Improving the life of lm13 using stainless spray ii coating for engine applications

International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), India Online ISSN: 2319-7064
Volume 1 Issue 3, December 2012
www.ijsr.net
Improving the Life of LM13 using
Stainless Spray-II Coating for Engine Applications
Hari Prasada Rao Pydi1
, Balamurugan Adhithan2
, Naresh Kumar D3
1
College of Engineering and Technology, Aksum University, Aksum
P.O.Box. 1010, Ethiopia, North East Africa
haripydi609@gmail.com
2
College of Engineering and Technology, Aksum University, Aksum
P.O.Box. 1010, Ethiopia, North East Africa
er.abalamurugan@gmail.com
3
Department of Mechanical Engineering, JNTU, Karimnagar, India
naresharyans@gmail.com
Abstract: This work deals with reduction of surface roughness of reciprocating parts of an internal combustion engine and its
frictional loss and thereby improving overall efficiency. Surface coatings can be used to reduce surface wear of components. The use of
these coatings for engine applications presents a suitable solution to this problem. The materials coated can suddenly show very
different properties compared to what they exhibit on a macro scale, enabling unique applications. A major part of the power produced
by the engine is lost in overcoming friction between the reciprocating parts. Friction coefficient can be found by the test conducted on
‘Pin on disk apparatus’. Before coating bench mark values are taken from uncoated and we compare those valued with values obtained
after coating. The technique used for coating is Wire Arc Spray process.
Keywords: Wear, Friction coefficient, Wire Arc Spray process, pin on disk apparatus.
1. Introduction
Fuel economy improvement is one of the major challenges
of the future automotive industry. Two major factors
impacting the fuel economy are vehicle weight and frictional
loss. In addition to structural components, engine itself
contributes significantly to the vehicle weight, and
replacement of cast iron engine blocks by aluminum engines
can appreciably improve fuel efficiency. Nearly half of the
engine blocks to be manufactured worldwide in the current
decade are anticipated to be made of aluminum.
In engine systems, friction accounts for a loss of over 40%
of the total vehicle power. Majority of the power loss, about
50%, can be attributed to frictional loss between piston rings
and cylinder bores. Compared to conventional cast iron, the
surfaces of aluminum cylinder bores have relatively poor
friction and wear characteristics and require cast iron liners.
Cast iron liners, however, adversely affect weight and heat
transfer and cylinder wall temperature. Elimination of cast
iron liners also offers the flexibility of reduced engine
components length with further weight reduction and
increased engine displacement for greater power. Hence, the
automotive industry is now moving to sleeveless aluminum
cylinder blocks to achieve both lightweight and compact
design requirements. Several alternative approaches have
been evaluated or are now being pursued to eliminate cast
iron liners and improve tribological characteristics of
aluminum cylinder bores.
1.1. Thermal spray technologies:
Thermal spray technologies are important in a variety of
different industries for the deposition of nano coatings.
Thermal spraying techniques are coating processes in which
melted (or heated) materials are sprayed onto a surface. The
"feedstock" (coating precursor) is heated by electrical or
chemical means. Combustion or electrical arc discharge is
usually used as the source of energy for it. Different thermal
spray processes are being used to provide coatings for
cylinder bores out of which four thermal spraying systems are
currently either commercially available or under research.
They are Rotary powder plasma process (in serial
production), rotating twin wire arc system (in serial
production), High velocity oxygen fuel system (under
research) and Plasma Transferred Wire Arc system.
In the specific case of the coating of cylinder bores the
transfer of heat into the substrate unit must be considered
with priority as the engine blocks are an AlSi cast alloy and
overheating during the coating can result in an unacceptable
level of distortion or change in microstructure and therefore
in mechanical properties. Engine manufacturers have been
going to aluminum to save weight. With aluminum cast
engine blocks (now accounting for more than 60% of
automotive engines), silicon is usually added to improve
ﬂuidity during pouring and to increase hardness. Major
advantages of utilizing the Wire Arc Spray coating method
include lower operating costs, higher material output per
hour, and production of a more coarse coating than Plasma or
HVOF coating methods. As well, Wire Arc coatings are
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exceptionally suited for dimensional restoration of both mis
machined and worn parts, saving clients large amounts of
time and money when such events occur. Wire Arc Spray
coatings also have a rich history of proven and cost-efficient
corrosion protection.
The available research article deals with investigation of the
influence of spray gun nozzle parameters on sprayed particles
velocity and strength of coating adhesion. Four different arc
spray nozzles were chosen for research. All variables of the
spray process were constant except the air debit [1].
The research work reveals friction and wear of copper and
aluminum are investigated experimentally using a pin-on-disc
apparatus. In the experiments, mild steel pin slides on copper
or aluminum disc at different normal load conditions 10, 15,
and 20 N. Experiments are also carried out at different
sliding velocities 1, 1.5 and 2 m/s. The effects of duration of
rubbing on the friction coefficient of copper and aluminum
are investigated [2].
Micro arc oxidation of wire arc sprayed Al-Mg6, Al-Si12
and Pure Al coatings on low carbon steel has been performed
[3]. The coatings have been analyzed using optic microscope,
scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and surface
roughness tester.
Al-12.5wt%Si alloy powder with 15 wt% SiCp was
mechanically alloyed (MA) using attrition mill in purified
nitrogen atmosphere. The MA processed powder was found
to have nano grain size and uniform distribution of SiCp in
the AlSi matrix. This MA processed powder was used for
atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) for varying distances and
currents densities. The coatings obtained were studied by
image analyzer, SEM and XRD. Micro hardness and wear
rate of the coatings were evaluated using Vickers indenter
and pin on disk type tribometer, respectively [4].
Al2O3-13%TiO2 coatings were deposited on stainless steel
substrates from conventional and nano structured powders
using atmospheric plasma spraying (APS). A complete
characterization of the feedstock confirmed its nano
structured nature. Coating microstructures and phase
compositions were characterized using SEM, TEM, and
XRD techniques [5].
The objective of the present study is thus to investigate the
effect of particles velocity, temperature on the cored wire
coatings properties [6]. The results of a systematic
investigation of the influence of different nozzles
configurations on the coatings properties are presented,
including the gas dynamics properties of the spray jet were
calculated by using the CFD code, temperature, velocity and
diameter of the particles in flight measurements and the
effects on the particles properties on coating adhesion, pores
and oxide content.
2.Materials and Methods
2.1. LM13 Aluminum casting alloy:
The material on which the nano coating is done by the wire
arc spray process is LM13 Aluminum casting alloy.
Table 1: Chemical Composition of LM 13
Elements Specification
%
Observation
%
Copper 0.7-1.5 0.90
Magnesium 0.8-1.5 1.2
Silicon 10-12 10.3
Iron 1max 0.7max
Manganese 0.5max 0.3max
Titanium 0.2max 0.12
Zinc 0.5max 0.05
Table 2: Chemical composition of coated material SS-II (13
Cr) volume percentage stainless spray II, chrome alloyed.
Elements %
Carbon 0.17-0.20
Manganese 0.70-0.80
Phosphorous 0.030 max
Sulphur 0.010 max
Silicon 0.20-0.40
Chromium 12.00-
13.00
Table 3: Chromium steel for the application of hard layers,
good wear resistance and emergency running characteristics,
Substitute for hard chrome plating, fair corrosion-resistance
2.2. Surface Grinding
Surface grinding is a manufacturing process which moves or
grinding wheel relative a surface in a plane while a grinding
wheel contacts the surface and removes a minute amount of
material, such that the flat surface is created. The term
surface grinding designates any process which accurately
grinds a surface.
2.3. Sand Paper
Sandpaper or glass paper is a heavy paper with abrasive
material bonded to its surface. Sandpaper is part of the
"coated abrasives" family of abrasive products. It is used to
remove small amounts of material from surfaces, either to
make them smoother (painting and wood finishing), to
remove a layer of material (e.g. old paint), or sometimes to
make the surface rougher (e.g. as a preparation to
gluing).Grit size refers to the size of the particles of abrading
materials embedded in the sandpaper.
The title of the paper is centered 17.8 mm (0.67") below the
top of the page in 24 point font. Right below the title
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(separated by single line spacing) are the names of the
authors. The font size for the authors is 11pt. Author
affiliations shall be in 9 pt.
2.4. Surface Roughness Tester
The surface roughness tester determines both roughness
parameters Ra and Rz accurately within a wide measuring
range. The piezo-electric pickup stylus with diamond tip
assures reliable measurements within tolerances that conform
to ISO class 3. Surface roughness parameter Ra is computed
to conform to ISO and Rz is computed to DIN
2.5. Hardness Test (Vickers Harness test)
The Vickers test can be used for all metals and has one of the
widest scales among hardness tests. The unit of hardness
given by the test is known as the Vickers Pyramid Number
(HV) or Diamond Pyramid Hardness (DPH). The hardness
number can be converted into units of Pascal’s.
The hardness number is determined by the load over the
surface area of the indentation and not the area normal to the
force, and is therefore not a pressure. The hardness number is
not really a true property of the material and is an empirical
value that should be seen in conjunction with the
experimental methods and hardness scale used. When doing
the hardness tests the distance between indentations must be
more than 2.5 indentation diameters apart to avoid interaction
between the work-hardened regions.
2.6. Friction test on pin on disk tribometer (trb)
The pin-on-disk tribometer is a versatile laboratory apparatus
for measuring the friction and wear properties of
combinations of metals and lubricants under selected
conditions of load, speed and temperature. A pin on disc
tribometer consists of a stationary "pin" under an applied
load in contact with a rotating disc. The pin can have any
shape to simulate a specific contact, but spherical tips are
often used to simplify the contact geometry. Friction is
determined by the ratio of the frictional force to the loading
force on the pin.
2.7. Test method for determining the friction
coefficient of materials during sliding in
a pin-on-disk configuration
This test method involves a pin shaped upper specimen that
slides against a rotating disk as a lower specimen under a
prescribed set of conditions. The pin specimen revolves
about the disk is horizontal. The pin is pressed against the
disk at a specified load of 5 kg by means of an arm. The
frictional force and rotating speed can be indicated in the
display board attached to the apparatus. Friction coefficient
at different speeds and friction force is obtained by using
software.
Testing is done on LM13 Aluminum with ball specimens and
friction coefficient is calculated at different speeds and
frictional forces under lubricated conditions and without
lubrication too. By finding the friction coefficient values the
relative or absolute wear can be obtained from measurements
of mass loss, length loss and volume loss using a microscope
but here we are only interested in finding out the . The
friction coefficient signal is displaced by indicator on display
board.
Table 3: Specifications of test specimen
These are the specifications required for testing procedure on
pin-on-disk apparatus. This testing is done without
lubrication before coating and after coating.
2.8. Wire Arc Spray Coating
Wire-arc spray is a form of thermal spraying where two
consumable metal wires are fed independently into the spray
gun. The wires are charged and an arc is generated between
them such that the temperature it produced will transform the
wire into molten state. The resulting material is then
atomized into small particles and ultimately propelled onto
the desired substrate by ultra-clean, compressed air jet from
the gun.. The surface must be pre-treated by shot blast. The
materials typically used are zinc, aluminum or their alloys
such as Zinacor. This process is commonly used for metallic,
heavy coatings.
2.9. Coating Material(SS-II)
Low-carbon steels contain up to 0.30 weight percent C. The
largest category of this class of steel is flat-rolled products
(sheet or strip) usually in the cold-rolled and annealed
condition. The carbon content for these high-formability
steels is very low, less than 0.10 weight percent C, with up to
0.4 weight percent Mn. For rolled steel structural plates and
sections, the carbon content may be increased to
approximately 0.30 weight percent, with higher manganese
up to 1.5 weight percent.
2.10. SEM (scanning electron microscope)Test
The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) is a microscope
that uses electrons rather than light to form an image.
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Figure 1: SEM image of a coated specimen
In Fig 1: we see SS II coated surface on LM13 substrate.
Wire arc spray coatings were examined with the scanning
electron microscope. There is considerable debate in the wire
arc coating community over the presence or absence of
porosity and the true amount of porosity. It would be quite
tedious to define the true volume fraction of porosity. But we
can see from Fig: 9 that porosity is very less and also
homogeneity of coating is observed.
In fig 1: we see SEM image of worn out SS II coated LM13
disc after performing pin on disc wear test at rotational rate
of 600-1200 RPM. Though, unidirectional wear mechanism
on the surface of the disc can be clearly seen.
3. Results and Discussions
3.1. Surface Roughness Test
The surface roughness test is conducted on LM13 at four
random points and the roughness values obtained are
tabulated as follows:
Table 4: surface roughness values before and after coating
Sl.
No
Before coating After coating
Ra (µm) Rz (µm) Ra (µm) Rz (µm)
1. 0.38 3.07 0.55 3.97
2. 0.29 2.64 0.38 3.88
3. 0.52 4.94 0.33 2.02
4. 0.32 2.71 0.31 1.95
The obtained surface roughness values show that the surface
roughness is maintained before and after the nano coating
which is a good sign.
3.2. Vickers Hardness Test
Vickers hardness test is conducted on the Universal Hardness
Testing Machine in NSTL at three random points as per their
convenience and the results obtained are as follows:
Table 5: Hardness values before and after coating
From the above results we observe that there is an increase in
the hardness after the application of coating.
3.3. Friction Test
The friction test using the pin-on-disk measurements
principle is conducted at different track radii and speeds and
the results obtained are tabulated and comparison is clearly
defined by drawing graphs for the friction coefficient
obtained with respect to time before and after coating with an
applied load of 5kg without any lubricant. Experimentation
was carried out for finding coefficient of friction of the
material before and after coating.
Graphs are plotted at each speed and track radius between
time and coefficient of friction of the material with and
without the nano-coating.
Table 6: Coefficient of friction before and after coating at
50mm radius
RPM Average Coefficient of friction
600 0.2243 0.1418
1200 0.2139 0.1387
Figure 2: Time vs Coefficient of friction at 600rpm of 50mm
track radius
Figure 3: Time vs Coefficient of friction at 1200 rpm of
50mm track radius
Sl. No Hardness (HV)
1. 99.3 672
2. 97.7 702
3. 110 710
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Table 7: Coefficient of friction before and after coating at
60mm radius
RPM Average Coefficient of friction
600 0.3273 0.1530
1200 0.3238 0.1384
Fig 4: Time vs Coefficient of friction at 600 rpm of 60mm
track radius
Figure 5: Time vs Coefficient of friction at 1200 rpm of
60mm track radius
Based on the literature search, surface roughness, hardness,
the friction coefficient is calculated and the values obtained
are tabulated.
From the values obtained we observe that the friction co-
efficient is found to increase as the track radius decreased in
the friction test before coat but there is a good reduction of
the friction co-efficient when track radius is reduced after the
application of the coating.
4.Conclusions
Based on the literature search, wear depends on number of
parameters including material hardness and surface
properties. The materials used in the experiment were all
subjected to same load (5kg) and different rpm. After
comparing the values of LM13 before and after coating the
following conclusions have been drawn:
• After coating Hardness value is improved by 7 times the
initial value
• Coefficient of friction and frictional force has been
reduced.
• Reduction in wear.
• Heat generation is reduces.
• Lubricant life span increases.
• Weight decreases by three times compared to cast iron
cylinders.
From the above observation it is clear that SS-II coated on
Lm13 alloy can be used as substitute for cast iron engine
liners and other heavier reciprocating parts of an engine
Acknowledgements
The authors expressing profuse gratitude to those who gave
abundance support to make this research work accomplished.
Especially Dr.M.R.S.Satyanarayana, Director, Gitam
University and Dr. S. Kamaluddin, Head of the Department,
Mechanical Engineering, Gitam University; and
Dr.Mebrahtom Mesfin, President Aksum University,
Ethiopia, and Mr.Assefa G/Her, Dean of College of
Engineering and Technology, Aksum University, Ethiopia,
and Asrat mekonnen, Head of the Department, Mechanical
Engineering, Aksum University,Ethiopia. Who facilitated
sophisticated laboratories to accomplish this research project
has been greatly admired.
References
[1] Gedzevicius∗, A.V. Valiulis “Influence of the Particles
Velocity on the Arc Spraying Coating Adhesion”
MATERIALS SCIENCE (MEDŽIAGOTYRA). Vol. 9,
No. 4. 2003.
[2] Dewan Muhammad Nuruzzamana*
and Mohammad
Asaduzzaman Chowdhuryb
“Friction Coefficient and
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Mild Steel” International Transaction Journal of
Engineering, Management, & Applied Sciences &
Technologies. Volume 4 No.1, ISSN 2228-9860
,eISSN 1906-9642
[3] Levent Cenk Kumruoglu, Fatih Ustel, Ahmet Ozel,
Abdullah Mimaroglu “Micro Arc Oxidation of Wire Arc
Sprayed Al-Mg6, Al-Si12,Al Coatings on Low Alloyed
Steel” Engineering, 2011, 3, 680-690
Doi:10.4236/eng.2011.37081 Published Online July
2011
[4] Satish Tailor1*
, V. K. Sharma1
, R. M. Mohanty2
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Soni1
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conference proceedings 12th
international scientific
conference achievement mechanical and materials
engineering ,pp 339-346.
Author Profile
HARIPRASADARAO PYDI received B.Tech degree
in Mechanical Engineering from Acharya Nagarjuna
University in 2007 and M.Tech degree in Machine
Design from Gitam University in 2011.During 2007-
2009, he worked as Assistant Professor in Sri Sivani
College of Engineering, Srikakulam, India and from 2011 onwards
he working as Lecturer in department of Mechanical Engineering in
Aksum University, Axum, Ethiopia, North East Africa.
BALAMURUGAN ADHITHAN received B.E
degree in Mechanical Engineering from Anna
University in 2009 and M.Tech degree in Computer
Integrated Manufacturing in 2011. From 2012
onwards he is working as Lecturer in department of
Mechanical Engineering in Aksum University, Axum, Ethiopia,
North East Africa.
NARESH KUMAR D received B.Tech degree in
Mechanical Engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru
Technological University in 2009 and M.Tech degree
in Machine Design from Gitam University in
2011.From 2011 onwards he working as Assistant
Professor in department of Mechanical Engineering in JNTU,
Kharimnager.
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