Wear and scuffing characteristics of composite polymer and nickel/ceramic composite coated piston skirts against aluminum and cast iron cylinder bores

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the tribological behavior and compatibility between coated piston skirts and aluminum or cast iron bore counterfaces. Aluminum piston skirts with either composite polymer coatings (CPCs) or nickel/ceramic composite coatings (NCCs) were evaluated. Among the NCC coated piston skirts, Ni–P–BN showed consistent low wear on either cast iron or the aluminum bores. The tin plated piston skirt generated low wear depths on cast iron or 390 Al bore surfaces, but higher wear depths on 413 Al or 356 Al bore. All the CPCs generated much less wear on cast iron or aluminum cylinder bores compared with the Ni–P–SiC or Ni–P–Si3N4 skirt coatings. Even the wear tests using 413 Al and 356 Al bores showed very low wear depths. Among the CPCs, two coatings with different percentages of molybdenum disulfide and graphite particles dispersed in the resin generated the lowest wear on 390 Al bore. Using a CPC over a hard-anodized surface, the bore wear depth was further reduced and became much more consistent compared with using a CPC alone. The response of the coatings to a simulation of the oil starvation associated with scuffing conditions revealed that the CPCs had intrinsic resistance to scuffing. However, the durability was not very good. The Ni–P–BN coating had intrinsic resistance to scuffing and good durability when sliding against 390 Al bore in the unlubricated conditions. The hard anodized surfaces with the CPCs showed much improved coating durability with good scuffing resistance.