Can we make ceramic piston & other parts for I. C Engines by foundry instead of machining?
Ceramics are difficult to cast and are not suitable for forging.
However, they can be sintered; the part is made from powder compressed into the shape of the final part, then taken to a high temperature (below melting point) where agitation from the vibrating molecules fuse themselves together. (Ceramic Pottery is a sintering process)
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=GEHA8_bix0oC&pg=PA424&lpg=PA424&dq=IC+engine+ceramic+sintering&source=bl&ots=08z6fs8oFd&sig=h59NozgRZFw2e2UZ42HPoEct08M&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjTiIKmg4HKAhXLXRQKHT5gCQIQ6AEIJjAB#v=onepage&q=IC%20engine%20ceramic%20sintering&f=false
They can also be sprayed using plasma torches.
The biggest problem is crack propagation. Unlike metals that get stronger under cyclic load. Ceramics always have small cracks. These open up under cyclic loading and component life is usually dominated by the time it takes for the crack to become long enough to fail the component. Static parts are quite common; guide vanes for gas turbine engines for example, but moving or rotating parts are still a challenge, with some successful implementations.
Best Regards
Paul
Ceramic parts no way.
Slip casting or powder technology (compaction and sintering) can be used.
Ceramics are basically brittle and is not having toughness and hence it may easily fail at any jerks. Thus it is not advisable as engine blocks....
There are a number of composite solutions available where ceramic is coated onto a metal component. This company specialise in this area.
https://www.ceramtec.com/mmc-metal-ceramic-composite-materials/
Cylinder liners and coated pistons are a step in the direction of the ceramic IC engine. These are currently used in the Porsche Boxster and 911.
Best Regards
Paul
Hi Paul, I think Mathada question is whether we can use foundry casting instead of machining for making certain engine components.
Of course we can use coating by ceramics (e.g. using plasma spraying) but to do conventional casting of ceramics there is no way to do it.
The most common way to make components completely made out of ceramics is by powder metallurgy (compaction and sintering). Alternatively for certain types of ceramics we can use slip casting technique.
In fact, it is possible to produce ceramic parts by melting and casting. However by doing so, the resulting microstructure would be inadequate in relation to the mechanical properties requested for technical ceramics.
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