Method of making piston using polishing removal of thermal barrier coating (TBC) material
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorKenth I Svensson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Making a piston includes receiving a piston crown including a combustion face forming a combustion bowl. The piston includes a base material, and a thermal barrier coating (TBC) material forming at least a portion of the combustion face including a bowl edge. Making a piston further includes advancing a polishing tool into contact with the combustion face, spinning the polishing tool such that a positive piston profile is polished via contact with a negative tool profile, and removing some of the TBC material based on the spinning the polishing tool relative to the piston.
Claims20
A method of making a piston comprising:
- receiving a piston crown defining a center axis and including a combustion face having a bowl surface forming a combustion bowl and a center cone within the combustion bowl, an annular rim, and a bowl edge transitioning between the bowl surface and the annular rim, and the piston crown including a base material, and a thermal barrier coating (TBC) material forming at least a portion of the combustion face including the bowl edge;
- advancing a polishing tool into contact with the combustion face;
- spinning at least one of the polishing tool or the piston, such that a positive piston profile defined by at least a portion of the annular rim, the bowl edge, and at least a portion of the bowl surface, is polished via contact with a negative tool profile defined by a polishing face of the polishing tool;
- and
- removing some of the TBC material based on the spinning at least one of the polishing tool or the piston.
A method of making a piston comprising:
- forming at least a part of a combustion face of a piston of a thermal barrier coating (TBC);
- spinning at least one of a polishing tool or the piston;
- contacting a concave bowl surface, a convex rim surface, and a protruding edge of the combustion face to a polishing face of the polishing tool shaped complementarily to the concave bowl surface, the convex rim surface, and the protruding edge of the combustion face, during the spinning at least one of the polishing tool or the piston;
- and
- removing some of the TBC so as to establish a target thickness and a target profile of TBC based on the contacting of the combustion face to the polishing face during the spinning at least one of the polishing tool or the piston.
A method of preparing a piston for service in an engine comprising:
- positioning a protruding edge of a combustion face of a piston in contact with a complementary inverted edge of a polishing face of a polishing tool;
- positioning at least one of a rim surface or a bowl surface of the combustion face in contact with the polishing face;
- spinning the polishing tool relative to the piston with the protruding edge and the at least one of the rim surface or the bowl surface in contact with the polishing face;
- and
- polishing the piston via removal of some of a thermal barrier coating (TBC) material of the combustion face based on the spinning the polishing tool relative to the piston.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.