Engine Block: Understanding Engine Block Design

Explore how the engine block provides the structural foundation for cylinders, crankshaft, cooling passages and lubrication systems while handling demanding mechanical and thermal loads.

Engine block or cylinder block – is consider the ” backbone ” of the engine to which all other parts are bolted or attached. Some  Car manufacturers mass produced engine blocks but some made it one at a time for special cases. They used compacted sand and resin or sand cast to be it’s mold. They put a thin amount of carbon ( by torch ) that acts as a lubricant so that the molten metal will flow smoothly to the spaces of the sand cast. The raw molten metal is heated about 1300 deg. F  before it will be poured in to the cast.  After some time it will become a super strong aluminum alloy. They used powerful x-ray to scan the engine block to see if there is any microscopic cracks or floss in the metal. Slight vibration from a defect in the engine will be magnified at high speed and the engine could fail.