Plastics Within the Internal Combustion Engine

A high strength, lightweight polymeric material has been developed which shows considerable promise as an engine component material. The polymer has been successfully tested in a number of engine components, such as spring retainers, valve stems, piston skirts, and piston pins.

The use of the material benefits the engine by reducing the dynamic inertia in the reciprocating components with resultant reductions in the stress levels within the engine. The reduced mass of the dynamic components, when compared to conventional metal components, allows the engine to be operated at higher RPMs for a given engine power level; leading to increased engine horsepower.