Aluminum engine blocks

Li Quid Aluminum Engine Block Cleaner Formula TR-0032... 

Figure 21. Section of clad-aluminum engine block which failed by pitting during use of improper inhibitor in coolant...

Aluminum is a very versatile metal with many uses in today s economy, the most common of which are in construction, in the aviation-space industries, and in the home and automobile industries. Its namral softness is overcome by alloying it with small amounts of copper or magnesium that greatly increase its strength. It is used to make cans for food and drinks, in pyrotechnics, for protective coatings, to resist corrosion, to manufacmre die-cast auto engine blocks and parts, for home cooking utensils and foil, for incendiary bombs, and for all types of alloys with other metals. 

Increased use of aluminum in automotive vehicles. Approximately 200 pounds (90 kg) of aluminum per U.S.-built vehicle (i.e., wheels, engine blocks, bumpers, heat exchangers, and other parts). 

The use of aluminum in the automobile industry is steadily increasing. The replacement of steel permits a decrease in fuel consumption of the vehicles due to weight reduction. In the car industry, aluminum is mainly used in body parts, starters, generators, compressors, admission pipes, oil vats, gearbox housings, cylinder heads, and even engine blocks. 

Metallurgical grade silicon plays an important role as an alloy constituent in aluminum alloys. Addition of 2-25% improve the casting properties of aluminum in the manufacture of castings for example for engine blocks or cylinder heads. The utilization of metallurgical grade silicon in the manufacture of methylchlorosi lanes and the silicones produced therewith by direct synthesis (Rochow process) is covered in Chapter 4. 

An example of an engine component commonly machined with pcD is an aluminum alloy engine block (Fig. 66) manufactured from an silicon-silicon alloy... 

The engine block of the airplane built by Orville and Wilbur Wright in 1903 was made of aluminum obtained by electrolysis. 

In the 1960s and 1970s, some automobile manufacturers showed their ignorance of chemical reactivity by building cars with aluminum water pumps and aluminum engine heads attached to cast-iron engine blocks. These water pumps often... 

Figure 37.9 A cast aluminum cylinder block. The block has vertical and horizontal strengthening on the outside. This reduces the vibrations in the block and makes the engine run...

Magnesinm is a particularly versatile member of Group 2A(2). Because it forms a tough oxide layer that prevents further reaction in air, it is alloyed with aluminum for camera bodies and luggage and with the lanthanides for auto engine blocks and missile parts. 

Magnesium alloys are used in many motorcycle parts. Shown here is a closeup of the engine area of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.TheV engine (upper right), engine block (lower right),and transmission case (lower left) are made of an aluminum-magnesium alloy. 

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