Determining the Mechanism of In-Service Cylinder Distortion in Aluminum Engine Blocks with Cast-In Gray Iron Liners

In recent years, stringent government legislation on vehicle fuel efficiency has pushed the automotive industry to replace steel and cast iron power train components with light weight Al alloys. However, unlike their ferrous-based equivalents, Al-Si alloy engine blocks are prone to permanent dimensional distortion in critical locations such as the cylinder bore regions. Understanding the mechanisms that cause distortion will promote the use of Al alloys over ferrous alloys for power train applications and enable automotive manufacturers to meet emission standards and reduce fuel consumption. In this study, neutron diffraction was used to evaluate residual stress along the Al cylinder bridge and the gray cast iron liners of distorted and undistorted engine blocks. Microstructural analysis was carried out using OM, SEM, and TEM, while mechanical testing was accomplished via ambient and elevated temperature [~453 K (180 °C)] tensile testing. The results suggest that the distorted engine block had high tensile residual stress in the Al cylinder bridge, reaching a maximum of 170 MPa in the hoop direction, which triggered permanent dimensional distortion in the cylinders when exposed to service conditions. In addition, the middle of the cylinder had the highest magnitude of distortion since this region had a combination of high tensile residual stress (hoop stress of 150 MPa) and reduced strength compared with the bottom of the cylinder.