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Construction of 4 Stroke Piston For a Marine

Diesel Engine
Home Flow Measurement

Piston forms the lower part Four Stroke Engines

Diesel Engines Advertisement of the combustion chamber
Marine Boiler of marine diesel engine. Cast Two Stroke Engines
iron is the most common
Air Conditioning Fuel Injection System
material used for piston.
Compressed Air
Cracking of cast iron piston Fuel Oil System
much reduced by the use of
Batteries iron castings of pearlitic Lub Oil filters
structure, with less tendency
Refrigeration MAN B&W Engine
to growth; as well as oil
Marine Pumps cooling of the larger sizes of Sulzer Diesel Engine
piston.
Feed System Marine Condensers

Pistons for medium speed Oily Water Separator

Incinerator
trunk piston engines which
Refrigerants burn residual fuel are Overspeed Protection
composite pistons; i.e the
Gearboxes Piston & Piston rings
crown and the skirt are
Governors made of different materials. Crankshaft Deflection
Piston crowns attain a running temperature of about 450 degree C and in this
Coolers zone there is a need for high strength and minimum distortion in order to SewageTreatment Plant

maintain resistance to gas loads and maintain the attitude to the rings in Starting Air System
Propellers
relation to the liner. The heat flow path from the crown must be uniform
Steering Gear otherwise thermal distortion will cause a non-circular piston resulting in reduced Emergency Power Supply
running clearance or even possible contact with the liner wall. In addition to this
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thermal stress they are also subject to compressive stress from combustion and
compression loads, as well as inertial loads. Drydocking & Repairs
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Fig: Spare pistons

Materials such as pearlitic, flake and spheroidal cast iron, alloy cast irons containing Nickel and chromium, and aluminium alloys may
be used. The determining factor is the design criteria for the engine.

For a modern slow speed engine steel forging or castings of nickel-chrome steel or molybdenum steel are common. The weight of the
material is not normally a governing factor in this type of engine although resistance to thermal stress and distortion is. Efficient
cooling is a required to ensure the piston retains sufficient strength to prevent distortion.
 Fig:Path of piston cooling

For medium and high speed engines the weight of the material becomes important to reduce the stresses on the rotating parts. The
high thermal conductivity of aluminium alloys allied to its low weight makes this an ideal material. To keep thermal stresses to a
reasonable level cooling pipes may be cast into the crown, although this may be omitted on smaller engines.Where cooling is omitted,
the crown is made thicker both for strength and to aid in the heat removal from the outer surface. Hard landings are inserted into the
ring groves to keep wear rated down.Composite pistons may be used consisting of an cast alloy steel crown with an aluminium-alloy or
cast iron body.

After casting or forging the component is formed of different material thicknesses. The thinner parts will cool more quickly thereby
setting up internal stresses. Annealing removes or reduces these stresse as well as refining the grain structure.

Fig:Piston crown

The crown is a heat resisting steel forging which may be alloyed with chromium, molybdenum and nickel to maintain strength at high
temperatures and resist corrosion. It is dished to form a combustion chamber with cutouts to allow for the valves opening. The
topland (the space between the top ring and the top of the piston) may be tapered to allow for expansion being greater where the
piston is hottest.

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The skirt can either be a nodular cast iron or forged or cast silicon aluminium alloy. Aluminium has the advantage of being light, with
low inertia, reducing bearing loading. However because aluminium has a higher coefficient of expansion than steel, increased
clearances must be allowed for during manufacture. This means that the piston skirt clearance in the liner is greater than that for cast
iron when running at low loads. The skirt transmits the side thrust, caused by the varying angularity of the con rod, to the liner. Too
big a clearance will cause the piston to tilt.

The piston pin for the con rod small end bearing is located in the piston skirt. The piston pin floats in the piston skirt and is located in
place by circlips. Depending on the material used for the skirt (esp. cast aluminium), a bushing may be used for the pin.

The piston rings may be located in the crown or in both crown and skirt. Normally, the rings are chrome plated or plasma coated to
resist wear. Because the liner is splash lubricated, an oil scraper (oil control) ring is fitted to the piston skirt.

The piston is oil cooled. This is achieved by various means; The simplest is for a jet of oil to be directed upwards from a hole in the top
of the con rod onto the underside of the crown

Summarized below more guidance for marine diesel engine piston handling safety procedure:

1. Construction of 4 stroke piston

For medium and high speed engines the weight of the material becomes important to reduce the stresses on the rotating parts.
The high thermal conductivity of aluminium alloys allied to its low weight makes this an ideal material. To keep thermal stresses
to a reasonable level cooling pipes may be cast into prevent distortion.
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2. Piston oil cooling method - basic principle

The coolant used for removing and conveying the heat from a piston may be either fresh water, distilled water or lubricating oil.
Water has the ability to remove more heat than lubricating oil ( specific heat of water approximately 4 and lubricating oil 2 and
temperature difference 14 deg C for water and 10 deg C for lube oil) .

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3. Function of piston ring in a marine diesel engine

The efficiency of the engine depends upon the effective sealing between the piston and liners. Leakage will reduced compression
pressure and power will lost. Piston rings seal the gas space by expanding outwards due to the gas pressure acting behind them.
They also spread the lubricating oil up and down the cylinder liner and transfer heat to the liner walls Three to six power or
compression rings are fitted to the piston, the number depending on weather the engine operates on the 2-stroke or 4-stroke
cycle.

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4. Requirement of piston ring

Piston forms the lower part of the combustion chamber in a marine diesel engine. It seals the cylinder and transmits the gas
pressure to the connecting rod.

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5. Piston designing considerations

Piston forms the lower part of the combustion chamber in a marine diesel engine. It seals the cylinder and transmits the gas
pressure to the connecting rod.

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 Troubles of piston to be avoided
i) Piston seizure; all too often followed by an explosion of the lubricating oil – air mixture in the crankcase. ii) Cracking of piston
crown and side walls, due to cyclic variation of pressure stress superimposed on stress due to temperature gradient.

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6. Detection of piston overheating

most common reasons of Piston running hot : i) Inadequate circulation of cooling media and or supply not sufficient. ii) Excessive
deposit in cooling space (scale or carbon). iii) Lubrication not sufficient.

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