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In aninternal combustion engine, theengine block is the structure that contains thecylinders and other components. The engine block in an early automotive engine consisted of just the cylinder block, to which a separatecrankcase 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 ascoolant passages andoil galleries.
The term "cylinder block" is often used interchangeably with "engine block". However, technically, the block of a modern engine (i.e., multiple cylinders integrated with another component) would be classified as amonobloc.
The main structure of an engine typically consists of thecylinders, coolant passages, oil galleries, crankcase, andcylinder head(s). The first production engines of the 1880s to 1920s usually used separate components for each element, which were bolted together during engine assembly. Modern engines, however, often combine many elements into a single component to reduce production costs.
The evolution from separate components to monobloc engine blocks has gradually progressed since the early 20th century. The integration of elements has relied on the development offoundry andmachining techniques. For example, a practical, low-cost V8 engine was not feasible until Ford developed the methods used to build itsflathead V8 engine. Other manufacturers then applied those techniques to their engines.
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A cylinder block is a structure that contains thecylinder, plus anycylinder sleeves and coolant passages. In the earliest decades of internal combustion engine development, cylinders were usually cast individually, so cylinder blocks were usually produced separately 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.
In early engines with multiple cylinder banks – such asV6,V8, orflat-6 engines – each bank was typically made of one or multiple separate cylinder blocks. Since the 1930s, mass production methods have developed to allow both banks of cylinders to be integrated into the same cylinder block.
Wet liner cylinder blocks use cylinder walls that are entirely removable and fit into the block using special gaskets. They are called "wet liners" because their outer sides come in direct contact with the engine's coolant. In other words, the liner is the entire cylinder wall, rather than merely a sleeve.
The advantages of wet liners are a lower mass, reduced space requirements, and coolant being heated faster from a cold start, reducing start-up fuel consumption and heating 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" outside, surrounded by the block's material.
For either wet or dry liner designs, the liners (or sleeves) can be replaced, potentially allowing an engine overhaul or rebuild without replacing the block itself. However, there are more practical repair options.
The crankcase is the structure that houses thecrankshaft. As with cylinder blocks, this is primarily an integrated component in modern engines.
Engine blocks are typically cast from eithercast iron or analuminium alloy. Aluminium blocks are much lighter and transfer heat more effectively to coolant, but iron blocks retain some advantages, such as durability and reducedthermal expansion.
Weight reductions through material selection. Presently, most of the engine blocks in mass production are gray castings. Reducing weight has resulted in using aluminum-silicon alloys more frequently for the engine block in small-displacement engines. Engine blocks of comparable design, but using Al-Si alloys, are not lighter than cast iron engine blocks in the same ratio as that for the specific weights of the materials.
In engine blocks made of gray cast iron, weight can be reduced by optimizing the structure and thin-wall casting. With this casting technique, a wall thickness of as little as about 3 mm is generally possible. In comparison, the walls of cast iron engine blocks are usually from 4.0 to 5.5 mm thick.
Using vermicular graphite cast iron (GGV), a casting material with great strength, enables weight reductions by about 30% compared to conventional casting materials such as GG 25. Weight reduction, to this extent, requires engineering for the engine block, taking into account the particular needs of the material.[1]
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An engine where all the cylinders share a common block is called amonobloc engine. Most modern engines use a monobloc design, and few have a separate block for each cylinder. This has led to the term "engine block," which usually implies a monobloc design, with "monobloc" rarely used.
In the early years of the internal combustion engine,casting technology couldn't produce large castings with complexinternal cores (forwater jackets etc). Most early engines, particularly those with more than four cylinders, had their cylinders cast as pairs or triplets of cylinders, then bolted to a separate 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 more straightforward and more cost-effective to produce. All the cylinders and crankcase could be made in a single component forstraight engine cylinder layouts. One of the early engines produced using this method is the 4-cylinder engine in theFord Model T, introduced in 1908. The technique spread tostraight-six engines and was commonly used by the mid-1920s.
Up until the 1930s, mostV 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.[3]: 120 A rare exception was theLancia 22½° narrow-angleV12 of 1919, which used a single block casting combining both banks.[3]: 50–53 TheFord flathead V8 – 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.[4]
The communal water jacket of monobloc designs permitted closer spacing between cylinders. The monobloc design approach also improved engines'torsional rigidity as cylinder numbers, engine lengths, and power ratings increased.
Most engine blocks today, except some unusual V or radial engines and large marine engines, use a monobloc design with one block for all 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.
Using steel cylinder liners andbearing shells minimizes the effect of the relative softness of aluminium. Some engine designs useplasma transferred wire arc thermal spraying, instead of cylinder sleeves, to further reduce weight. These types of engines can also be made ofcompacted graphite iron, such as in some diesel engines.[5]
Some modern consumer-gradesmall engines use a monobloc design where the cylinder head, block, and half of the crankcase share the same casting. Apart from cost, one reason for this is to produce an overall lower engine height.[citation needed] The primary disadvantage can be that repairs become more time-consuming and impractical.
An example of engines with integrated cylinder heads are the HondaGC-series and GXV-series engines, which are sometimes called "Uniblock" by Honda.[6]
Several cars withtransverse engines have used an engine block consisting of an integratedtransmission and crankcase. Cars that have used this arrangement include the 1966-1973Lamborghini Miura[7] and cars using the BMCA-series andE-series engines.[8][9] This design often results in the engine and transmission sharing the same oil.
Motorcycles such as theHonda CB750 use a similar layout, with the cylinder block and crankcase integrated with part of the transmission.
Many farmtractor designs integrate the cylinder block, crankcase, transmission, and rear axle into a single unit. An early example is theFordson tractor.
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