iii

ABSTRACT
This project is aimed at improving the performance of diesel engine. Diesel engines burn
fuel oils, which require less refining and are cheaper than higher-grade fuels such as petrol.
During the

combustion process, the stored chemical energy in the fuel is converted to the

thermal, or heat, energy.

During combustion, the top surface of the piston faces the maximum temperature. Due to
conduction, this heat is transferred throughout the piston. As heat is generated continuously in
the piston surface, conduction takes place rapidly allowing more heat to be conducted to the
piston. Due to this, some amount of heat which is to be combusted is lost to the piston. Also the
piston tends to get expanded due to the high temperature of heat which is transferred to piston.
In this study, a coating is done on the top surface of the piston to reduce the heat which is
being transferred throughout the piston. Functionally graded materials which have a low thermal
conductivity is been applied as coating to the top surface of the piston. Thermal analysis is done
on both the uncoated and coated piston and the stress results are compared. The thermal stresses
obtained are compared with the numerically obtained values. The thermal stress of coated piston
is found less than the uncoated piston which results in reduced heat transfer in the piston.

iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First and foremost I would like to thank the Lord Almighty for His presence and immense
blessings throughout the project work.
Its a matter of pride and privilege for me to express my deep gratitude to the management of
HITS for providing me the necessary facilities and support.
I am highly elated in expressing my sincere and abundant respect to the Vice Chancellor
Dr.S.Ramachandran for giving me this opportunity to bring out and implement my ideas in this
project.
I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to Dr.T.S.Ravikumar Ph.D, Head of the Department of
Mechanical Engineering for much of his valuable support encouragement in carrying out this
work.
I would like to thank my internal guide Mr .Dr.P.Vijayabalan M.E., Ph.D. for continually
guiding and actively participating in my project, giving valuable suggestions to complete the
project work.
I would like to thank all the technical and teaching staff of the Mechanical Engineering
Department, who extended directly or indirectly all support.
Last, but not the least, I am deeply indebted to my parents who have been the greatest support
while I worked day and night for the project to make it a success

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER

TITLE

NO.

NO.
List Of Abbreviations

List Of Figures

ii

List Of Tables

iii

Abstract

iv

INTRODUCTION
1.1. Thermal Barrier Coating

LITERATURE REVIEW

PISTON

PAGE

1
4

3.1. Internal Combustion Engines

3.2. Applications

3.2.1. Air Compressors

3.2.2. Gas Generators

COATING
4.1. Nanocoating

4.1.1.

Electrical Beam Physical Vapor Deposition

4.1.2.

Material Evaporation Method

10

4.2. The Substrate

11

4.3. Functionally Graded Coating

11

4.4. Advantages & Applications Of Zirconia Thermal

14

Barriers

vi

FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

5.1. Steps Involved In Finite Element Analysis

16

5.2. Ansys Analysis

16

5.3. Ansys Evaluation

17

5.4. Structural Analysis

18

5.4.1.

Types Of Solution Methods

19

5.4.2.

Structural Static Analysis

19

5.4.3.

Apply Loads To The Model

20

5.4.4.

Meshing

20

5.5. Thermal Analysis

23

5.5.1.

Convection

23

5.5.2.

Radiation

24

5.6. Types Of Thermal Analysis

25

5.6.1.

Steady-State Thermal Analysis

26

5.6.2.

Transient Thermal Analysis

26

5.6.3.

Coupled-Field Analysis

27

5.7. Coated Piston

28

5.8. Uncoated Piston

29

PLASMA SPRAY COATING

6.1 Zirconia Dioxide

31

6.2 Thermal Spray Technique

31

6.3 Overview Of Plasma Spray Process

32

TESTING OF SPECIMEN AND RESULT

7.1

Aluminium Without Zirconia

34

7.2

Aluminium With Zirconia Coated

36

7.3

Hardness Test

37

7.4

Saltspray Test

38

vii

CONCLUSION
REFERENCES

39

viii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

S.NO

ABBREVATION

DESCRIPTION

CVD

Chemical Vapour Deposition

FEA

Finite Element Analysis

LHR

Low Heat-Rejection

MEMS

Micro-Electromechanical Systems

PECVD

Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapour

Deposition

PVD

Physical Vapour Deposition

TBC

Thermal Barrier Coating

TEC

Thermal Expansion Coefficient

ix

LIST OF FIGURE

FIGURE

FIGURE NAME

PAGE NO

NO

3.1

Component Of Diesel Engine

3.2

Piston Assembly

4.1

Electron Beam Physical

12

Vapour Deposition

4.2

Top Groove Hard Anodize

13

4.3

Skirt Coating

14

4.4

Thermal Barrier Crown

14

4.5

Koolkote

14

5.1

Coated Piston

28

5.2

Uncoated Piston

29

5.3

Comparison Between Coated

30

And Uncoated Piston

6.1

Thermal Spray Process

31

6.2

Plasma Spray Coating Process

32

7.1

Aluminium Without Zirconia

33

7.2

Aluminium With Zirconia

35

LIST OF TABLE

TABLE NO

TABLE NAME

PAGE NO

5.1

Element Used In Structural

16

Analysis

5.2

Define Load

16

5.3

Material Properties Of

22

Aluminium

5.4

Material Properties Of

23

Zirconia

7.1

Hardness Comparison

37