Abstract: 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.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A technique and accompanying apparatus to promote increased yield, improved surface finish and microstructure, and faster cycling time for precision-sand casting process. Aluminum products are cast by: (a) forming a precision sand mold, devoid of risers and/or vents, and a gating system consisting of a gravity feeding sprue and one or more runners effective to carry molten metal from the sprue only to the bottom of the mold cavity; (b) planting a flow modifier in the gating system between the sprue and mold effective to convert the flow into laminar quiescent flow; and (c) filling the gating system with molten aluminum metal at a rate faster than 4 pounds/second as permitted by the laminar flow that more rapidly fills the mold and acts as a heat sink to prevent a drop in temperature of the in-coming molten metal and thereby increase yield as well as minimizing cycle time.