Question

Why engine block has Cylinder for piston moment, why not cube or cuboidal?

(a) The cylinder has good aesthetic

(b) Stresses are equally distributed in the cylinder

(c) Design rule

(d) The cylinder doesn’t wear

This question was addressed to me in a national level competition.

The above asked question is from IC Engine in chapter Design of IC Engine Components of Automotive Engine Design

Answer 1

Right option is (b) Stresses are equally distributed in the cylinder

To explain I would say: The joints in the cube or cuboidal tend to crack because the stresses are not equally distributed over the entire surface and also a lot of friction is produced between the piston and the guiding surface. But in the cylinder, the stresses are equally distributed.