Automotive Engineering Commons^™

Experimental Investigation Of Low Thermal Inertia Thermal Barrier Coatings For Spark Ignition Engines, John Gandolfo

All Theses

The application of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) in spark ignition (SI) engines has historically been avoided due to the knock penalty associated with higher surface temperatures induced by the ceramic layer. However, advances in low thermal inertia coatings (i.e., temperature swing coatings) that combine low thermal conductivity with low volumetric heat capacity can prevent excessively high surface temperatures during the intake stroke and reduce or avoid knock while improving performance and efficiency. This thesis experimentally evaluates the effectiveness of these low thermal inertia coatings in a single-cylinder research engine representative of modern SI engines.

First, four pistons coated with a …