NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORT

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT AND ENGINEERING

TECHNOLOGY
MODULE NAME : INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

MODULE CODE : MEU07104

TASK : INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT ONE

LECTURER’S NAME : ENG.SOSPETER MHOJA

STUDENT’S NAME : KIZZA IDRISA

REG# : NIT/BAE/2016/335

SUB DATE : 23rd December,2016.

QUESTIONS:
1. State the construction materials

2. Describe the properties of engine construction materials

ANSWERS
The following is the main materials used for the engine construction but those materials also
comprises of different materials such us sulphur, phosphorous, manganese, silicon, carbon,
titanium ,nickel ,nitrogen, chromium, iron, and aluminium.The amount used for engine construction
depends on type of the engine.

1. S0 the following is the main material used for engine construction namely as follows

(a) Cast iron and its alloys

(b) Aluminium and its alloys

(c) Steel

2. THE PROPERTIES OF AN ENGINE CONSRUCTRION MATERIAL

The following is the different properties of the materials used for the engine constructions.

These properties of the materials used for an engine construction depend upon on
the type of the part of that engine.

The following is the properties of the materials used for an engine construction
and their respective parts of the engines.

(a) CAST IRON AND IT’S ALLOYS

allowed to cool and harden to form a finished structural shape, such as a pipe, a gear
or a big girder for an iron bridge.Pig irons actually a very basic form of cast iron, but
it’s molded only very crudely because it’s typically melted down to make steel. The
high carbon content of cast iron (the same as pig iron-roughly 3-4 percent) makes it
extremely hard and brittle: large crystal of carbon embedded in cast iron from
moving about. Cast iron is simply liquid iron that has been cast: poured into a mold
and
The cast iron is obtained by re-melting pig iron with coke and limestone in a furnance known as
cupola.It is primarily an alloy of carbon and iron.The carbon contents in cast iron varies from 1.7 per
cent to 4.5 per cent. It also contains in small amounts of silicon, manganese, phosphorous and
sulphur. Grey cost iron is the first and most materials used for manufacturingof engine
blocks.Through the aluminum alloy also contain many similarities with low weight, it is still used in
the manufacturing of diesel engine blocks because their internal stresses are higher .

Cast iron is more selected for its wearing properties than for its casting properties. In the
construction of cylinder liner the following component of cast is considered with respect to
their amount. Iron comprises about 93.92% to 92.22%, carbon is about 3% to 3.5%, silicon is
about 1.8% to 2.4%, manganese 0.5% to 0.8% phosphorous 0.4% to 0.7% sulphur 0.08%.
Also it has an excellent damping absorption, good wear and thermal resistance and it is
easly machinable and less cost due to its availability.

Pure iron is a silver-white metal that’s easy to work and shape and it’s just soft enough (with
quite a bit of difficulty) using a knife. you can hammer iron into sheets and draw it into
wires. Like most metal, iron conduct electricity and heat very well and it’s very easy to
magnetize.

Pure iron is combines readily with oxygen. Indeed, iron’s drawback as construction materials
is that it reacts with moist air (in a process called corrosion) to form a flaky, reddish-brown
oxide we call rust. Iron react in lots of other ways too-with elements ranging from carbon,
sulphur, and silicon to halogens such as chlorine.

Broadly, iron compounds can be divided into two group known as ferrous and ferric (the old
names) or iron (ii) and iron (iii); you can always substitute” iron(ii)” for “ferrous” and
“iron(iii)”for “ferric” in compound names.

In the construction of cylinder block cast iron is suitable due to the following

i) Is good casting

ii) Free graphite help to give good wearing properties. The cylinder bore for example can be
machined directly in cast iron.

ii) It has good damping properties

ii) Tapped holes (i.e. cylinder head studs) are less easily stripped than with aluminum

Also in cylinder head cast iron has the following properties,

i) Has good bearing surface for components like valves running directly in cylinder head

ii) Valve seat can be made in parent metal of head

iii) More difficult to machine

iv) Rate of heat dissipation is inferior to aluminium

v) Comparatively heavier

vi) Less possibility of corrosion by the cooling water

vii) Relatively cheap

viii) Relatively less clearance is required between piston and cylinder

NOTE: Some type of iron is harder or softer than another due to the following reasons,

 Steel consist of grain made of different kinds of iron and carbon, some of
which are harder, while others are soft. When the herder kinds
predominate, you get hard and brittle materials; when there are more
softer kinds in between the materials can bend and flex so you can work
and shape it more easily.

(b)ALUMINIUM AND ITS ALLOYS

Aluminium alloys main feature for its popularity is its low weight, this reduce the weight of
the engine as well as in the vehicle. But the main disadvantage is their cost compared with
grey cast iron. Aluminum alloy has a good machinability properties compared with grey cast
iron. There are two aluminium alloys that are mainly used in manufacturing of engine
blocks, they are 319 and A356.

319 aluminum alloy contains 85.8 - 91.5 % of aluminum, 5.5 - 6.5 % of silicon, 3 - 4 % of
copper, 0.35% of nickel, 0.25% of titanium, 0.5% of manganese, 1% of iron, 0.1% of
magnesium, and 1% of zinc. This alloy has good casting features, corrosion resistance, and
good thermal conductivity. Under the heat treatment of T5 process, it generates high
strength and rigidainity for the engine block.

A356 aluminum alloy contains 91.1 - 93.3 % of aluminum, 6.5 - 7.5 % of silicon, 0.25 - 0.45 %
of magnesium, 0.2% of copper, 0.2% of titanium, 0.2% of iron, and 0.1% of zinc. Although
the mechanical properties are similar to 319, when it is under the heat treatment process T6
it gains higher strength than 319. But it has lower modulus of elasticity (72.4 GPa) than 319
with modulus of of 74 GP.
The following is the properties of aluminium and its alloys,

a) Lighter in weight. Aluminum is a very light metal with a specific weight(density) of

2.7g/cm3 ,density of aluminum is about one third that of cast iron and steel and
hence makes the engine parts more light and the vehicle at large. The use of
aluminum in vehicles reduces dead-weight and energy consumption when increasing
load capacity. Its strength can be increased by the composition of its alloys.
Therefore the light weight construction and less inertial forces in the engine.

b) Corrosion resistance. Aluminum is very resistant to corrosion which is the ability

of a metal to form rust or get distorted on its surface, which may be caused by
factors like humidity. Aluminum naturally generates a protective oxide coating which
is highly corrosion resistant. However other methods can be used to avoid corrosion
in aluminum metal such as anodizing and painting .
c) For many years the engine block has being manufactured using cast iron alloys, its
due to its wear resistance. But as the engine become more complicated engineers
found new materials to reduce its weight as well as to increase strength and wear
resistance.A common alloy which is widely used is aluminium alloy it is more
populardue to it is low weight but mostly within petrol engines.

C)STEEL
Steel is one of the most versatile materials, used in every thing from jet engines to surgical
instruments and from table knives to machine tools. Major consumers of steel include the
automobile and shipbuilding industries, the constructions industry, producers of food cans,
and manufacrurers of electrical appliances.

It is an alloy of iron and carbon , with carbon content up to a maximum of 1.5%. The carbon
occurs in the form of iron carbide, because of its ability to increase the hardness and
strength of the steel. Other elements e.g silicon, sulphur, phosphorus and manganese are
also present to greater or lesser amount to impart certain desired properties to it. Most of
the steel produced now-a-day is plain carbon steel or simply carbon steel. A carbon steel is
defined as a steel which has its properties mainly due to its carbon content and does not
contain more than 0.5% of silicon and 1.5% of manganese. The plain carbon steels varying
from 0.06% carbon to 1.5% carbon.
Treating steel in different ways after its made changes its physical properties by altering its
internal crystalline structure. For example heat-treating steel changes austenisite inside it
into martensite, making its internal structures very much harder. Hammering and rolling
steel breaks up crystals and graphite and other impurities lurking inside it, close up any
gapes that could lead to weaknesses, and generally produces a more regular crystalline
structure.
REFERENCES

1. Sigh Automobile Engineering vol. I &II Standard Publishers & Distributors (2003)

2. Hillier V. A.W Fundamentals of motor vehicle technology

3. R.B. GUPTA Automobile Engineering S.M.T

4. Dr. Giri