The power and torque is produced in an engine through upward and downward piston action and the reciprocating motion of the connected rod and the crankshaft. Whenever continuous movement between machine parts happen, friction comes into picture.
Friction due to rubbing of surfaces with each other like piston rubbing against the cylinder and the connecting rod and crankshaft generates heat in the machine components. Certain amount of heat is generated by the ignition of fuel in the cylinder.
Consequences of engine heating
The heat generated depreciates the economy of the fuel as a part of the energy generated by ignition of fuel is getting wasted in the form of heat due to friction and more effort has to be put to overcome the friction. A high engine temperature can reduce the life of the engine due to the fact that heat disorients the grain structure of the material and leads to deformation and wear and tear of the machine. This increases the maintenance cost and decreases the life of the engine.
Reasons for engine overheating
If the engine of your car is facing over heating problem, it can be because of many things. Starting from the basic, it might be possible that the engine oil is not being used or either it is of bad quality. Another major cause for overheating of engines is inadequate coolant levels. So you have to ensure on regular interval of times that there is enough coolant present in the tank. Sometimes, the coolant level decreases in the tank due to leakage. So timely inspection of car should be done to ensure that things are in proper condition. Often the cooling system fails to operate because the thermostat becomes dysfunctional. This can lead to many associated problems like fan failure and non-circulation of coolant. These are few of the major reasons for heating of an automobile engine.
Radiator system for car engine cooling
The heat generated by the engine has to be removed from the engine so that work can be obtained from an engine for long hours. Else the engine will breakdown. Part of this done with the help of engine oil. Engine oil lubricates the sides of the cylinder and ensues that the piston movements over the cylinder surface is smooth and does not generate much heat.
Even then the generated heat is much and cooling systems have to be employed to counter the heat generated. Car cooling system is majorly a heat exchange system which uses a coolant liquid to extract the heat from the engine. Many a times, water is used as coolant. Radiator consist of coolant tubes that circulate water over the engine. The passing water over the engine extracts heats from the water thereby reducing the temperature of the engine. A turbulator is provided to agitate the tubes so that the water is heated uniformly and not just on the tube surface. This increases the efficiency of the system. Due to heating, the coolant expands. Due to excessive heating, the pressure may rise in the tubes which may cause them to blast. To avoid this, protective caps are provided which opens in case high pressure is generated in the tubes.
Often, this process is supplemented by a cooling fan over radiator. Coolant is sprinkled over the radiator and a fan cools the liquid by passing air through it. This helps in further cooling of the coolant. This way the heat generated in the engine is removed. With the help of cooling systems, life of the engine is improved and it can be used for long hours continuously.