Engine cylinder: Structure & functions,

types, cylinder block materials and

manufacturing process

Presented by:
•Anukriti – 19120014
•Anupam Vikas Banjare – 19120015

Guided by: Dr. Manoranjan Kumar Manoj •Anurag Sahu – 19120016 

HOD, Department of Metallurgical and Materials

Engineering
8th sem, Department of Metallurgical and
Materials Engineering
National Institute of Technology Raipur
 Engine cylinder
• The cylinder block is one central component of the engine in an automobile. The engine block structure contains the cylinders and
other engine parts of an internal combustion engine. It is also called an Engine Block.
• The cylinders, cylinder head, and crankcase are the major three parts that form the foundation of an automobile engine.
• The cylinder includes the piston, piston ring, and piston pin which is used to perform the combustion process. It also includes elements
such as the coolant passages and oil galleries which provides circulation and temperature control caused due to friction to various
internal parts of the engine.
Functions of Engine Block:
• Enclose the piston, connecting rod, and crankshaft making sure they work properly inside the cylinder.
• Transfer of the gas forces used in the engine for the combustion process.
• Crankshaft drive mounting.
• Provide connection of the cylinder heads.
• Mounting of the camshaft.
• Mounting of the crankshaft.
• Pathway for transportation of lubricants and coolants.
• Connecting to the transmission via the flywheel drive.
• Sealing of the crankcase with the help of an oil sump.
• Circulation of water in water-cooled engines to keep the engine temperature within the working range and avoid excessive expansion.
Parts of Cylinder Block
1. Cylinders
Cylinders are the parts in which the movement of the piston takes place. They are generally made of large size and
have holes to form a seal with the piston. The number of cylinders holds power and the size of the engine.
2. Oil Passages and Galleries
These are essential components of the cylinder block for lubrication purposes. These provide oil to reach the
cylinder head and crankshaft.
3. Deck
This is the top surface of the block where the end of the cylinder remains.
4. Crankcase
This component houses the crankshaft and is found under the modern engine block.
5. Water Pump Mounting
A water pump is provided on the side of a cylinder block in housing coupled with a coolant casing.
6. Head Studs
These are typically manufactured from a round rod of alloy steel. Threads are applied at both ends. This allows a
tighter fit in the block, which prevents the stud from loosening when the stud nut is removed.
7. Core Plugs
A core plug is a cap of the engine block at the end of a coolant passage, which is used to prevent leakage of water
or coolant from the engine.
8. Oil Filter
It is typically located either on the flank or under the engine block. There is an oil filter that keeps as many
contaminants out of the lubricant that circulates the engine.
 Types of cylinder block
V Engine Cylinder
This is the modern engine cylinder and is
widely used nowadays. In this
configuration, the engines are provided
in two rows. These two rows are placed
at an angle to each other. The angle V is
kept between 15° to 20°, as a larger angle
makes it more difficult to balance the
engine.
Inline Cylinder
An inline engine is a type of cylinder
block, in which a series of cylinders are
arranged in such a way that they run in
a single line. Vehicles with this type of
cylinder block operate smoothly. They
are mostly used where high rpm is
needed. It is often used in 
passenger cars.
Boxer Engine Cylinder
The Boxer engine is a flat pressed V
engine. In this engine cylinder, the
blocks coming in two rows of two
cylinders are set as opposed to each
other. They are also known for
pancake engines.
Materials used for Cylinder or Engine Block

• For the production purposes of the engine block, mainly grey cast iron is used. To increase the properties of the engine block,
nickel and chromium are also added sometimes.
• Aluminum is used in order to obtain a less weight component and performance improvement. In the aluminum block, cast iron or
steel sleeves are used on the cylinder. Aluminum blocks help maintain uniformity of temperature due to more thermal conductivity.
• The crankcase in the block is often made up of aluminum alloy and sometimes grey cast iron.
• Cylinder walls are mostly designed with cast iron as it has lower wearing qualities. Also, some small engines use chromium plating
on cylinder walls to reduce wear and improve the working life cycle.
• Moreover, cast iron is preferred for the blocks as it has better wear quality and is easier to the machine. These parts are produced
using a casting type production to ensure a solid foundation of the parts.
• The structure of a cast-iron engine block includes phosphorus, sulfur, manganese, silicon, carbon, and iron(95%). In the case of an
aluminum alloy cylinder block, it contains copper, tin, and aluminum (91%).
Engine cooling system
Like our body requires air and water for cooling our system, similarly the engine of a vehicle also requires cooling. The cooling system has three
primary functions, which are as follows:
(i) Remove excess heat from the engine
(ii) Maintain a constant engine operating temperature
(iii) Increase the temperature of a cold engine as quickly as possible by maintaining the thermostat valve in a closed position which is fitted in
the path of coolant circulation
Necessity of Cooling 
The cylinders of internal combustion engines require  cooling because the engine cannot convert all the heat  energy released by combustion
into useful work. Liquid  cooling is employed in most of the IC engines, whether  they are used in automobiles or elsewhere. The water  (coolant)
is circulated around the cylinders to pick up  heat and then dissipate it through a radiator. As the  temperature increases from 71 to 82 degrees
centigrade,  the thermostat valve opens and sends water to the  radiator to radiate the heat. When the temperature rises  above 82 degrees, the
thermostat switch operates the  cooling fan to support the cooling process in radiator. 

How an engine cooling system works

The cooling system works by constantly passing coolant through channels in the engine block. Coolant, driven by a water pump, is pushed
through the cylinder block. As the solution passes through these channels, it absorbs heat from the engine.
Components of a cooling system
• Radiator
The radiator acts as a heat exchanger for the engine. It is usually made of
aluminum and has many small diameter pipes with fins attached to them.
Furthermore, it exchanges the heat of the hot water coming from the engine
with the ambient air. It also has a drainage plug, an inlet port, a sealed cover,
and an outlet port.
• Water pump
When the coolant cools after being in the radiator, the water pump sends the
fluid back to the cylinder block, heater core, and cylinder head. Eventually,
the liquid enters the radiator again, where it cools down again.
• Thermostat
It is a thermostat that acts as a valve for the coolant and only allows it to pass
through the radiator when a certain temperature has been exceeded. The
thermostat contains paraffin wax, which expands at a certain temperature
and opens at that temperature. The cooling system uses a thermostat
to regulate the normal operating temperature of the internal combustion
engine. When the engine reaches standard operating temperature, the
thermostat is triggered. Then the coolant can enter the radiator.
 Engine manufacturing
process
• Manufacturing of engine blocks are mainly done using sand casting, although
die casting also used it is more cost effective as the die wear out easily due to
the high temperature of the molten metal. The casted engine block is then
machined to get the surface finish and coolant passages.

• In the sand casting processors the widely used in engine block casting
is green sand mould casting. The term green denotes the present of
moisture in the sand mold. A combination of silica sand, clay, and water
are poured in to the one half of the aluminum block pattern with wood or
metal frame. The mould is then compacted by applying pressure or
vibrating on the metal frame. This process is repeated for the other half
of the mold. Then both halves of the mould are removed from the
pattern.
Thank You!