Optimization of piston material with aluminium alloy based metal matrix composites

Abstract

Piston failure is caused by a combination of mechanical and thermal loads is a frequent occurrence that can be expensive to repair or replace. In this paper, analysis is carried out to evaluate and improve the performance of a piston intended for deployment in a four-stroke SI engine with a single cylinder. To determine the most suitable material for the piston, different materials, alloys and aluminium based metal matrix composite are examined. Piston is designed using CAD software and static structural analysis and thermal transient analysis is done using finite element analysis. Based on the analysis, Al 6061–1.5% B4C- 1.5% SiC metal matrix composite material is found to be the most desirable choice among the five materials considered due to lower value of deformation (31% to 76% less in comparison) and mechanical stresses (0.38% to 0.83% less in comparison).