The anodization process, which is characterized by forming a thin oxide layer through chemical process, contributes to increase the surface hardness where it is deposited, improving the resistance of the part in terms of corrosion and abrasion. This treatment has been applied to automotive engine pistons with the objective of improving the component durability confirmed by the observance of significant gain in terms of performance related to wear on the top hat and on the first land.
With the anodized layer on the whole piston, the piston machining process has potential to be reduced, resulting in lower costs.
Based on this opportunity to reduce process costs and improve component performance, this paper shows the engine validation process required to evaluate the application of an anodized layer around the whole piston. Due to the interactions of the new component design, supporting tools are used to build the validation plan, like a component P-Diagram and an analytical review of the Error States. As conclusion, the results for a current engine application are presented.