The cylinder in automotive engines

The cylinder

Structures and functions

The cylinder block is the basic framework of a car engine. It supports and

holds all the other engine components. Figure 2.1 shows a typical cylinder

block without an integrated crankcase. Figure 2.2 shows the block with the upper part of the crankcase included. Figure 2.31 schematically illustrates the relative positions of the cylinder, piston and piston ring. The cylinder is a large hole machined in the cylinder block, surrounded by the cylinder wall. 

The piston rapidly travels back and forth in the cylinder under combustion pressure. The cylinder wall guides the moving piston, receives the combustion pressure, and conveys combustion heat outside the engine. Figure 2.4 gives an analysis of the materials needed for a cylinder with high output power and summarizes the reasons why a specific material or technology is chosen to fulfil a required function. A more detailed description is given in Appendix B.

The science and technology of materials in automotive engines

Hiroshi Yamagata

Woodhead Publishing and Maney Publishing

on behalf of

The Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining

CRC Press

Boca Raton Boston New York Washington, DC

WOODHEAD PUBLISHING LIMITED

Cambridge England

Heating Plug

BEHAVIOR

These plugs provide electrical power to block heaters and interior heaters. They allow drivers to get electric power from an external

supply at home or in parking lots.

HABITAT

Some plugs hang down from beneath the front grill, waiting to be

inserted into an electrical outlet. Others are built into the car fender.

HOW IT WORKS

In cold weather, engines start with greater difficulty and operate at

lower efficiency until warmed up. The fuel doesn’t vaporize as easily

when it is cold, so the car initially exhausts more unburned fuel,

adding to air pollution. And pistons are shaped so they work optimally when heated, which means that they don’t fit the cylinders optimally when they are cold. This results in a further loss of energy. Engine oil is more viscous in cold weather, which makes it more difficult for engine parts to move. And the chemical reaction in the battery that converts stored chemical energy into electricity needed to power the starter occurs more slowly. To prevent all of these inefficiencies, drivers use engine heaters.

When parking in cold climates drivers plug their cars into a source of electricity. In some places these sources have timers that either cycle on and off (to save power) or that a driver sets so the car is heated before the intended departure. 

The plugs connect to block heaters under the hood. The heater warms up the engine and helps it start. It also cuts air pollution by making the engine operate more efficiently when first starting. The heaters are often inserted into “freeze plugs” in the engine block. These are expansion holes in the block so the engine can better withstand expansion of liquids during extremely cold weather. A variety of alternative heating systems are available. Heaters for warming the inside of the car can also be connected to the heating plug. These can either sit on the floor of the car or be mounted inside the car.

INTERESTING FACTS

Andrew Freeman invented the block heater in 1946. His device (Patent #2487326) was a heating element inside a bolt. The heating bolt could replace one of the head bolts in the engine so it didn’t require any

other modifications to the engine.

All rights reserved

Published by Chicago Review Press, Incorporated

814 North Franklin Street

Chicago, Illinois 60610

ISBN: 978-1-55652-812-5

Printed in the United States of America

5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Sobey, Edwin J. C., 1948–

A field guide to automotive technology / Ed Sobey.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-55652-812-5

1. Automobiles—Popular works. 2. Mechanics—Popular works. I. Title.

TL146.5.S63 2008

629.2—dc22

2008046620

Difficult car is turned on, How to Handle?

Difficult in-starter or the engine will not turn on its own is often a problem for someone's personal car, especially if it turns out the owner had no idea how to take care of the car. Lest you become one among those who are blind technology, machine dead because not infrequently occur when you least expect it (eg before an important meeting). For that, consider the following tips.

The first thing to note is that the car electrical system, conventional or modern cars are already using CDI (in the sense of all-electronic). If your car has been using all-electronic system, do not try to fix it manually because the system requires a reliable expert mechanics and equipment that exist only in garages car.

There are usually two things that cause the car can not be the starter, first because the battery is already in good condition less electrical system. Both are due to supply electricity to the armature in a conventional ignition system. Platinum may not have been good. If technology is more advanced, perhaps because of CDI. Kalou already CDI problem, perluke workshop because already complicated and difficult to handle alone. On the upper surface of the battery there are indicators that show the last condition of the battery. Can nunjukkin good battery condition / damaged, or an empty battery acid.

If already checked but the car still can not be turned on, it could be caused by platinum and condenser. Problems are usually contained in the platinum plate. If worn bulge means means it can not capture the spark of electricity. So that platinum could return to function properly, use sandpaper to remove dust / spots that stick. When you're done, plug it back in its original position. Platinum that has been cleaned will usually be able to lure back the spark so great, If not, it means that platinum is not used and must be replaced.

The next step is to check the fuse box. Consider whether the fuse has been installed is still intact or not. If wire connections are broken, it means that a fuse had to be replaced. For emergencies, you can wear a wire or fiber cable to be installed temporarily on the fuse. It is not recommended as a permanent solution, because it is changing as quickly as possible by bringing the car to the garage.

The last thing that used to be the ringleader of a car engine can not be a starter is because the supply of fuel / less air in the carburetor system (in this case means the filter dirty carburetor). Check the filter, remove the filter and clean with a brush or a toothbrush. Do not use a heater such as a hair-dryer and the like, because it can damage the walls of the air filter.

When everything is done and no progress, can not, take your car to the nearest garage. Do-do, the damage not only on your battery or platinum.

Headlights

BEHAVIOR

They light up your life—or at least the highway in front of you. Neither

rain nor snow nor dark of night can stop them from illuminating the way. However, a dense fog can really cut into their effectiveness.

HABITAT

Draw a picture of an animated car driving toward you and the headlights

are where you would put the eyes of the car. One is mounted on each side of the front of the car, outboard of and below the hood.

HOW IT WORKS

Most cars have halogen lights. Like traditional incandescent light bulbs found at home, halogen bulbs have tungsten filaments. The bulb itself is much smaller than an incandescent bulb and is made of quartz, not

glass, and is filled with halogen gas. The halogen interacts with the tungsten to redeposit tungsten back onto the filament so it lasts longer than tungsten filaments in bulbs at home. As hot as a bulb at home gets, the halogen bulb gets much hotter—too hot to use glass, thus requiring the quartz bulb.

The silver-colored material in the headlight reflects light outward so more of the generated light is useful. Dual-beam headlights have two filaments in each headlight. Pulling and holding the high-beam lever can turn on both filaments at once. 

On cars sold in the United States, low beams consume 45 watts of electric power and high beams consume 65 watts.

Some cars come equipped with High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights that cast a blue tint. They operate like the mercury vapor lamps used in some street lighting, except that they don’t have the slow start up that mercury vapor has. The gas inside (xenon) is exposed to a very high voltage electric arc that excites the gas atoms into a higher energy state. When they return to their normal state they emit photons of light. As the bulb heats up, the gas inside becomes a plasma—ionized gas. HID lights give off more light per unit of electric energy consumed than traditional headlights do.

Most cars today have sealed beam headlights. These are enclosed to prevent air from moving in or out. Each unit has a filament, reflector, and lens.

Headlights on luxury cars have cleaning or wiping systems. Mercedes has a squirter that emerges from behind a panel when you press the button to clean the lights. Other cars have mini-wipers to swish away the dirt and snow.

INTERESTING FACTS

Early automobiles relied on carbide or acetylene gas lamps. Calcium carbide mixed with water generates acetylene (C2H2) which burns when ignited. It also explodes and is used in carbide cannons.

Headlights in most cars are designed for use only on one side of the road. The lights are pointed downward to the outside of the road so they don’t shine into the eyes of oncoming motorists.

Some cars have yellow fog lights that are better able to penetrate fog. But they are only better when the fog droplets are smaller than 0.2 microns. In most fog, yellow lights are no better than blue fog lights.

All rights reserved

Published by Chicago Review Press, Incorporated

814 North Franklin Street

Chicago, Illinois 60610

ISBN: 978-1-55652-812-5

Printed in the United States of America

5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Sobey, Edwin J. C., 1948–

A field guide to automotive technology / Ed Sobey.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-55652-812-5

1. Automobiles—Popular works. 2. Mechanics—Popular works. I. Title.

TL146.5.S63 2008

629.2—dc22

2008046620