Thermo-mechanical analysis of a glass-ceramic piston for potential use in combustion engines

The temperature of combustion engine pistons, e.g., 370 °C, along with their high thermal coefficient of expansion, are limiting design factors. The use of ceramic in the majority of the present literature is directed toward exploring its potential as a coating only, i.e., a thermal barrier. This work, however, investigates the applicability of glass-ceramic as a construction material for the engine piston in replacement of its metallic conventional candidates. Firstly, in attempts to find the most suitable ceramic material, a selection screening of several grades is performed using ANSYS Granta Edupack software. Secondly, a thermo-mechanical analysis is performed to compare between glass-ceramic, Aluminum and stainless steel that can best fit the piston application. It was found that the maximum induced Von-Mises stresses are reduced by more than 200% when glass-ceramic was used. Similarly, the maximum deformation was seen to be extremely lower compared to Aluminum and stainless steel. Different other possible high-strength glass-ceramic materials are also discussed. Overall, the FEA outcomes in conjunction with the findings of high-strength glass-ceramics present an attractive foundation as future candidates to pistons potentially used in aerospace applications.