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Material Analysis of the Internal Combustion Engine

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Background : The foundry is one of the oldest metal working industries known to man. The Egyptians made metal castings as early as 4000 B.C. Foundry methods have been employed throughout the ages as being the most convenient means for making implements of war, artifacts used in everyday living, agricultural implements, and other items. Traditionally, Gasoline engine blocks were made up of cast iron because cast iron was readily available and cheaper and has a good machinability. But as the technology advances and there is a need of improvising the basic design of an engine to improve its performance. Moreover, the overall weight of the engine increased due to complex design of the body. Therefore, in order to overcome this problems, the manufacturers around the world started looking for other materials which are as strong as cast iron but should be light in weight. Therefore, aluminum was being used in building engine blocks which significantly increases vehicle performance and also lower its weight. Now-a-days magnesium is also used as a material for designing engine block. Magnesium is much lighter than cast iron and aluminum as well. But the main problem in using magnesium was that it became unstable at higher temperature. Later that problem was solved but still wide range of Al and Mg alloys are being used in the automotive industry in the current scenario. According to a study, 90% of automobiles in North American countries are using aluminum for engine block which is

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