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In an air-cooled engine, the cooling air follows the cylinder surface at the front in an air stream. However, it separates from the cylinder at the rear reducing the cooling effect of the air stream on the rear of the cylinder. In order to improve the flow of air to the rear of the cylinder, baffle plates were mounted on the outside of the cylinder or between the fins symmetrically with respect to a plane through the axis of the cylinder. Experimental cylinders with baffle plates at various positions were investigated over a range of air velocities between 20 and 60 km/h in a wind tunnel. The temperature on the fin surfaces was measured to determine the temperature distribution provided to the circumference of the cylinder and the average fin surface heat transfer coefficient. To understand the effects of baffle plates on cylinder cooling, the air flow between the fins was observed with a high-speed video camera by the smoke wire method.

In most air-cooled engines, aluminum cylinder blocks are lined with cast iron, which enjoys a higher wear resistance than aluminum. Recently, rather than a turned periphery, an increasing number of cast iron liners have employed as-cast periphery with projections, so the liner better adheres to the aluminum cylinder block, and improves heat transfer. This study attempts to maximize heat transfer while minimizing cylinder weight, by comparing four liners: (1) a cast iron liner with higher projections on its periphery, (2) a cast iron liner with lower projections, (3) a cast iron liner with lower projections, and aluminum-silicon coated on its periphery by thermal spraying, and (4) a high-silicon aluminum alloy liner with aluminum-silicon coated by thermal spraying. These four experimental liners were fitted in a die-cast low-silicon aluminum-alloy cylinder block, to investigate their joint and cooling characteristics.

To reduce fuel consumption without complicated engine valve systems, we attempted to stop some fuel injectors, while operating both intake and exhaust valves normally, under idling, no-load and lighter load conditions. This study stopped one or two injectors in an in-line four-cylinder gasoline engine, and two or three injectors in an in-line six-cylinder gasoline engine, and then investigated the resulting fuel consumption and variation rates of engine speed. We calculated fuel consumption by measuring fuel injection time and engine speed. Results indicate that, in an in-line four-cylinder gasoline engine, deactivating every other fuel injector, in cylinder firing order, making two deactivated injectors, reduced fuel consumption, compared to the usual condition with all fuel injectors activated, under idling, no-load and lighter load conditions.