Advanced ceramics, aluminum alloys, powdered metals, and coatings could help overcome this problem and extend engine life. One possibility is the use of advanced ceramic materials to fabricate pistons and rings.
Advanced materials can handle thermal stress better than conventional materials.
They are more resistant to thermal damage, wear and tear, and possibly even corrosion. Conventional thermocouples are too fragile to withstand the severe conditions inside an automotive engine. The new telemetry system can accurately measure piston temperatures in an engine that is operating at 6,000 rpm. The temperature data will be used in a finite-element thermal stress model for designing pistons with advanced materials. Baseline data are now being collected and analyzed.