ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING enhances GTDI pistons
- Magazine Feature Article
- 16AUTP04_03
- English
The trend toward downsized gasoline turbocharged direct-injected (GTDI) engines has raised peak combustion chamber pressures to 160 bar (2321 psi) and temperatures above 2000°C-nearly the limit of traditional materials and design. More than ever, effective thermal management is vital for durability and combustion stability. Techniques such as adding oil-squirt jets to spray lubrication oil under the piston crown, while simple and effective, are often not sufficient for increasingly high-power-density engines.
In order to better understand the heat transfer and mechanical stress effects inside a downsized GTDI engine, the authors conducted a conjugate heat transfer and finite-element analysis. The intent was to study the piston design possibilities afforded by the use of the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) additive manufacturing process and its impact on further increasing engine efficiency, combustion stability and phasing. Potential benefits using SLM also exist in reducing piston mass and friction.