A method is for generating a cylinder crankcase including a foreign object inclusion for cast reduction and for the improved cleanliness of the generated component. The cast material is in particular removed or pushed from the areas between the tie-rods (2) below the water jacket (1), to avoid dirt input into the component during later engine operation. The areas below the water jacket (1) between the tie-rods (2) are designed as a separate tie-rod core (3), and the bolts (4) used during later installation at the water jacket core (5) are enclosed in the tie-rod core (3), so that the tie-rod core (3) is completely surrounded by cast material in the component following the cast and the bolt (4) has coalesced with the cast, and the tie-rod core (3) remains in the generated component and is located in an encapsulated space generated by the cast material.

A method of forming high quality metallurgical bonds in a composite casting is provided. The bonding technology includes the step of introducing a liquid material to contact the solid components placed in a mold cavity, applying an external field to generate stifling near the solid/liquid interface to wash off bubbles and oxide particles that prevent the liquid material from reacting to the solid component, and causing progressive solidification from the surfaces of the solid component to the liquid to drive away bubbles in the mushy zone near the bonding region. High quality metallurgical bonds are formed within the composite casting after the liquid solidifies. The resultant large composite casting has minimal defects, such as pores and oxides, at the interfaces between the solidified material and the solid objects.

An engine block formed according to a method that includes forming an insert, coating the insert with a bond material, placing the insert within a casting mold or die, purging the casting mold or die with an inert gas, filling the casting mold or die with molten metal to encapsulate the insert, diffusion bonding the molten metal to the insert to form a diffusion bonded insert, placing the diffusion bonded insert within a cavity of a secondary casting mold or die, filling the secondary casting mold or die with molten metal to form an engine block composite casting assembly, and casting and heat treating the engine block composite casting assembly is provided. The insert can be free of serrations for mechanical coupling between the insert and the engine block.

A cylinder head having a cast-in-place valve seat for an automobile vehicle includes a valve seat having an inner wall. At least one retaining feature integrally and homogeneously extends from the inner wall. The valve seat when positioned into a casting mold has the at least one retaining feature assisting in retaining the valve seat in the casting mold. A metal in a molten form is received in the casting mold. A cast component formed after cooling of the metal has the valve seat cast-in-place.

A die-casting method using a sintered material increases bonding strength between an insert and a casting portion. A die-cast product is manufactured using the die-casting method. The die-casting method includes an insert preparation step of preparing an insert having pores formed in a surface thereof by compacting iron-based powder and then sintering the compacted iron-based powder. The pores have a size of 100 μm or more and are distributed over the surface of the insert and the insert has a density of 6.4 to 6.9 g/cm.sup.3 The method includes a die-casting step of placing the prepared insert inside a mold and injecting molten aluminum into the mold so as to perform casting while causing the molten aluminum to infiltrate into the pores formed in the surface of the insert.

A process of forming a low cost, erosion, oxidation, and wear resistant composite liner or insert that can be installed into a shot chamber in a die casting machine is provided. The process utilizes a self-healing erosive wear resistant coating on a liner of refractory metal to serve as the working surfaces of a shot chamber. The refractory liner is bonded to a low cost material so that the liner can be made extremely thin. Such a composite liner is expected to have an improved service life for die casting of corrosive metals and alloys.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cylinder liner for insert casting that can improve the joining strength between a cylinder liner and a cylinder block by reducing voids generated between the cylinder liner and the cylinder block. The above-described problem can be solved when the molten metal running index YI defined by the following Formula (1) is from 2.2 to 14.5.
Molten metal running index YI=[area ratio S.sub.t (%) of top portions of protrusions×molten metal infiltration volume V (mm.sup.3)/surface area A (mm.sup.2) of cylinder liner base]/average surface-to-surface distance P.sub.av between top portions of protrusions (mm)  (1).

A method of manufacturing a cylinder block for an engine comprises providing a cylinder liner for the cylinder block and keeping the cylinder liner in a controlled atmosphere, removing the cylinder liner from the controlled atmosphere, removing moisture and gaseous contamination from the cylinder liner, and positioning the cylinder liner in a mold and over-casting a cylinder block in the mold.

A powder metal alloy composition is used in the production of a sintered powder metal insert for casting into an aluminum casting. The powder metal alloy composition includes an iron powder metal base, copper such that the copper is 3.5 weight percent or more of the powder metal alloy composition, and carbon in an amount of 0.1 to 1.0 weight percent of the powder metal alloy composition. Upon compacting and sintering the powder metal alloy composition to form the sintered powder metal insert, the sintered powder metal insert has a copper gradient that provides a higher concentration of copper on the surface of the sintered powder metal insert than in a center of the grains of the sintered powder metal insert. The higher concentration of copper at the surface of the insert enables a strong metallurgical bond to be formed with the aluminum casting during casting.

A structural frame is provided. The structural frame includes a bottom surface, first and second cylinder block sidewall engaging surfaces, the first and second cylinder block sidewall engaging surfaces positioned above the bottom surface at a height that is above a centerline of a crankshaft support included in a cylinder block when the structural frame is coupled to the cylinder block.