Crankcase

Crankcase

provides mounting surface for

cylinders and external accessories

contains the engines internal parts
provides a tight enclosure for
lubricating oil as well as means of
attachment to an airframe

Crankcase

most aircraft crank

cases are made of cast
aluminum alloys.
made by sand casting

Types

Opposed Engine
Radial Engine

Opposed Engine Crankcase

consists of two halves of

cast aluminum alloy

Radial Engine Crankcase

divided into distinct sections

can be as few as three or as
many as seven
typically has four main
sections

Nose Section

mounted at the front and bolted

directly at the power section
supports the propeller sections
mounting points for magnetos
and other engine accessories

Power Section

the reciprocating moton of

the pistons is converted to
rotary motion of the crankshaft
supports crankshaft
bearings

Supercharger Section

houses the supercharger

and its related components
attachments of induction
pipes and manifold
pressure lines

Accessory Section

mounting pads for fuel

pump, oil, tachometer
generators etc

Piston

Piston

a cylindrical plunger that

moves up and down, back

and forth within a cylinder

Piston

draw fuel and air into a cylinder

compress the gases
purge burned exhaust gases
transmit the force to the
crankshaft

Piston

cast aluminum alloy

may exceed 4000 F
high as 500 psi or up

Piston Head

the top surface

directly exposed to the heat
of combustion

Ring Grooves

cut into a pistons outside

surface
holds a set of piston rings
as many as six ring grooves

Ring Land

portion between the ring

grooves

Piston pin boss

an enlarge area inside the

piston
provides additional bearing
area for a piston pin

Piston skirt

piston base is extended to

form the piston skirt
helps align a piston n a
cylinder

Cam-Ground Piston

the diameter of the piston

parallel to the piston boss is
slightly less than the
diameter perpendicular to
the piston.

Piston Rings

prevent leakage of gas

pressure
reduce oil seepage into the
combustion chamber
transfer heat from the piston to
the cylinder walls.

Compression Rings

prevent gas from escaping

past the piston
typically use two or three
compression rings

Oil Rings

controls the amount of oil

Oil control rings
Oil scraper rings

Piston Pin

Stationary

held tightly in place by a

setscrew that prevents
movement.

Semi-floating

allows little movement

Full-floating

free to rotate in both the

connecting rod and the
piston

Valves

Valves

regulates the flow of gases into

and out of the cylinder
each cylinder has at least one
intake valve and one exhaust valve
intake valves operate at lower
temperatures

Valves

metallic sodium melts and

transfer heat to the valve
stem where the heat is
conducted away by the
cylinder head

Valve Face

creates a seal at the intake

and exhaust ports
Valve Seat

provides a uniform sealing

surface

Valve Guide

provides support to the

valve stem
Valve Springs

holds the valve face firmly

agints the valve seat

Valve Spring Retainer

holds the valve springs in

place

Valve Operating Mechanism

Camshaft

transform the circular motion

of the crankshaft to the linear
motion needed to actuate a
valve
driven at one-half the
crankshafts rotational speed

Valve lifter or tappet

transmit the force of the

cam to the push rod
Push Rod

transmit the motion of the

valve lifter

Rocker Arm

a pivoted arm mounted on

the bearing of the cylinder
head to open and close the
valves