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Adiabatics, Inc., with the support of the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research & Development Engineering Center (TARDEC) has developed a low cost, durable ceramic composite cylinder bore coating for diesel engines operating under severe conditions. This bore coating is a ceramic composite consisting primarily of Iron Oxide, Iron Titanate and Partially Stabilized Zirconia. It is applied by unique chemical thermal bonding technology developed at Adiabatics, Inc. and is referred to as Low Temperature Iron Titanate (LTIT). This coating has been tested against a wide range of cylinder bore treatments ranging from hard chrome plate to hard Nickel Silicon Carbide (NikaSil) and found to provide a superior sliding wear surface. It is superior because it is compatible against most common piston ring materials and coatings.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate combustion and performance characteristics for an advanced class of diesel engines which support future Army ground propulsion requirements of improved thermal efficiency, reduced system size and weight, and enhanced mobility. Advanced ground vehicle engine research represents a critical building block for future Army vehicles. Unique technology driven engines are essential to the development of compact, high-power density ground propulsion systems. Through an in-house analysis of technical opportunities in the vehicle ground propulsion area, a number of dramatic payoffs have been identified as being achievable. These payoffs require significant advances in various areas such as: optimized combustion, heat release phasing, and fluid flow/fuel spray interaction. These areas have been analyzed in a fundamental manner relative to conventional and low heat rejection “adiabatic” engines.

Recent developments of high performance ceramics have given a new impetus for the advancement of heat engines. The thermal efficiencies of the Otto, Diesel, Brayton and the Stirling cycle can now be improved by higher operating temperatures, reduced heat loss, and exhaust energy recovery. Although physical and chemical properties of the high performance ceramics have been improved significantly, they still fall short of meeting the requirements necessary for application and commercialization of advanced heat engine concepts. Aside from the need for greater strength, the problems of consistency, quality, design, material inspection, insulative properties, oxidation and other important features must be solved before high performance ceramics can be considered a viable material for advanced heat engines. Several approaches in developing an adiabatic engine design in the laboratory are shown.