Many automotive components that were earlier made of cast iron are now using aluminum alloys due to their lower weight, better castability, corrosion resistance, and strength at elevated temperatures. Heat treatment is a major processing step in the manufacturing of aluminum-based piston components. The current paper discusses an optimum heat treatment strategy for AC8H aluminum alloy for improved performance. Solutionizing (for homogenization) is followed by aging at different temperatures. Tensile, impact, and hardness tests are performed on untreated and heat treated specimens. Structural analysis (microscopy) is done to understand the changes in mechanical properties. Fractography is also carried out to identify fracture mechanisms under gradual and impact loads. Yield strength, ultimate strength, hardness, and impact toughness show significant increase when aged at 150°C and 175°C (maximum values of 80 MPa, 177 MPa, 28 HRA, and 5.25 J respectively) but decrease at 200°C. SEM micrographs of fracture surfaces show ductile, brittle, and mixed-mode failure patterns for different samples. Observed structural changes are in line with changes in the mechanical properties. It can be concluded that optimum combination of properties is obtained when specimens are aged at 175°C. These findings are of direct utility for academicians, researchers, and practitioners involved in design and manufacture of automobile and other engineering components.

In a number of circumstances, the Kachanov–Rabotnov isotropic creep damage constitutive model has been utilized to assess the creep deformation of high-temperature components. Secondary creep behavior is usually studied using analytical methods, whereas tertiary creep damage constants are determined by the combination of experiments and numerical optimization. To obtain the tertiary creep damage constants, these methods necessitate extensive computational effort and time to determine the tertiary creep damage constants. In this study, a curve-fitting technique was proposed for applying the Kachanov–Rabotnov model into the built-in Norton–Bailey model in Abaqus. It extrapolates the creep behaviour by fitting the Kachanov–Rabotnov model to the limited creep data obtained from the Omega-Norton–Bailey regression model and then simulates beyond the available data points. Through the Omega creep model, several creep strain rates for SS-316 were calculated using API-579/ASME FFS-1 standards. These are dependent on the type of the material, the flow stress, and the temperature. In the present work, FEA creep assessment was carried out on the SS-316 dog bone specimen, which was used as a material coupon to forecast time-dependent permanent plastic deformation as well as creep behavior at elevated temperatures and under uniform stress. The model was validated with the help of published experimental creep test data, and data optimization for sensitivity study was conducted by applying response surface methodology (RSM) and ANOVA techniques. The results showed that the specimen underwent secondary creep deformation for most of the analysis period. Hence, the method is useful in predicting the complete creep behavior of the material and in generating a creep curve.

BaCe_0.2Zr_0.6Y_0.2O_3−δ (BCZY) perovskite electrolytes were synthesized for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell with a cost-effective and versatile co-precipitation method. The synthesized BCZY electrolytes were sintered at 900, 1000, and 1100 °C to observe the effects of low sintering temperature on the structural, morphological, thermal, and electrical properties of BCZY. All BCZY electrolytes materials exhibited a crystalline perovskite structure and were found to be thermally stable. The crystallinity and conductivity of BCZY electrolyte enhanced with increased sintering temperature, due to the grain growth. At the same time, secondary phases of carbonates were also observed for samples sintered at a temperature lower than 1100 °C. The BCZY sintered at 1100 °C exhibited a density >95%, and a power density of 350 mWcm⁻² with open-circuit voltage 1.02 V at 650 °C was observed due its dense and airtight structure. Based on the current investigation, we suggest that the BaCe_0.2Zr_0.6Y_0.2O_3−δ perovskite electrolyte sintered at a temperature of 1100 °C is a suitable electrolyte for IT-SOFC.

Alcoholic fuels have recently come to light as a sustainable source for powering today’s vehicles. Various studies have investigated the effects of alcoholic fuels on engine efficiency and emission characteristics. However, scarce literature is available for their effects on lubricant. Therefore, propanol-gasoline fuel mixtures, with concentrations of 9% (P9) and 18% (P18) propanol, were made to compare their engine characteristics and lubricating oil condition with that of pure gasoline (0 percent propanol (P0)). To determine the rate of deterioration, the characteristics of the lubricating oil were evaluated after 100 h of engine operation, as suggested by the manufacturer. When compared with unused lube oil, P18 showed reductions in flash point temperature and kinematic viscosity of 14% and 36%, respectively, at 100 °C. For P18, which contains Fe (27 PPM), Al (11 PPM), and Cu (14 PPM), the highest wear element concentrations in the lubricating oil were found. The moisture in the degraded oil was well within the allowable limit for the three fuel mixtures. With the increase in propanol percentage in the propanol-gasoline blend, the engine performance was increased. Compared to P9 and P0, P18 had the partially unburned emissions.

To maintain safety and reliability in power plants, creep-life prediction models have received much attention over the years. This article was designed to focus on the conditions when a material structure is exposed to extremely high temperatures and pressures with the help of finite element analysis. A direct comparison of the feasibility of different models’ fitness and suitability in predicting creep damage was presented in this article by simulating the damage evolution of a uniaxial SS-304 specimen under a pre-defined load, using established constitutive creep models. Comparative assessments of minimum creep strain rate, creep deformation, and stress rupture were demonstrated using the Norton–Bailey (NB), Kachanov–Rabotnov (KR), Theta projection (TP), and sine-hyperbolic (SH) models while standardizing them with the Omega model. The FE results of a dog-bone specimen, while implementing the models, were compared with the actual creep experiment results to check for the models’ reliability and validation. Subsequently, sensitivity studies of the established creep models were conducted using the statistical tools RSM and ANOVA, with an analysis of how the parameters for operation, design, and material dependency came into effect. Thus, quantitative and qualitative correlation analyses of the FE creep response for these five established models were conducted together, resulting in finalizing the selection of the most suitable model, the sine-hyperbolic model, for the SS-304 material under the defined boundary conditions. The 0.84 R² value of the sine-hyperbolic model proved the model’s selection for predicting the creep response of stainless steel 304. The method can be applied to select a suitable creep damage model as per the feasibility of the operating conditions.

The wear surface morphology of AlSi10Mg specimens, originally manufactured using selective laser melting (SLM), has been analyzed in the context of exposure to heat from gas flames. The first stage of the experimental work included the performance of surface heat-exposure on SLM-prepared specimens through oxyacetylene gas welding. Gas welding was utilized with three different flames, namely; reducing, neutral, and oxidizing on the as-built specimens of SLM. The post-surface-treated specimens were subjected to pin-on-disk wear testing against fixed parameters. After the performance of wear testing at two different radii, the mass loss of each of the four types of specimens was calculated including the three specimens exposed to heat along with the as-built specimens. The results showed that the maximum amount of mass losses at 24 mm and 30 mm radii belongs to the neutral flame specimens and the least was for the as-built condition specimens. Upon analysis, the heat-exposure specimens through all three types of gas flames resulted in an increase in the amount of mass in contrast to the as-built specimens. Moreover, the morphologies of the developed wear tracks at surfaces were examined using the scanning electron microscope (SEM) for the understating of the mechanism.