The efficiency of thermal protection of ICE pistons with the micro-arc oxidation

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In order to protect pistons of internal combustion engines (ICE) from burnout and increase their durability, it is reasonable to use ceramic coatings formed on the piston head with micro-arc oxidation (MAO). Many scientific papers have been devoted to the study of the efficiency of these coatings. However, most of these studies were carried out at laboratory facilities simulating the engine operation, generally, not taking into account the real thermophysical parameters of the MAO coating. Therefore, the thermal protection efficiency of these coatings is difficult to assess.
 AIM: Study of efficiency of the thermal protection of pistons using a ceramic coating formed by micro-arc oxidation on the piston head with numerical simulation.
 METHODS: The study was conducted in the SolidWorks Simulation software. Two piston aluminum alloys were used as the piston material: AK12d (with a silicon content of 12%) and AK4-1 (with a silicon content of 0.35%). Temperature loads corresponding to the operation of a real engine were applied to the surfaces of the model piston. At the first stage of the study, the thermal state of pistons made of different uncoated alloys was simulated. At the second and third stages of the study, the effect of the coating thickness on the piston thermal state was simulated. The piston material of the second study stage was the AK4-1 alloy. The piston material of the third study stage was the AK12d alloy. Ceramics, which properties correspond to the coatings properties formed with the micro-arc oxidation method on these alloys, were used as the coating material. The coating thickness varied in the range from 50 to 350 µm in increments of 100 µm. The probing method was used to determine the temperature in various areas of the piston, such as at the piston head surface at the MAO coating and under it, in the area of piston grooves, at a piston skirt and the piston head from the side of a crankcase.
 RESULTS: With the simulation, it was found that:
 
 The micro-arc coating of the piston head reduces the thermal tension of the piston regardless of the aluminum alloy chemical composition.
 The efficiency of the piston’s thermal protection increases with an increase in the ceramic coating thickness and a decrease in its thermal conductivity coefficient.
 The greatest heat-protecting effect is achieved by the piston made of the AK12d eutectic alloy.
 
 CONCLUSIONS: It is found that the MAO coating at the piston head is an effective way to reduce the thermal tension of the ICE pistons. Increasing the ceramic coating thickness and a decrease in its thermal conductivity coefficient increases the efficiency of the pistons thermal protection. Reducing the thermal conductivity of the MAO coating and increasing the MAO coating thickness increases the temperature on the coating surface.