What are the benefits of cast iron engine blocks?
1 Answers
Benefits of cast iron engine blocks: Aluminum alloy dissipates heat quickly and is cheaper. It can withstand high pressure and high temperatures, and is less prone to deformation. Aluminum alloy materials can better meet the heat dissipation requirements of engines, while cast iron materials are widely used due to their low production costs. Therefore, without considering cost, aluminum alloy engine blocks have better overall performance, but they are also more expensive. This choice depends on individual financial circumstances. More details are as follows: 1. Aluminum is lighter than cast iron. Under the premise of meeting strength requirements, aluminum engine blocks are slightly lighter. A lighter engine can positively impact the weight distribution of the entire vehicle, reducing overall vehicle weight. Thus, aluminum engine blocks have an advantage in this aspect. However, aluminum alloy materials have inferior corrosion resistance and durability compared to cast iron, and cast iron has higher strength than aluminum alloy. 2. For the same reason, aluminum is lighter, and the structural strength per unit volume of aluminum is lower than that of cast iron. Therefore, aluminum engine blocks are usually smaller in volume. For example, the cylinder center distance of EA827/EA113/EA888 engine blocks is 88mm, and existing versions can have a bore diameter of up to 82.5mm. After accounting for cooling water channels, the actual cylinder walls are quite thin. This makes the entire engine very compact and small in size. Aluminum engine blocks find it harder to achieve such effects. In this aspect, cast iron engine blocks have the advantage.
