Effect of Wear on the Microstructure of Recycled Al –Si Pistons

Wear has a tendency of initiating adverse conditions in an automobile engine system. The piston is an important engine component which withstands severe thermal stresses in an engine. Scrap pistons which constitute environmental nuisance will be recycled. A reduced value of wear rate of the pistons determined to be 1.15µg/m was noticed to have an improved microstructure which retains toughness and hardness required for optimal working condition. While wear rate high value of 6.04µg/m yielded micrograph of pistons which produced less pronounced needle shaped eutectic silicon paricles. The micrographs of the aluminium alloy cast piston produced from scraps generator pistons. The result shows primary α-aluminium particles at the background of the structural matrix of the piston alloy. Also, needle shaped near eutectic silicon particles are noticed to be dispersed in the microstructure of the imported piston alloys.

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