Metal founding – Process – Shaping liquid metal against a forming surface
Patent
1997-04-14
1999-01-19
Ryan, Patrick
Metal founding
Process
Shaping liquid metal against a forming surface
164 94, 164 95, 164113, 123 4174, 123 4184, 1231931, 1231932, 29888061, B22D 1908, B22D 1700, F02F 110, F02F 700
Patent
active
058604693
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method of manufacturing a cylinder block.
In our previous application published under No. GB 2211207, there is disclosed a method of making a cylinder liner from a eutectic aluminium silicon alloy.
Such cylinder liners have been used in worn engines, and to replace conventional cast iron cylinder liners in for example, high performance engines. In the latter case, existing cast iron cylindrical liners are drilled out of the cylinder block and replaced with a cylinder liner made in the eutectic aluminium silicon alloy.
Conventionally, such cylinder liners have comprised a single cylindrical part, a plurality of such cylinder liners being used in an engine block which comprises a plurality of cylinders.
Cylinder liners made of the eutectic aluminium silicon alloy have significant advantages over cast iron cylinder liners in that the expansion of the cylinder liner as it becomes hot, is similar to that of the engine block. In engine blocks which utilise cast iron liners, particularly in high performance engines, the differential expansion which occurs between the cast iron cylinder liner, and the aluminium alloy cylinder block can result in failure of the cylinder liner and even of the cylinder block.
It has been proposed in European application 0 554 575 to manufacture a cylinder block by integrally casting in a cylinder liner made of cast iron. The resultant construction may however have problems due to the different shrinkage characteristics of the aluminium engine block. Further, the resulting structure will suffer from the same problems as a structure comprising an aluminium cylinder block into which a cast iron cylinder block is fitted, due to the different expansion characteristics of the iron and aluminium alloy.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the invention we provide a method of manufacturing a cylinder block comprising at least one cylinder, said at least one cylinder being adapted to receive a piston therein, the method comprising making a cylinder liner by squeeze casting, in an aluminium-silicon alloy produced from a melt consisting essentially of the following composition by weight:
______________________________________ Silicon 14% to 16%
Copper 1.9% to 2.2%
Nickel 1.0% to 1.4%
Magnesium 0.4% to 0.55%
Iron 0.6% to 1.0%
Manganese 0.3% to 0.6%
Silicon Modifier
0.02% to 0.1%
______________________________________
liner having an essentially eutectic microstructure containing not more
than 10% primary alpha-aluminium dendrites and being substantially free
from intermetallic particles exceeding 10 .mu. in diameter, placing the
cylinder liner in a mould and casting therearound an aluminium alloy to
provide a main cylinder block body with the cylinder liner entrapped
therein.
As described in our previous application 2211207, the material in which the cylinder liner is made, is ideal for use as a cylinder liner for insertion in a pre-formed cylinder block. By casting the cylinder block body around the cylinder liner in accordance with the present invention, the resultant structure is significantly improved compared with a structure in which the cylinder liner is inserted into the pre-cast cylinder block. Also, because the characteristics of the material from which the cylinder liner is made, and the aluminium alloy of the cylinder block are so similar, the method of the invention provides no significant technical problems which could occur in arrangements such as described in European application 0554575 when a dissimilar metal is cast around the cast iron cylinder liner.
In a preferred arrangement, the main cylinder block is diecast around the cylinder liner, although other casting methods could be employed.
Because the melting temperature of the cylinder liner will be similar to that of the aluminium alloy from which the main cylinder block is made, preferably during casting of the main cylinder block body around the cylinder liner, the cylinder liner is cooled. This may conveniently be achieved by
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GKN Sankey Limited
Lin I.-H.
Ryan Patrick
LandOfFree
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