Air/Oil Separation in Cylinder Head Covers

Plastic cylinder head covers are an important component in modern engines. Their design is governed not just by space, economy and functionality considerations, but also by the growing number of functions that have to be accomplished by the cover, such as: provide a leak proof seal to the cylinder head and timing belts, isolate the vibrations transmitted from the engine through the cover to the environment, control the crankcase pressure and house the device(s) to separate oil from the blow-by gas. Additionally, the use of plastic affords the development of lighter, more elaborate and cost effective solutions. The present work describes analytical and experimental efforts aimed at understanding and, thus, improving the air/oil separation (AOS) in a given type of cylinder head covers.