HINDUST

AN
Institute of technology and science

DESIGN PROJECT

PISTON

LOGARAJ.G
16105003
 MSE 4

CONTENTS

 INTRODUCTION OF PISTON
 COMPONENTS OF PISTON
 CONSTRUCTION OF PISTON
 WORKING OF PISTON
 SERVICEING OF PISTON
 INSPECTION OF PISTON
 DESIGN CONSIDERATION
 DESIGN INNOVATION
 2D DIAGRAM
 LEADING MANUFACTURERS
INTRODUCTION TO PISTON
A piston is a component of reciprocating engines, reciprocating pumps, gas
compressors and pneumatic cylinders, among other similar mechanisms. It is the moving
component that is contained by a cylinder and is made gas-tight by piston rings. In an engine, its
purpose is to transfer force from expanding gas in the cylinder to the crankshaft via a piston
rod or connecting rod. In a pump, the function is reversed and force is transferred from the
crankshaft to the piston for the purpose of compressing or ejecting the fluid in the cylinder. In some
engines, the piston also acts as a valve by covering and uncovering ports in the cylinder

COMPONENTS OF PISTON

Generally in 2 stroke engine piston will have one compression ring and one oil ring whereas 4
stroke pistons have two compression ring and one oil ring.
Diesel engine pistons have an piston bowl on the top of the piston
Petrol engine pistons have an flat crown on its head of the piston
 In a petrol engine, the process is
1. Intake stroke – fuel is mixed with air
2. Compression stroke – piston goes up, mixture of fuel and air is compressed
3. Ignition stroke – fuel/air is ignited through the use of a spark plug
4. Exhaust stroke – piston goes up, pushes exhaust through the exhaust valve

In a diesel engine, the process is:

1. Intake stroke – intake valve opens, air in, piston goes down
2. Compression stroke – piston goes up, air compressed (heated in excess of 540°C)
3. Combustion stroke – fuel is injected (right time), ignition, piston goes down
4. Exhaust – piston goes up, pushes exhaust through the exhaust valve

CONSTRUCTION OF A PISTON
 A piston is a cylindrical engine component that slides back and forth in the cylinder bore by forces 

produced during the combustion process. The piston acts as a movable end of the combustion 

chamber. The stationary end of the combustion chamber is the cylinder head. Pistons are commonly

made of a cast aluminium alloy for excellent and lightweight thermal conductivity. Thermal 

conductivity is the ability of a material to conduct and transfer heat. Aluminium expands when 

heated, and proper clearance must be provided to maintain free piston movement in the cylinder 

bore. 

Piston features include the piston head, piston pin bore, piston pin, skirt, ring grooves, ring lands, 

and piston rings. The piston head is the top surface (closest to the cylinder head) of the piston which

is subjected to tremendous forces and heat during normal engine operation.

A piston pin bore is a through hole in the side of the piston perpendicular to piston travel that 

receives the piston pin. A piston pin is a hollow shaft that connects the small end of the connecting 
rod to the piston. The skirt of a piston is the portion of the piston closest to the crankshaft that helps 

align the piston as it moves in the cylinder bore. Some skirts have profiles cut into them to reduce 

piston mass and to provide clearance for the rotating crankshaft counterweights.

A ring groove is a recessed area located around the perimeter of the piston that is used to retain a 

piston ring. Ring lands are the two parallel surfaces of the ring groove which function as the sealing

surface for the piston ring. A piston ring is an expandable split ring used to provide a seal between 

the piston and the cylinder wall. Piston rings are commonly made from cast iron. Cast iron retains 

the integrity of its original shape under heat, load, and other dynamic forces. Piston rings seal the 

combustion chamber, conduct heat from the piston to the cylinder wall, and return oil to the 

crankcase. Piston ring size and configuration vary depending on engine design and cylinder 

material.

Piston rings commonly used on small engines include the compression ring, wiper ring, and oil 

ring. A compression ring is the piston ring located in the ring groove closest to the piston head. The 

compression ring seals the combustion chamber from any leakage during the combustion process. 

When the air­fuel mixture is ignited, pressure from combustion gases is applied to the piston head, 

forcing the piston toward the crankshaft. The pressurized gases travel through the gap between the 

cylinder wall and the piston and into the piston ring groove. Combustion gas pressure forces the 

piston ring against the cylinder wall to form a seal. Pressure applied to the piston ring is 

approximately proportional to the combustion gas pressure.

A wiper ring is the piston ring with a tapered face located in the ring groove between the 

compression ring and the oil ring. The wiper ring is used to further seal the combustion chamber 

and to wipe the cylinder wall clean of excess oil. Combustion gases that pass by the compression 

ring are stopped by the wiper ring.
An oil ring is the piston ring located in the ring groove closest to the crankcase. The oil ring is used 

to wipe excess oil from the cylinder wall during piston movement. Excess oil is returned through 

ring openings to the oil reservoir in the engine block. Two­stroke cycle engines do not require oil 

rings because lubrication is supplied by mixing oil in the gasoline, and an oil reservoir is not 

required.

WORKING OF A PISTON
As one of the main engine components, the piston must operate properly. First, it sucks the air-fuel
mixture; then, it helps compress said mixture and, finally, it needs to withstand the sudden rise in
temperature caused by the ignition. Of course, when all this is done, the piston has to expel the
exhaust gases.

Conventional engines rely on "exponential combustion": once the air-fuel mixture is ignited by the
spark plug, a flame wave spreads through the combustion chamber at extreme speeds. The radical
temperature increase must be controlled by an external cooling system (using oil or air). The latter
dissipates heat while the engine is running.

Obviously, the piston rings play different roles. For one, they transfer 60 percentage of the heat
from the piston to the cylinder wall.

Pistons are made of aluminium and various nickel-based alloys, ensuring hardness and the strength
to fulfil their mission. Depending on the application, engineers will put them to the test in a pressure
chamber.

When pistons are manufactured, their weight is calculated in grams and specialists randomly select
a few units out of the whole production to perform quality check-ups. At the very beginning of the
manufacturing process, right after the casting, pistons are closely monitored and the slightest flaw
means they will be re-cast.

Pistons are made of three parts: the head or top, which is in direct contact with the heat and
pressure, the grooved section where the piston rings are fitted (right above the piston pin which
connects to the tie rod), and finally the skirt, which guides the piston inside the cylinder wall during
its stroke.

A piston can take many shapes, from dome to flat. It all depends on the shape of the combustion
chamber in the cylinder head, which can either be hemispheric or two-way type. This holds
significant importance, depending on the angle and number of valves as well as the location of the
spark plugs. Gas combustion must reach optimum capacity for the engine to perform.

SERVICING OF PISTON
Normal piston wear is observed as even vertical wear on the thrust surfaces and slight looseness of
the top ring in the groove . This type of piston can usually be reconditioned for reuse.

Heat Damage. Some of the abnormal conditions due to heat damage are holes in pistons, burned
areas, severely damaged ring lands, and scoring. The exact nature of the abnormalities should be
ascertained so that corrective measures can be taken to minimize the possibility of recurring of the
damage.

Corrosive Damage. Lowering operating temperatures produces a corrosive mixture in the oil. This
is enhanced by coolant leakage into the combustion chamber. Corrosion produces mottled grey pits
on the piston.
Mechanical Damage. Connecting rod misalignment produces a diagonal thrust surface wear
pattern across the piston skirt, because a misaligned piston does not operate straight in the cylinder .
This condition also confirms that the rings are not running perpendicular to the walls so they cannot
seal properly.
INSPECTION OF PISTON
Piston inspection on ships are part of the engine planned maintenance schedule (PMS) carried out to
ensure the components are within the allowed tolerances. There are two methods of inspection:
when the piston has been removed from the liner or inspection through the liner scavenge ports

Piston Crown
 Check for any burning at top part of the piston.
 Check any wear at the side walls of the crown and on ring grooves.
 Check for any cracking at top due to the thermal and mechanical stress, check also for high
temperature corrosion.
 Check any signs of hot corrosion at the top surface and acidic corrosion at the lower part.
Piston Rings and Grooves
 Check for the free movement of the piston rings.
 Check the ring clearance / groove clearance.

DESIGN CONSIDERATION
1. The piston must have the strength to resist the impulse and inertia forces.

2. Ability to disperse the heat of combustion and avoid thermal distortion.

3. Sealing the gas and oil

4. Sufficient bearing area to work for large number of reciprocating cycle

5. Minimum weight

6. Smooth noiseless operation

7. Provide adequate support for piston pin

Trunk pistons are used for I.C engine. Truck piston refers to pistons with long skirt.

The piston has a head, hollow to accommodate pin or wrist pin and skirt. It also has grooves to
accommodate piston rings and grooves for oil passage.
Formula for Milling Pistons

Piston dome cc's to gram conversion: 1cc (volume) = 2.8 grams (weight)

This is a good way to remove excess dome without having to re-cc piston: Mill a small amount and
re-weight piston until total reduction is reached.

Example: A piston has 12.5cc effective dome volume. The desired effective dome volume is
10.5cc.

To remove 2.0cc, cut 5.6 grams (2 X 2.8) from the piston dome

DESIGN INNOVATION OF PISTON

High temperature produced in a compressed natural gas with direct injection system (CNGDI)
engine may contribute to high thermal stresses. Without appropriate heat transfer mechanism, the
piston crown would operate ineffectively. In this work, bonding layer Nickel, AL and ceramic based
partially stabilized zirconia (YPSZ) were plasma sprayed onto AC8A aluminium alloy CNGDI
piston crowns and normal Cam Pro piston crowns in order to minimize thermal stresses. Several
samples were deposited with Nickel, AL bonding layers prior to coating of YPSZ for comparison
purpose with the uncoated piston. The performance of the coating against high temperature was
tested using a burner rig. The temperatures on the top of piston crown and piston underside were
measured. Finally, the heat fluxes of all conditions of piston crown were calculated. In short, the
YPSZ/Nickel, AL coated CNGDI piston crown experienced the least heat fluxes than the uncoated
piston crowns and the coated Cam Pro piston crown, giving extra protection during combustion
operation.
2 D DIAGRAM
 MANUFACTURERS OF PISTON
 Indian pistons ltd
 Binzhou bohai piston ltd
 Shriram piston ltd

THANK YOU