Definitions for "Cylinderhead"
A component (usually made of cast iron or cast aluminum) that forms the combustion chambers, intake and exhaust ports: including water cooling passages: and provides support for valvetrain components, spark plugs, intake and exhaust manifolds, etc. The cylinderhead attaches to the engine block with several large bolts that squeeze a head gasket between the block deck and head surfaces; and when attached, the head becomes a load-carrying member, adding strength and rigidity to the cylinder block assembly. Modern cylinderhead designs fall into three major categories: 1) overhead-valve with wedge, canted-valve, or hemispherical combustion chambers; 2) single-overhead cam with wedge or hemispherical cambers; 3) double-overhead cam with hemispherical chambers.