Abstract: To satisfy the demand of YZ4105ZQ turbocharged diesel engine, diesel piston reinforced with metal matrix composites(MMCs) are prepared using squeeze casting technique. With the help of optical microscope(OM) and scanning electron microscope(SEM), the microstructure of reinforced area and the fracture morphology of composites are observed. The experimental results show that the fibres disperse well, and change gradually from reinforced area to unreinforced area. The binding of the interface between fiber and matrix is very good. When the volume fraction of fiber is 15%, the tensile strength of MMCs is 132 Mpa at 613 K. It’s 50% higher than that of the unreinforced matrix alloy. Turbocharged diesel engine using MMCs piston have endured 600 h test with a full load and full speed, and also passed 500 h heat fatigue test successfully. The properties of YZ4105ZQ turbocharged diesel engine are much better than the designed one, furthermore, the MMCs piston shows a very stable performance.

Key words: Piston, Bench testing, Diesel engine, MMCs, Turbocharged