ceramic engine
{{Short description|Engine with large amounts of ceramics}}
A ceramic engine is an internal combustion engine made from specially engineered ceramic materials. Ceramic engines allow for the compression and expansion of gases at extremely high temperatures without loss of heat or engine damage. Proof-of-concept ceramic engines were popularized by successful studies in the early 1980s and 1990s. Under controlled laboratory conditions, ceramic engines outperformed traditional metal engines in terms of weight, efficiency, and performance. All-ceramic engines were seen as the next advancement in future engine technology, but have not yet entered the automobile market because of manufacturing and economic problems.{{Cite web|title=The Pressure Is On For Ceramics |url=https://www.forbes.com/2008/03/06/solutions-green-car-ceramics-oped-cx_atg_0307ceramics.html|access-date=2020-11-17|website=Forbes}}
History
Research into more efficient diesel engines occurred after the 1970s energy crisis, resulting in a new market for fuel-efficient vehicles. A newly developed gas turbine engine design promised high thermal efficiency, but needed a material that could withstand {{Convert|2500|F|C|abbr=unit}} temperatures. The high heat did not allow for readily available materials like metals, superalloys, and carbon composites to be used. As a result, government-funded research facilities in the United States, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom experimented with replacing metal with ceramics. Ceramics' high resistance to heat helped pave the way towards the first commercial use of gas turbine engines, the successes of which led to the idea of an all-ceramic engine.{{Cite news|last1=Brown|first1=Warren |last2=Schrage|first2=Michael |date=1986-03-23|title=Race Is On to Perfect Ceramic Engine|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1986/03/23/race-is-on-to-perfect-ceramic-engine/1936cd30-d1ed-4873-8887-f7b907f282f2/|access-date=2020-11-17|issn=0190-8286}}{{Cite journal |last=Katz |first=R. Nathan |title=Whatever happened to the ceramic engine? |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/198626383 |journal=Ceramic Industry; Troy |publisher=Business News Publishing Company |volume=149 |pages=33–34 |id={{ProQuest|198626383}} |via=ProQuest}}
Between 1985 and 1989, Nissan, in collaboration with NGK, produced the world's first ceramic turbocharger, later debuting this on the 1985 Fairlady Z 200ZR.{{citation |title=自動車ガイドブック |date=1986-10-20 |volume=33 |pages=115–116 |trans-title=Japanese Motor Vehicles Guide Book 1986–'87 |location=Japan |publisher=Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association |language=ja |id=0053-870034-3400 |ref=JAMA33}} Isuzu developed a diesel ceramic engine that used ceramic for the pistons, piston rings, and turbocharger wheels.{{Cite web|url=https://saemobilus.sae.org/content/860442/|title=SAE MOBILUS|website=saemobilus.sae.org}} Isuzu also developed an engine that used cylinder liners made of ceramic materials such as silicon nitride. Isuzu also used ceramics for the intake and exhaust valves, exhaust manifold, turbocharger housing, camshafts, heat insulation, and rocker arms.{{Cite web|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US5063881A/en|title=Ceramic engine}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/10/27/Isuzu-Motors-said-Thursday-it-has-developed-a-ceramic/3654436075200/|title=Isuzu Motors said Thursday it has developed a ceramic... - UPI Archives|website=UPI}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.sae.org/publications/technical-papers/content/880011/|title=Development Status of Isuzu Ceramic Engine|first=Hideo|last=Kawamura|date=February 1, 1988|via=www.sae.org}}
Predictions for an adiabatic turbo-compound engine (a theoretical heat-efficient engine) were seen as plausible with the use of technical ceramic material. A 1987 technical paper by Roy Kamo predicted the mass production of such engines to occur in the year 2000. However, these predictions were made with the belief that ceramics would overcome "the design methodology, manufacturing process, machining cost, and mass production quality control needed for high volume production."{{Cite journal|last=Kamo|first=Roy |date=1987-10-01|title=Adiabatic diesel-engine technology in future transportation |url=https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0360-5442%2887%2990063-6 |journal=Energy|series=Proceedings of the Soviet-American Symposium|volume=12|issue=10|pages=1073–1080|doi=10.1016/0360-5442(87)90063-6|issn=0360-5442}}
Currently, ceramic engines are not viable for mass production. Large parts, like the engine block, can be challenging to manufacture out of ceramics due to their brittleness and stiffness.{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}
Applications
In 1982, Isuzu tested a car with an all-ceramic engine near the Kinko Bay.Advanced Ceramic Technologies & Products, By The Ceramic Society of Japan, page 277, {{ISBN|9784431539131}}
In 1988, Toyota introduced a ceramic engine into its Crown,Popular Science, April 1985, page 77 as well as its GTV (Gas Turbine Vehicle) concept car.{{cite journal | author=Kevin Radley| title=Driving Toyota's turbine car| journal=Popular Science| year=1988| issue=Feb| page=50| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xQAAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA50}}