Session: 01-03 Advanced Engine Components and Future Propulsion Systems

Paper Number: 196686

196686 - Initial Thermal Evaluation of 422 Martensitic Stainless Steel Piston in a High-Output Diesel Engine 

Abstract: 

A piston manufactured with a crown comprised of grade 422 martensitic stainless steel and skirt manufactured from 4140 steel was instrumented with fifteen thermocouples and a wireless telemetry system. Piston temperature data were collected at five engine operating conditions and compared to two additional instrumented pistons with crown and skirt both made of 4140 martensitic steel, which is traditionally used for heavy-duty diesel applications. Thermal finite element modeling was used to predict the increase in operating temperature of the 422 piston relative to the 4140 piston and help understand instrumentation uncertainty. Previous research of candidate high-temperature alloys indicated that 12Cr martensitic steel alloys, such as alloy 422, offer several potential benefits when used in a diesel piston application, including increased high-temperature oxidation resistance and strength. The potential benefits of alloy 422 may however be partially negated by the expected increased piston operating temperature due to the alloy’s lower thermal conductivity. In this work 422 alloy resulted in no statistically significant change in piston temperatures relative to the baseline 4140 steel during engine testing.  The 422 alloy is poised to offer a dual durability advantage because the initial results show it can achieve superior oxidation resistance without operating at the higher temperatures that would accelerate such degradation. Maximum piston temperature capability is expected to be a critical design limit in next generation diesel engines with greater power density, lower heat rejection, and improved fuel economy

Presenting Author: Eric Gingrich US Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center

Presenting Author Biography: Dr. Eric Gingrich is a Specialist Research Engineer at U.S. Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) in Warren, Michigan. He has worked as part of the Propulsion Branch with a focus on diesel engine research and development for 13 years. Dr. Gingrich received a B.S. in mechanical engineering (2011) from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He received a highly competitive scholarship from the Department of Defense (DoD) Science, Mathematics & Research for Transformation (SMART) office for part of his graduate studies. Both M.S. (2013) and Ph.D degrees (2020) were received at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Engine Research Center (ERC) group.

Authors:

Eric Gingrich US Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center
Michael Tess US Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center
Arkady Grunin US Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center
Vamshi Korivi US Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center
Katherine Sebeck US Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center
Dean Pierce Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Yiyu Wang Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Govindarajan Muralidharan Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Rishi Pillai Oak Ridge National Laboratory
James Haynes Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Kurt Will Tenneco Powertrain