Engine
Manufacturing Processes and Engineering Materials Used in Automotive
Engine Blocks
by
Hieu Nguyen
School of Engineering
Grand Valley State University
Term Paper
EGR250 – Materials Science and Engineering
Section B
Instructor: Dr. P. N. Anyalebechi
April 8, 2005
Manufacturing Processes and Engineering Materials Used in Automotive Engine Blocks
Abstract
Until recently, cast iron and aluminum alloys have been the preferential materials used to manufacture most diesel and conventional gasoline-powered engine blocks. However, with a greater emphasis on increasing the efficiency of the engine via weight reduction, manufacturers have began to look for alternative alloys that are lighter than cast iron and aluminum alloys, while retaining the necessary strength to withstand the forces of an engine. As of late, new manufacturing processes have been developed that have engendered two new alloys suitable for use in an engine block, magnesium alloy AMC-SC1 and compacted graphite cast iron (CGI). In this paper, the functional requirements of the engine block, the processes used to manufacture the part, and the mechanical properties of the alloys will be discussed.
1. Introduction
The first successfully working internal combustion engine used in an automobile was built by Siegfried Marcus in approximately 1864 [1]. It was an upright single-cylinder, twostroke petroleum-fueled engine that also utilized a carburetor to deliver fuel to the engine. The engine was placed on a cart with four wheels and successfully ran under its own power. Not only has Marcus produced the first engine that is the direct predecessor to today’s engines, he had also built the first automobile in history, some 20 years before Gottlieb Daimler’s automobile. Today’s engines are an integral component of an automobile that are built in a number of configurations and are considerably more complex than early automotive engines.
Technological innovations
Engine Blocks
by
Hieu Nguyen
School of Engineering
Grand Valley State University
Term Paper
EGR250 – Materials Science and Engineering
Section B
Instructor: Dr. P. N. Anyalebechi
April 8, 2005
Manufacturing Processes and Engineering Materials Used in Automotive Engine Blocks
Abstract
Until recently, cast iron and aluminum alloys have been the preferential materials used to manufacture most diesel and conventional gasoline-powered engine blocks. However, with a greater emphasis on increasing the efficiency of the engine via weight reduction, manufacturers have began to look for alternative alloys that are lighter than cast iron and aluminum alloys, while retaining the necessary strength to withstand the forces of an engine. As of late, new manufacturing processes have been developed that have engendered two new alloys suitable for use in an engine block, magnesium alloy AMC-SC1 and compacted graphite cast iron (CGI). In this paper, the functional requirements of the engine block, the processes used to manufacture the part, and the mechanical properties of the alloys will be discussed.
1. Introduction
The first successfully working internal combustion engine used in an automobile was built by Siegfried Marcus in approximately 1864 [1]. It was an upright single-cylinder, twostroke petroleum-fueled engine that also utilized a carburetor to deliver fuel to the engine. The engine was placed on a cart with four wheels and successfully ran under its own power. Not only has Marcus produced the first engine that is the direct predecessor to today’s engines, he had also built the first automobile in history, some 20 years before Gottlieb Daimler’s automobile. Today’s engines are an integral component of an automobile that are built in a number of configurations and are considerably more complex than early automotive engines.
Technological innovations
References: 11. Mortimer, John: “New process widens use of iron-block diesels,” Automotive News Europe, July 12, 2004. 14. “Corvette V8 Comparison,” [Online], 2002-2004 copyright, Available: http://www.funcomotorsports.com/v8_comparison.htm. Bettles, C. et al., “AMC-SC1: A New Magnesium Alloy Suitable for Powertrain Applications,” Society of Automotive Engineers, 2003, p