What is the function of a valve guide?
1 Answers
The valve guide serves to direct the movement of the valve, ensuring that the valve performs reciprocating linear motion, allowing the valve to correctly fit with the valve seat ring and transferring the heat from the valve stem to the cylinder head. There are two types of valve guides: integral and insert types. The integral valve guide directly processes the valve stem hole in the cylinder head, while the insert-type valve guide involves press-fitting a cylindrical tube into the guide hole within the cylinder head. The working temperature of the valve guide is also relatively high, around 200 degrees Celsius. When the valve stem moves within the guide, it is lubricated solely by the oil splashed from the valve train. Therefore, valve guides are often made as separate components from materials with self-lubricating properties, such as ductile iron or powder metallurgy materials, and are press-fitted with a certain interference into the valve guide seat hole on the cylinder head to prevent detachment.