Study on feasibility of EJPO coating technology for aluminium engine block applications

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Future advanced powertrains will result in even increasingly harsh operating conditions to engine components. The higher specific engine output and firing pressures combining with alternative fuels (e.g., E85) cause more severe wear and corrosion problems to the engine cylinder/piston systems. The proposed project is to address urgent industrial concerns on the impact and consequence of developing future engines to hardware and emerging lightweight materials. Since friction, wear, and corrosion are surface phenomena, a coating approach can be truly effective for minimizing costs and maximizing the performance life of components. A transformative surface technology with multifunctionality, called Electrolytic Jet Plasma Oxidation (EJPO), is thus proposed to reconcile the impact of the future powertrains to hardware and materials sciences. The project tasks mainly focus on (i) optimization of the EJPO coating process for Al-Si alloys to have the enhanced anti-wear, anti-corrosion, and thermal dissipating properties; (ii) application of the optimized EJPO coating on aluminium (Al-Si) cylinder bores; (iii) investigation of the coating compatibility with the pistons; (iv) verification of the multifunctionality of the surface technology for future engine applications through engine dynamometer tests; and (v) initiation in establishment of a prototyping automated EJPO facility for an engine production line. The technology advancement would allow a more intensive use of lightweight alloys in future engines being low friction, low emission and high efficiency at a low cost. This is also of importance for up-wrung gas-electric hybrid vehicles for which engineers have to offset the added mass caused by the hybrid systems. Mass is directly related to fuel efficiency, and lightweight materials with coatings would compete and win as an effective weapon for fighting fat, friction, wear, corrosion, and emission. The project will also provide the HQP training for future automotive industry and a technical foundation for creating and retaining the auto jobs in Canada.