Fabrication and Assessment of a Motorcycle Piston using the Traditional Sand Casting Method

Abstract

The RX 100 motorcycle piston was fabricated from end-of-life automobile piston using the traditional sand casting method. The fabricated piston was subjected to thermal analysis using ANSYS R18.1 version software to ascertain its performance under thermal loads. The recycled EOL aluminium used in the fabrication of the piston was characterised using SEM-EDS to determine the composition and morphology of the material. Results obtained show that the EOL aluminium employed in the fabrication of the piston performed excellently under thermal loads, and the SEM-EDS indicates that the material is predominantly aluminium with beneficial alloying elements.