IC engine or Internal Combustion Engine is a heat engine where the process of combustion of fuel takes place inside the engine block. As compared to piston engines, with separated ignition tools, Internal Combustion engines produce more mechanical energy for completing tasks.
Industries involved in the manufacturing of automobiles, motorcycles, ships, and locomotives are common users of IC engines, as the energy demands of their products are usually high.
By implication, the chances of damages to the IC engine’s parts are also increased in manifold because of the huge amount of heat which is subjected to them. Hence, appropriate protective parts are installed in IC engines to prevent its wear and tear. One such protective part is the cylinder sleeve.
As the name might suggest, cylinder sleeves are installed in conjunction with an engine cylinder to protect its internal system. In addition, cylinder sleeves manufacturers indicate that sleeves are also helpful in increasing the engine performance in the following ways:
1. Facilitation of Internal Cooling Mechanism
Engine cylinders are filled with coolant liquids that perform the function of reducing engine’s internal heat, by absorbing it. This process is physically made possible by the simultaneous heat conduction.
However, during heavy operations, instantaneous conduction is not sufficient to regulate the engine’s temperatures. It is in such alarming situations that cylinder sleeves facilitate conduction by readily absorbing heat from the pistons and transferring it to the cylinder fluid.
Depending upon the type of product installed by cylinder sleeve manufacturers in certain vehicles, the speed of the process differs substantially.
2. Reduce Internal Friction Between Engine Parts
As an engine works incessantly, its parts are forced to interact with each other continuously. Prolonged interaction of engine parts’ surfaces (especially piston rings and cylinders) leads to certain chemical and physical reactions that reduce their performance, while gradually reducing their quality.
Cylinder sleeves act as a mediating surface between piston rings and cylinder, thereby checking the amount of surface friction produced on their bodies. Resultantly, the active life of engine parts and the amount of wear bore over time is reduced considerably.
3. Recover Functional Inabilities of Cylinders
Probably the most important function highlighted by cylinder sleeves manufacturers, recovering the lost cooling capabilities of engine cylinders is indeed a beneficial feature of sleeves. Over time, cylinder walls become more and more porous or clogged with impurities, thereby leading to inefficient conduction of heat from piston rings.
To recover from such losses, technicians install sleeves to cylinder’s surfaces. Upon application, it not only covers the cracks or holes in a cylinder but also improves the conduction process.
Since the automobile market has been expanding considerably over the years, the types of cylinder sleeves available in the market have also been increasing. But the two basic types of sleeves commonly used by technicians can be named as follows:
4. Dry Sleeve
The cylinder sleeves that do not come in direct contact with engine’s coolant fluid are termed as dry sleeves. Their primary function is the protection of cylinder parts and efficient conduction of heat. Their simplicity makes them an easily executable solution for all kinds of cylinder problems.
5. Wet Sleeve
Contrarily, wet sleeves are thicker and intricately installed in engines. They come in direct contact with the engine’s coolant fluid and hence produce a better conduction effect.
Owing to their improved performance, wet sleeves are most commonly used in heavy-duty automobiles. Construction vehicles, large-scale exporting locomotives, etc. are the regular users of wet sleeves.
Cylinder sleeves manufacturers and their products have become an essential part of the automobile industry. While this is partly so because of their functionally important products, it is also an indication of the rising awareness amongst consumers.
