A steel piston with an engineered coating is provided. A high thermal conductivity material, for example copper, is disposed on first regions of a combustion bowl to reduce hot spots in the piston. A low thermal conductivity material, for example a ceramic, is disposed on second regions of the combustion bowl to reduce loss of heat through the piston. The high thermal conductivity material disposed on the combustion bowl has a surface roughness (R.sub.a) of less than 5 μm to help reflect IR radiation and promote fuel flow. The low thermal conductivity material disposed on the combustion bowl has a surface roughness (R.sub.a) of less than 3 μm to promote fuel flow. The low thermal conductivity material is also disposed on the bowl rim and top ring land, and has a surface roughness (R.sub.a) of greater than 8 μm on the bowl rim and top ring land to retard gas flow.

A piston for a heavy duty diesel engine including a composite layer forming at least a portion of a combustion surface is provided. The composite layer has a thickness greater than 500 microns and includes a mixture of components typically used to form brake pads, such as a thermoset resin, an insulating component, strengthening fibers, and an impact toughening additive. According to one example, the thermoset resin is a phenolic resin, the insulating component is a ceramic, the strengthening fibers are graphite, and the impact toughening additive is an aramid pulp of fibrillated chopped synthetic fibers. The composite layer also has a thermal conductivity of 0.8 to 5 W/m.Math.K. The body portion of the piston can include an undercut scroll thread to improve mechanical locking of the composite layer. The piston can also include a ceramic insert between the body portion and the composite layer.

The disclosure relates to a method for producing a component, in particular a vehicle component or an engine component, such as a piston of an internal combustion engine. The method comprises forming a first body region, in particular by means of casting or forging. The method includes forming a second body region, which is connected to the first body region, from an aluminium alloy or an iron-based alloy or a copper-based alloy by means of an additive manufacturing method. The second body region is alloyed in such a manner that it has higher thermal stability, higher mechanical strength or higher wear resistance upon tribological stressing than the first body region.

The disclosure relates to a method for producing a component, in particular a vehicle component or an engine component, such as a piston of an internal combustion engine. The method comprises forming a first body region, in particular by means of casting or forging. The method includes forming a second body region, which is connected to the first body region, from an aluminium alloy or an iron-based alloy or a copper-based alloy by means of an additive manufacturing method. The second body region is alloyed in such a manner that it has higher thermal stability, higher mechanical strength or higher wear resistance upon tribological stressing than the first body region.

A method of applying heat shield material to form a heat shield layer on a crown surface of a piston of an engine is provided. The method includes the steps of disposing a dispenser that linearly discharges the heat shield material toward the crown surface, and moving an applied position of the heat shield material with respect to the crown surface in a circumferential direction of the crown surface, while discharging the heat shield material from the dispenser toward the crown surface.

A method of manufacturing an internal combustion engine is provided. The engine includes a cylinder forming member, a piston reciprocatably accommodated in a cylinder, an injector which supplies fuel into a combustion chamber, and a heat insulating layer covering at least a part of a combustion-chamber wall surface and having a lower heat conductivity than the combustion-chamber wall surface. The method includes applying a coating material that is a material of the heat insulating layer to the combustion-chamber wall surface, assembling the piston to the cylinder forming member while the coating material is uncured, and heating the coating material to be cured by combusting the fuel injected from the injector and reciprocating the piston. The heating the coating material includes injecting the fuel from the injector at least in an early stage of the heating so that the injected fuel adhering to the surface of the coating material is suppressed.

A method of manufacturing an internal combustion engine is provided. The engine includes a cylinder forming member, a piston reciprocatably accommodated in a cylinder, an injector which supplies fuel into a combustion chamber, and a heat insulating layer covering at least a part of a combustion-chamber wall surface and having a lower heat conductivity than the combustion-chamber wall surface. The method includes applying a coating material that is a material of the heat insulating layer to the combustion-chamber wall surface, assembling the piston to the cylinder forming member while the coating material is uncured, and heating the coating material to be cured by combusting the fuel injected from the injector and reciprocating the piston. The heating the coating material includes injecting the fuel from the injector at least in an early stage of the heating so that the injected fuel adhering to the surface of the coating material is suppressed.

A piston for a heavy duty diesel engine including a composite layer forming at least a portion of a combustion surface is provided. The composite layer has a thickness greater than 500 microns and includes a mixture of components typically used to form brake pads, such as a thermoset resin, an insulating component, strengthening fibers, and an impact toughening additive. According to one example, the thermoset resin is a phenolic resin, the insulating component is a ceramic, the strengthening fibers are graphite, and the impact toughening additive is an aramid pulp of fibrillated chopped synthetic fibers. The composite layer also has a thermal conductivity of 0.8 to 5 W/m.Math.K. The body portion of the piston can include an undercut scroll thread to improve mechanical locking of the composite layer. The piston can also include a ceramic insert between the body portion and the composite layer.

This piston includes a low thermal conductivity part comprising: a porous member made of a borosilicate glass that has a lower thermal conductivity than the piston base material made of an aluminum alloy material that is the base material impregnated into the porous member. A molded object obtained from a first powder (glass powder) and a second powder (sodium chloride powder) is put in hot water to dissolve away the second powder and form pores in the porous member. The aluminum alloy material is impregnated into these pores to unite the porous member to the piston base material. Furthermore, varnish containing polyimide, etc. is applied to the upper surface of the porous member and impregnated into the pores with a varnish impregnation device assisted by vacuum drawing and atmospheric pressure, thereby preventing the pores from remaining vacant. Due to this, deterioration in exhaust emission performance can be prevented.

An object of the present invention is to, while forming a heat insulating layer on a squish area surface of a top surface of a piston main body, prevent generation of large cracks on the heat insulating layer and suppress damages and peeling of the heat insulating layer. To achieve this object, in the present invention, pressure is applied to a heat insulating layer provided on a top surface of a piston main body, that is, a pressing stress is applied to the heat insulating layer in advance.