Wear characteristics of castings used in internalcombustion engines

AbstractCastings have been and will continue to be used widely for applications involving wear in the internal-combustion engine. There is, however, a trend towards more sophisticated requirements as the demands on critical components increase. These demands particularly require the use of components with low friction, long wear life, greater temperature stability, and, wherever possible, reduced weight. Light alloys, suitably reinforced and/or surface treated, will become more widely used. However, more traditional materials, including cast iron and steel, will find widespread use for many years, particularly as more durable surface treatments become widely used. Available evidence indicates that surface treatments are used more widely in Europe and Japan than in the UK. Wear occurs by a number of different mechanisms, each of which requires a separate countermeasure. The conditions in the engine are such that, on occasions, a number of different wear mechanisms occur simultaneously, and these may combin...