other engine parts are attached to

Cylinder Block
The cylinder block is the main component of an engine.
It houses, supports, and positions other parts for precise operation.
Engineers have developed many types of cylinder blocks, such as the Lhead (side valve), V twin, and twin-opposed types, to fit equipment
requirements.
The blocks of the engines are generally made of aluminium but may have a
steel cylinder liner (sleeve).
Cast-iron engines fill the need for heavy-duty commercial
works.

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FIGURE 5.1: CYLINDER BLOCK CONSTRUCTION

Figure 5.1 shown a cylinder block four cylinder engine. Cylinder blocks can be
categorized into two categories: replaceable cylinder liners and fixed cylinder
liners. Engines with replaceable cylinder liners are usually called sleeved
engines

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Cylinder Block Material Selection

A cylinder block is made by casting process due to its complex feature.
Once the cylinder block is cast , and after it has been cooled and cured,
surfaces are machined so other parts can be attached to the block. These
surfaces include the cylinders, top of block (deck),camshaft bore, crankshaft
bore, and oil pan surfaces.
The front and rear of the block mounts are also machined so that the parts can
be attached and sealed correctly.
Materials that are used to make a cylinder block are:
i. Cast Iron/steel
ii. Aluminum ( for smaller engine)

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Differences between Aluminum and Cast Iron

In theory, cylinder block which contains iron heads do not conduct as much
heat away from the cylinder as aluminum does, so the iron heads should be
made more powerful.
With the increased concern for improving gasoline mileage, however, car
manufactures are trying to make the vehicle lighter. Besides that, aluminum
weighs less and is generally much easier to repair.

One way to reduce the weight in the block, aluminum is used for this purpose.
Iron is less expensive but weighs more. Silicon is also added to the aluminum.
Through a special process, the silicon is concentrated on the cylinder walls.
This design is called silicon-impregnated cylinder wall.

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CYLINDER BLOCK & CYLINDER HEAD

Cylinder Sleeves
Some manufacturers use cylinder sleeves. Rather than casting the cylinder
bores directly into the block, they insert a machined sleeve (Figure 5.2).

FIGURE 5.2: TYPES OF CYLINDER SLEEVES

Sleeves are inserted after the block has been machined. The purpose of using a
sleeve is that, if the cylinder is damaged, the sleeve can be removed and
replaced rather easily.
Blocks which already have sleeves have to be bored out to remove any
damage. After boring, larger piston will be needed.

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CYLINDER BLOCK & CYLINDER HEAD

The dry sleeve is pressed into a hole in the block. It can be machined quite
thinly because the sleeve is supported from the top to the bottom by the
cast iron block.
The wet sleeve is also pressed into the block. The cooling water touches
the center part of the sleeve. This is why it is called wet sleeve.
Seal must be used on the top and at the bottom of the wet sleeve. Seals are
used to keep the cooling water from leaking out of the cooling system. Wet
sleeves are used on some larger diesel engines.
Advantages of a sleeved engine:
i. easily reconditioned in frame
ii. engine manufacturers are able to produce cylinder liners from special
wear-resistant and heat-treated alloys

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Cylinder Head
The cylinder head closes one end of the cylinder and encloses the combustion
chamber, which is cast into cylinder head.

The cylinder head includes the valve guides, valve seats, ports, combustion
chamber, water jackets, threaded holes for spark plug, other threaded hole for
attaching parts, and several machined surfaces.
The spark plug is threaded into the cylinder head with the spark plug
electrodes protruding into the combustion chamber for each cylinder or
piston.
The cylinder head also has fins to release the heat of combustion into passing
air flow.

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FIGURE 5.3: STRUCTURE OF CYLINDER HEAD

Cylinder Head Materials

Cylinder head can be made from cast iron or aluminum.

Aluminum is used to make the engine lighter, but it transfers heat more
rapidly and expands more than cast iron with the addition of heat.
The cylinder head must have an intake and exhaust port.
After the cylinder head has been cast, it must be machined. Areas must be
machined so that intake and exhaust manifolds can be attached, valves can
be seated, sparks plugs and injectors can be installed, and a good seal can
be provided to the block.
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Intake and exhaust ports must be cast into the cylinder head. These ports
are made so the air and fuel can pass through the cylinder head into the
combustion chamber.

FIGURE 8.4: CYLINDER HEAD CONSTRUCTION

Combustion Chamber
The shape of the Combustion Chamber affects the operating efficiency of the
engine.
Two types of combustion chamber designs are commonly used and they
are the Wedge- Shaped Combustion Chamber and The Hemispherical
Combustion Chamber.
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WedgeShape Combustion Chamber

FIGURE 5. 5: WEDGE SHAPED COMBUSTION CHAMBER

As the piston comes up on the compression stroke, the air and fuel mixture
are squashed in the quench area. The quench area causes the air and fuel to be
mixed thoroughly before combustion chamber.
This helps to improve the combustion efficiency of the engine. Spark plugs
are positioned to get the greatest advantage for combustion.
When the spark occurs, smooth and rapid burning moves from the
spark plug outward. The Wedge Shaped Combustion Chamber is also
called a Turbulence-Type Combustion Chamber.

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Hemispherical Combustion Chamber

FIGURE 5.6 : HEMISPHERICAL COMBUSTION CHAMBER

The Hemispherical Combustion Chamber is also called the Hemi-Head.

The Hemispherical Combustion Chamber is considered a No turbulence-Type
Combustion Chamber. The air and fuel mixture is compressed evenly on the
compression stroke.
The spark plug is located directly in the center of valve. The advantages of the
Hemispherical Combustion Chamber are that air and fuel can enter the chamber
very easily.

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Swirl Chamber

FIGURE 5. 7: SWIRL CHAMBER

The Swirl Chamber is designed to provide better mixing of the air and fuel
particles to improve combustion.
This results in better fuel economy and lower exhaust emissions since fewer
unburned hydrocarbons enter the exhaust system.
The swirl effect is achieved by intake port design, port location in the
combustion chamber, and the shapes of the chamber itself.

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This design factor results in a corkscrew type of flow of the air-fuel mixture in
the cylinder as the piston move up and down on the intake stroke.
As the piston come up on the compression stroke this agitation of the air-fuel
mixture continues and is compounded by compression

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Multivalve Design

FIGURE 5.9: CVCC (CONTROLLED VORTEX COMBUSTION CHAMBER)

The multivalve design is used in across-flow arrangement with intake valve on

one side and exhaust valve on the other side (Figure 5.9).
There are two camshafts, one for intake valves and one for exhaust valves.
This result in more complex camshaft mounting and camshaft drive
requirements.

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The advantages of the multivalve chamber include greater volumetric

efficiency resulting from the increased flow rate, central spark plug location for
better combustion, reduced emissions, better performance, and increase fuel
economy.

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SELF-ASSESSMENT
QUESTION 1
List down two types of cylinder blocks in single-cylinder air-cooled engine
blocks that are cast.
QUESTION 2

What are the materials used to make cylinder block?

QUESTION 3
Name two categories of a cylinder block
QUESTION 4

List two types of Cylinder Sleeve:

QUESTION 5
What is the main function of a cylinder head at the engine?

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SELF-ASSESSMENT
QUESTION 6
Based on the figure below, label the parts of CVCC Combustion Chamber

QUESTION 7
List down three types of Combustion Chamber found in Internal combustion
engine.

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SELF-ASSESSMENT
QUESTION 8
Explain the purpose of Combustion Chamber in the internal engine
QUESTION 9

What are the materials needed to make a cylinder head?

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