Auto Fundamentals - The Engine Block

Vocabulary flashcards covering engine block design, materials, and casting methods from Chapter 2.

Engine block

A rigid metal foundation for all parts of an engine that contains the cylinders and supports the crankshaft and, often, the camshaft.

Sand casting core

A structure placed within a sand mold to form the cavities and passageways inside an engine block, which is dissolved and washed out after the casting cools.

Pressure-casting process

A manufacturing method that forces molten aluminum into a metal mold under pressure to produce an accurate block free of air bubbles with sharp corners.

Voids

Air bubbles trapped inside a cast engine block.

Iron or steel inserts

Components pressed in place or cast into an aluminum engine block at locations subjected to wear.

Modern thin-wall casting process

A casting method that precisely controls core size and placement to create thinner, more uniform block walls, reducing engine weight and heat expansion distortion.