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Procedia Engineering 00 (2017)000–000
Procedia Engineering 00 (2017)000–000 www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia
ScienceDirect www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia
Procedia Engineering 206 (2017) 1382–1387

International Conference on Industrial Engineering, ICIE 2017

International Conference on Industrial Engineering, ICIE 2017
Thermal Protection of Internal Combustion Engines Pistons
Thermal Protection of Internal Combustion Engines Pistons
N.Yu. Dudarevaa,*, R.D. Enikeeva, V.Yu. Ivanovb
a N.Yu. Dudarevaa,*, R.D. Enikeeva, V.Yu. Ivanovb
Ufa State Aviation Technical University, 12, Karl Marx St., Ufa 450008, The Russian Federation
b
Public Joint
a
Ufa Stock CompanyTechnical
State Aviation Ufa Engine Industrial12,
University, Association,
Karl Marx 2,
St.,Ferin St., Ufa 450039,
Ufa 450008, The Russian
The Russian Federation
Federation
b
Public Joint Stock Company Ufa Engine Industrial Association, 2, Ferin St., Ufa 450039, The Russian Federation

Abstract
Abstract
The research aiming to improve the reliability and durability of internal combustion engines (ICE) has traditionally been relevant.
Today, the use
The research of ceramic
aiming materials
to improve and coatings
the reliability andin engine manufacturing
durability is an increasingly
of internal combustion frequent
engines (ICE) research subject.
has traditionally beenThe most
relevant.
promising
Today, themethod to form materials
use of ceramic such coatings on aluminum-alloy
and coatings pistons is microarc
in engine manufacturing is an oxidation
increasingly(MAO). Theresearch
frequent goal of subject.
this research is to
The most
study the efficiency
promising method to form of thermal protection
such coatings provided by a MAO
on aluminum-alloy pistonslayer on the oxidation
is microarc piston head experimentally.
(MAO). The goal of Tothisdetermine
research isthe to
optimum
study the coating
efficiencythickness, we have
of thermal simulated
protection the thermal
provided by a state
MAOoflayerthe piston
on theusing ANSYS
piston head Multiphysics.
experimentally. Then
To we carried out
determine the
motor
optimum tests of thethickness,
coating pistons using the single-cylinder
we have unit ofstate
simulated the thermal a four-cylinder
of the pistontwo-stroke
using ANSYSengine. The coatingThen
Multiphysics. was weapplied to out
carried the
surface of the
motor tests of piston head on
the pistons the the
using combustion chamber
single-cylinder side.
unit of We tested the pistons
a four-cylinder with MAO
two-stroke engine.coating thicknesses
The coating of 76 and
was applied to 106
the
μm. Theofpiston
surface temperature
the piston head onwas measured onchamber
the combustion the piston head
side. Wesurface on pistons
tested the the crankcase
with MAOside coating
using temperature
thicknessesindicators.
of 76 and The 106
tests werepiston
μm. The carried out under was
temperature excess air factor
measured on=0.95 at the
the piston full-load
head surfacecurve.
on theAscrankcase
a result, side
we have
usingelicited the positive
temperature effectThe
indicators. of
MAOwere
tests coating applied
carried to the excess
out under piston head. Per calculation
air factor =0.95 at theandfull-load
test results, such
curve. Ascoating reduced
a result, we havethe elicited
temperature of the piston
the positive effect by
of
45...78 °C. Theapplied
MAO coating thickness of the
to the MAO
piston layer
head. Perwas not foundand
calculation to have any significant
test results, impact
such coating on thethe
reduced thermal state ofofthethepiston.
temperature pistonTheby
research°C.
45...78 results are applicable
The thickness of theinMAO
engine manufacturing
layer was not found when designing
to have new engines
any significant or upgrading
impact the existing
on the thermal state ofengines
the piston.to make
The
them more reliable.
research results are applicable in engine manufacturing when designing new engines or upgrading the existing engines to make
© 2017
them Thereliable.
more Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
© 2017 The under
Peer-review Authors. Published by
responsibility Elsevier
of Elsevier Ltd.
the scientific
© 2017 The
Peer-review Authors.
under Published by
responsibility of the B.V. committee
scientific committee
of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering.
of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering
Keywords:
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee ofpiston
Internal combustion engines; thermal protection, coating, microarc oxidation.
the International Conference on Industrial Engineering.
Keywords: Internal combustion engines; thermal protection, coating, piston microarc oxidation.

1. Introduction
1. Introduction
The piston is one of the most complex and heavily-loaded parts of an internal combustion engine (ICE). In engine
о
operation the piston
The piston is subjected
is one of to high pressures
the most complex up to 8 MPa,
and heavily-loaded partswhile
of anthe gas temperature
internal combustionmay reach
engine 2,500
(ICE). С [1].
In engine
operation the piston is subjected to high pressures up to 8 MPa, while the gas temperature may reach 2,500 оС [1].

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +7-347-273-0553; fax: +7-347-272-8405.

E-mail address:author.
* Corresponding dudareva.ny@net.ugatu.su
Tel.: +7-347-273-0553; fax: +7-347-272-8405.
E-mail address: dudareva.ny@net.ugatu.su
1877-7058 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Peer-review
1877-7058 ©under
2017responsibility
The Authors. of the scientific
Published committee
by Elsevier B.V.of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering .
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering .

1877-7058 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering.
10.1016/j.proeng.2017.10.649
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2 N.Yu. Dudareva, R.D. Enikeev, V.Yu. Ivanov / Procedia Engineering 00 (2017) 000–000

Besides, the pressure in the combustion chamber, the acceleration, and the lateral force affecting the piston skirt
result in cyclic mechanical stresses superimposed on the existing thermal stresses. As a result, the fusion of the
piston head occurs, and the engine fails [2-4]. The fusion of the piston head is the destruction of the surface layer as
a result of overloaded engine operations.
Thermal insulation of piston heads is one of the ways to reduce the thermal load on the ICE pistons [5]. Various
coatings are used for these purposes, e.g. ceramic coatings in the form of oxides such as such as alumina (Al2O3),
Zirconia (ZrO2), Magnesia (MgO), Berillya (BeO); Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia; Silicon Nitride (Si3N4); tin; complex
coatings such as NiCrAl [6,7]. Atmospheric plasma spray (APS) technology is often used to apply coatings to ICE
parts [8]. Many of these coatings are disadvantageous for ICE due to their low adhesive strength and susceptibility
to chipping and flaking.
One of the modern methods of applying ceramic coating to aluminum-alloy parts consists in microarc oxidation
(MAO) [9-12]. This technology generates a ceramic layer on a surface; the layer consists mostly of aluminum oxide
(corundum), can be up to 400 microns thick and has a good adhesion to the base material even under significant
thermocyclic loads [13-15].
The effect of the MAO layer on the thermal state of the piston has been studied multiple times [16-18]. It has
been determined that a 25- to 30-micron coating on the piston head and grooves reduces the temperature of the
piston by 33 °C [16]. Other researchers claim that a 100-micron MAO layer reduces such temperature only by 12-
14 °C [17]. In some research cases, a 120- to 160-micron thick MAO layer reduced the temperature of the inner
surface of a diesel ICE piston by just 6.5 °C [18]. It is clear that current scientific literature contains inconsistent and
inadequate data on the efficiency of thermal protection MAO provides. Many experimental studies employed non-
motorized test stands rather than a real engine. This research is to close this information gap. Therefore, the goal of
this research is to study experimentally the efficiency of thermal protection provided by a MAO layer on the piston
head, under the real operating conditions of an engine.

2. Objects and methods of research

2.1. Objects of research

All the theoretical and experimental studies employed a two-stroke piston engine, see Table 1.

Table 1. Specification of the engine.

Make APD-800
Type 4-cylinder, 2-stroke, water cooled, horizontal shaft
Blow crank-chamber
Displacement 0.771
Bore × stroke 64 mm × 60 mm
Compression ratio 10.5
Fuel petrol
Rated brake power 72 KW at 6,900 rpm
Max. torque 0.8kg-m/2,500rpm

The piston was made of aluminum alloy AK12D (Si – 10…13%, Fe – 1.5%, Mn – 0.5%, Ti – 0.1%, Cu – 0.6%,
Zr – 0.1%, Mg-0.1%, Zn – 0.3%, the remaining percentage is Al), the cylinder barrel was made of aluminum alloy
AK9Ch (Si – 8-10.5%, Mn – 0.2…0.5%, Cu – 0.3%, Mg- 0.17..0.3%; Zn – 0.3%, the remaining percentage is Al),
the liner was made of a special gray alloyed cast iron grade HNCh (С – 1.3 …1.8 %, Si – 1.75%, Mn – 0.5%, Cr –
18%, Ni – 8.9%, the remaining percentage is Fe) [19,20].
The MAO layer on the piston surfaces was formed in a silicate-alkaline electrolyte of the following composition:
KOH 2.5 g/l, Na2SiO3 2.5 g/l. The treatment lasted for 1.5 hours, with anode-cathode current ratio Ia/Ik = 1 and
1384 N.Yu. Dudareva et al. / Procedia Engineering 206 (2017) 1382–1387
N.Yu. Dudareva, R.D. Enikeev, V.Yu. Ivanov / Procedia Engineering 00 (2017) 000–000 3

anode voltage Ua = 290…300 V. The thickness of the MAO layer on the piston head was measured using a TT-210
eddy-current thickness gauge.
The heat transfer coefficient of the AK12D alloy was calculated per the Wiedemann-Franz formula, for which we
measured the specific electric conductivity of the alloy using a VE-27NС eddy-current metal conductivity gauge.

2.2. Materials and methods of numerical experiment

The efficiency of the thermal protection MAO provides for pistons was assessed preliminarily by simulation in
ANSYS Multiphysics. The model for calculations was a piston fixed in the cylinder liner in the middle position
between the top dead center and the bottom dead center. All the calculations were based on Fourier’s law:

q T (1)

where q is heat flux per unit area,  is the heat transfer coefficient, T is the temperature gradient.
For the calculations, the piston head temperature was assumed to equal 350 оС [1]. In the simulation, heat supply
was even across the entire head surface on the combustion chamber side. The temperature of the outer liner wall was
assumed as a constant equal to 50 °С in accordance with the engine specifications. The piston was air-cooled on the
crankcase side. The scavenge flow temperature was assumed to equal 30 °С, the flow equaled 82.8 m3/h. On the
crankcase side of the piston surface, we set a convection boundary condition with heat transfer coefficient =42
W/m2·K. This value was set in accordance with reference data for air to smooth surface interaction conditions at an
average flow speed of 9...10 m/s [21].
Corresponding materials were set for the piston, the cylinder, and the liner. The assumed value of the MAO layer
heat transfer coefficient was λ=1.6 W/(mK) [12]. The heat transfer coefficient of the piston material was a variable
ranging from 140 to 260 W/(mK) [21]. MAO layer thickness was as well a variable ranging from 20 to 200 m.
The goal of the numerical experiment was to determine the optimum MAO layer thickness and the expected
reduction of the piston temperature on the crankcase side.

2.3. Materials and Methods of Motor Tests

Three pistons were tested, see Fig. 1: Piston #1 had no MAO coating; Piston #2 had MAO coating on the head,
h=76 microns; Piston #3 had MAO coating on the head, h=108 microns.

Fig. 1. Piston of an APD-800 engine: (a) no thermal protection coating; (b) MAO layer for thermal protection.

Motor tests of the pistons were carried out using a MEZ VSETIN test bench with a DS 736-4/V direct current
dynamometer designed for prolong ICE tests [22]. The thermal state parameters of the engine were registered by the
sensors of the test bench as well as by ABIT ECU software [23]. Cooling system water temperature was maintained
at 50±3°C by means of a thermostat. The throttle was controlled by a stepper motor.
It is a challenging task to determine the piston surface temperature in operation. The main challenge is that
pistons are moving and heated to such temperatures that many sensors fail and are destroyed. In this research, we
used melting thermal indicators. They have quite a few advantages to offer: they are sufficiently accurate, have good
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4 N.Yu. Dudareva, R.D. Enikeev, V.Yu. Ivanov / Procedia Engineering 00 (2017) 000–000

adhesion to the studied surface, they are applicable to high-speed engines and do not require destruction of the
piston. Thermal indicators were applied to the inner surfaces of the pistons prior to the tests. Two thermal indicator
application models were designed, a ‘hot’ model where the melting points of the indicators ranged from 255 to
400 °C, see Fig. 2a; and a ‘cold’ model where the melting points of the indicators ranged from 180 to 255 °C, see
Fig. 2b.

Fig. 2. (a) ‘hot’ thermal indicator application model; (b) ‘cold’ thermal indicator application model.

In the light of the results of earlier studies [24], the ‘hot’ model was used to apply thermal indicators to Piston #1
(no MAO). The cold model was used to apply thermal indicators to MAO-coated pistons (#2 and #3). Thermal
indicators were protected using Very High Temperature Paint.
Motor tests were carried out under maximum load and thermal stress conditions matching the full-load curve
(FLC). Maximum engine speed was gradually increased to 6,000 RPM, see Table 2.

Table 2. Piston test conditions.

Test conditions
Piston # Piston description
Maximum speed, n, Maximum exhaust gas
Excess air factor, α Test duration, s
rpm temperature, t, °C
1 No MAO 0.95 6,009 400 850
2 76-micron MAO layer 0.95 6,010 378 907
3 108-micron MAO layer 0.95 6,014 402 720

3. The results of studies

3.1. The results of numerical experiment

As a result of the numerical experiment, we determine the distribution of the temperature field on the piston head
on the crankcase side for various MAO coating thicknesses, see Fig. 3. Simulation showed that the MAO layer
thickness (h) did not affect the distribution of temperature in the piston, see Fig. 3а. Regardless of how thick the
coating was, temperature was the highest in the center of the piston head, see Fig. 3b.
Numerical experiments showed that the temperature of the piston depends on the piston alloy heat transfer
coefficient and the thickness of the MAO layer per the regression:

T  363.05  0.46h  0.12 (2)

where h is the thickness of the MAO layer, m;  - is the heat transfer coefficient of the piston alloy, W/(mK).
1386 N.Yu. Dudareva et al. / Procedia Engineering 206 (2017) 1382–1387
N.Yu. Dudareva, R.D. Enikeev, V.Yu. Ivanov / Procedia Engineering 00 (2017) 000–000 5

Fig. 3. Piston head temperature on the crankcase side, where =140: a) h=0, b) h=120.

Analyzing the equation (2), it becomes clear that with a thicker MAO layer and a higher heat transfer coefficient
of the piston alloy, the temperature of the piston on the crankcase side is lower.
Based on the specific electric conductivity of the alloy AK12D, which equaled =20.2 μS/m at 28 оС, we
calculated the heat transfer coefficient of the alloy  = 148.43 W/(mK).
In terms of adhesion strength, the most optimum MAO layer thickness h=100…110 microns [15]. Given the
optimum thickness and the alloy heat transfer coefficient per the formula (2), we determined the expected
temperature of the piston head on the crankcase side T=294.6 оС, i.e. the piston head temperature should be reduced
by 45..50 оС compared to the non-MAO piston. We carried out motor tests to verify these results.

3.2. Results of motor tests

Fig. 4 demonstrates the piston head temperatures recorded during the motor tests we carried out.

Fig. 4. The maximum temperature of the inside of the piston head.

Pre- and post-test analysis of Piston #1 showed the maximum temperature had reached 300 °С on the head,
exceeded 222 °С but did not reach 255 °С on the skirt. As for Pistons #2 and #3, maximum temperature exceeded
200 °С but did not reach 222 °С in the center of the head as well as on the skirt, where as it reached 222 °С on the
edges.
No defects of MAO coatings on the piston heads were found after the tests, which confirms the excellent
reliability of MAO coatings applied to ICE piston heads.
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6 N.Yu. Dudareva, R.D. Enikeev, V.Yu. Ivanov / Procedia Engineering 00 (2017) 000–000

4. Conclusions

Simulation and motor tests have showed MAO coatings are efficient for thermal protection of pistons from
fusions. As it was expected on the basis of simulation, inside temperature reduction in MAO-coated pistons was at
least 45 °С compared to non-MAO pistons. Comparing the temperatures of pistons with differently-thick MAO
layers, see Fig. 4, leads to a conclusion that the thickness does not have a significant effect on the thermal state of
pistons.

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