In an effort to reduce CO2 emissions and improve fuel economy, engineers at Federal-Mogul have come up with an innovative aluminium piston design that can withstand the severe mechanical and thermal loads produced by heavily boosted diesel engines, all of which allows for significant improvements in engine performance and durability. Called DuraBowl, Federal-Mogul’s design strengthens the crown of a diesel engine piston by locally re-melting the alloy around the bowl, thus improving the fatigue strength of the aluminium where it is most needed. The result is an extension of component life to between four and seven times to that achieved with a conventional cast piston.
Federal-Mogul’s solution is to pre-machine the cast piston and then re-melt the alloy around the rim of the bowl. The re-melted alloy cools a thousand times faster than it did when originally cast, which leads to much smaller silicon particles. “The strength and efficiency of our solution is that the process is physically simple,” continues Doernenburg. “The sophistication is in the control of key parameters, which ensure consistent quality. The result is a technically advanced, high-performing and very cost-competitive product when compared with both fibre-reinforced and steel pistons.”
