Thermal analysis of nanostructured alumina stabilized zirconia coating on exhaust manifold

Abstract

ABSTRACTRapid rise in pollution has increased the number of automobiles usage worldwide. The exhaust manifold is an important part in the automobile since it acts as a passage for the transport of exhaust gases from the combustion chamber to the atmosphere. It is a sensitive component since it handles high-temperature exhaust gases. Continuous exposure of high-temperature exhaust gas may cause thermal stress which decreases the life of the exhaust manifold. Cast iron or steel is the most common material used for exhaust manifold. The present study deals with the improvement of material properties of exhaust manifold. In order to optimize the cast iron properties such as thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance, a zirconia-based nanocomposite coating such as alumina stabilized Zirconia (ASZ) can be coated on both sides of the exhaust manifold, instead of replacing the whole material. By coating nano structured ASZ, the amount of heat flow from exhaust gases to the exhaust manifold is decreased, thereby reducing the thermal fatigue. The method of coating can be achieved by radio frequency Magnetron sputtering technique. A steady-state thermal analysis is performed by simulation approach using ANSYS R17.2 to validate the output in the numerical approach. The results obtained shows that ASZ nanocomposite coating acts as an efficient thermal barrier coating for the exhaust manifold thus increasing its reliability.