how are engine blocks made?

Could be...

Like I said, it's been so long since I read about it that all I can remember about it is the concept - I can't recall where I read it, or if it ever got made.

Reply to
Don Bruder
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Wow. I could see things getting ugly in that engine as the various levels of cylinder wall heat at different rates and the plates start to shift. The rings would not like that at all.

Dan

Reply to
Dan_Thomas_nospam

There was the original "Cobra" engine - no, not the Carroll Shelby-tuned Ford V-8, I'm talking about the Crosley engine that was made from brazed-together sheet metal. (CoBra = Copper Brazed, get it?)

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nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

Exactly.. The TNT engine mentioned earllier was also integrated by flowing copper over the surfaces...at least, the plate welded heads were done this way.

Reply to
hls

Well, I can see where that would be a problem if the "raw edges"of the plates made up the cylinder walls. But then, the next thing that crosses my mind is "What's so hard about slipping a cast iron (or whatever metal you care to use that can do the job) sleeve into deliberately over-bored (Or "over-stamped", if you prefer) cylinders?"

After all, it's proven technology in lawn mower engines... CI sleeve in Al block is right on the edge of being universal anymore.

Reply to
Don Bruder

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Laminated Engine Blocks

At that devilfinder search, there are some sites about laminated steel.If you scroll way on down, there is an article about, Ford using laminated steel to reduce noise - Metals in Motion

I have never heard or read of laminated engine blocks before.But, replaceable steel/iron cylinders are old hat for a lot of older engines. cuhulin

Reply to
cuhulin

Carol Shelby is currentlly manufacturing the 427 FE of Nascar and Cobra fame. All or most all of the new parts fit the old engines. So you can get new heads for your old engine or a complete engine. These new items are also made of aluminium or aluminium is an option, I forget. I'll try to dig up the flyers I have around but you can find this on the web.

The FE stands for Ford Edsel. Was originally designed for the Edsel cars which flopped. The engines saw much service in many sizes, 390,

428, etc. in both large cars and trucks. Chris Craft boat manufacturers even had an option for them in the mid sixties.

disston

1995 Ford Crown vic 1967 "Commander" w/ twin 427 FE's
Reply to
disston

Not cool at all when differential expansion causes the thing to delaminate.

The Soviets had a bunch of tractor engines made this way, and I have seen a small 2-cycle engine from Homelite built this way as well. It's a cute idea for someone with limited manufacturing facilities.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

I would like to add, the boat is for sale. It's around Annapolis, Md. And it's cheap. for details contact me off list. disston

Reply to
disston

These folks

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have done some interestingdevelopment with various vehicle technologies. Their web page searchfunction appears to be broken, but when I went on a tour there, theywere working on a composite carbon fiber engine block. Cylinder sleeves,bearings and such were machined from steel and the block was built uparound these components using wrapped carbon fiber. Quite interesting,even though most of the technology was lost on me (I'm an EE and waspaying more attention to their hybrid drive train technologies).

Reply to
Paul Hovnanian P.E.

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Smokey Yunick Ceramic Engine

I used to read Smokey Yunick's (Best Damn Garage in Town) articles in Popular Science magazine.He also used to have aome articles in Circle magazine, I think it was Circle magazine.At one time, he was working on developing a ceramic engine. cuhulin

Reply to
cuhulin

Many auto companies have worked on ceramic engines. On a car engine, the fuel energy splits three ways. About a third is useful work delivered to the wheels, about a third goes out the exhaust as temperature and pressure of exhaust gas, and about a third goes out the cooling system. If we could eliminate the cooling system the result is what is called an adiabatic engine, and would almost double efficiency.

After a lot of work overcoming brittleness of ceramic they found the big stumbling block is OIL! Any petroleum oil cokes onto the cylinder walls, and so far silicones have just not worked.

BTW, the resulting engine MUST be a diesel. For a spark ignition engine the mixture would light off as soon as intake valve opens and mixture meets multi--thousand degree cylinder walls and head surfaces.

Reply to
Don Stauffer in Minnesota

You would get nowhere near double the efficiency. The efficiency of almost any heat engine is related to the difference between the maximum temperature of the working fluid and the temperature of the heat sink. The adiabatic engine would have a higher maximum working temperature (at least in theory), which would improve efficiency, but you aren't going to double the efficiency. You'll end up with a hotter exhaust...

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Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

Building engines from welded plate stock is very different than milling them out of a single billet of metal. It's an interesting idea, though.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

And possibly NOx emission problems as well.

Reply to
Paul Hovnanian P.E.

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