DEVELOPMENT OF CAR PISTON MATERIAL FROM ALUMINIUM ALLOY USING COCONUT SHELL ASH AS AN ADDITIVE

ABSTRACT

This research presents the development of a piston material from aluminium alloy using coconut shell ash as an additive. Most damage pistons reported in literature are as a result mechanical fatigue due to wear and thermal fatigue. Investigations revealed that aluminium alloys have relatively poor wear resistance, and researchers are concerned with  reinforcing  aluminium  alloy  for  improved  properties.  The  present  work  used coconut shell ash for the reinforcement. The coconut powder was produced by crushing the  coconut  shell  which  was  sieved  to  a  particle  sizes  (below  70  micron)  for  the composite. The powder was then subjected to firing in an oven to obtain the ash. Aluminium alloy (Al 356-T7) was used as the matrix, while the coconut shell ash was the reinforcing material. The composites were prepared using double-stir casting method. The aluminium alloy was heated to about 7500C and the coconut shell ash, which was preheated to about 8000C was added in the proportion of 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15W% to produce the composites. The composites were machined into standard sizes for the purpose of determining the mechanical properties; tensile strength, hardness wear rate and thermal behaviour. The results obtained show that addition of the coconut shell ash particles reinforcement to the alloy increased the tensile and hardness value of the composite but reduced its wear rate and density. The coconut shell ash reinforced piston was produced and was tested using 12-valve model E series automobile engine in terms of performance and failure rate. The results obtained show a fuel consumption savings of 0.036 litre per minute, which is similar to that of conventional piston. The composite can find application in automotive components like brake system where lightweight materials are required with good wear resistance, strength and hardness.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

A piston is a moving component that is contained by a cylinder and is made gas tight by piston rings. In an engine its purpose is to transfer energy from expanding gas in the cylinder to the crankshaft via piston rod or connecting rod. Pistons are composed of a special aluminium alloy and some other metal elements. They change into sophisticated products after going through different phases and meeting international standards. Manufacturers are required to produce pistons with reduced air pollution, lower density and  higher  efficiency  for  fuel  and  oil;  consequently  such  pistons  should  have  high solidity and low weight. The engine can be called the heart of a vehicle and the piston may be considered the most important part of an engine. As an important part in the engine, piston endures the cyclic gas pressure and inertia forces at work. This working condition may cause the fatigue damage of the piston. Investigations indicate that greatest stress appears on the upper part of the piston and stress concentrations is one of the main reasons for fatigue failure (Venkata, et al., 2013).

Coconut (Cocos nucifera) can be obtained from oil palm tree found to thrive well in the tropical rainforest of Nigeria, and has been used as a composites material by Chinthani and Mevan, (2015), and Poornesh et al. (2017). Composites have been defined as a multiphase material that exhibits a significant property of constituent phases such that a better combination of properties can be realized (Callister, 2013).

The property of composite materials is thought to be a combination of the properties of both constituent phases, although this is not always the case with respect to certain properties such as toughness. The overall result will yield an entirely different material with the combination of properties such as lightweight, high strength, stiffness, good corrosion and abrasion resistance. These properties are rare combination compared to those found in the conventional iron and steel used in virtually every aspect of modern human life. The advent of composite materials has brought relief to the automobile industries and indeed the entire world by the use of lightweight materials with comparatively  high  strengths  to  heavy  steels.  Moreover,  hybrid  technologies  that combine electricity with internal combustion engines such as lightweight vehicle will produce enormous oil saving thereby reducing hazardous emission such as carbon monoxide into the atmosphere and increasing efficiency as well. The study of composites is a dynamic one because research activities can continually be carried out by regulation of   composite   manufacturing   parameters   and   constituents   until   the   optimum characteristics have been attained. For example, the input of additives and fillers such as chemicals and minerals in various proportions show some improvement in the physical and mechanical properties of composites, (Enetanya, 2014).

1.2 Statement of the Problem

There are lots of research work on engine pistons, new geometries, materials and manufacturing techniques, and this evolution has undergone with a continuous improvement over the last decades, and required thorough examination of the smallest details. Notwithstanding all these studies, there are a huge number of damaged pistons. Damage mechanisms have different origins and are mainly wear, temperature and fatigue related. The fatigue related piston damages play a dominant role mainly due to thermal and mechanical fatigue either at room or at high temperature.   The present research intends to improve the strength, density and temperature resistance, by introducing a locally sourced material, coconut shell, as reinforcement to aluminium alloy in the piston production.

The availability of coconut shell is increasing every year worldwide, which is a hard lignocellulose Agro waste. Nigeria is one of the largest producers of coconut. But mostly the coconut shells are left out in the garbage or burnt as waste and produce large quantity of CO2    and methane emission (Udhayasankar and Karthikeyan, 2015).

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this research is to develop a car engine piston material from aluminium alloy using coconut shell as additive. The objectives are to:

i.      Produce an aluminium alloy with  coconut shell ash composite for car piston production

ii.      Develop  a  piston  using  aluminium  alloy  and  coconut  shell  ash  composite produced

iii.      Investigate the mechanical properties and thermal behaviour of the existing piston and compare with the Aluminium Matrix Composite (AMCs) of the coconut shell ash

iv.      Carry out the performance evaluation of the produced piston from the coconut shell aluminium matrix composite (AMC) in terms of failure and fuel economy and compare it to that of the existing piston.

1.4 Justification of the Study

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) maintained a significantly improved properties, comprising high specific strength, specific modulus, damping capacity and good wear resistance, when compared to unreinforced alloys. Similarly, there has been an increasing interest in composites containing low density and low cost of reinforcements.

The present research is  geared towards utilizing coconut shell ash  as  composite for aluminium alloys, for piston production. The use of coconut shell reinforced materials offer several environmental advantages, such as decreased dependence on non-renewable material sources, lower pollution and green house emission. The advantages of coconut shell ash over conventional reinforcing materials (glass and carbon) are low cost and low density. (Chinthani and Mevan, 2015)

1.5 Scope of the Study

The present study is limited to the development of a reinforced aluminium composite using coconut shell ash as additive for car piston production. The tests to be carried out to investigate the properties of the produced metal matrix composite (MMC) are limited to tensile and yield strength, hardness, density, corrosion, wear resistance and thermal behaviour.

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