See "An information site on the ceramic engine based on Si
2 technology" at
They claim to produce engine blocks by sintering silcon powder and machining. More details given at
Seems to be mostly hyperbole. Claims include:
"A metal cylinder can operate at a temperature of about 1000K (Kelvin). Any higher and it will suffer damage.
A ceramic cylinder will operate at the highest temperature combustion will provide: about 3000K. An astonishing factor 3 improvement in power"
-- pretty good for Silicon (which is
not a ceramic and melts at 1414
oC!!!)
"We have an engine here that has 2.5 times the power of a metal engine of the same size using 1/4 of the fuel. It never uses oil or water and will run almost forever without servicing."
--- So, the efficiency is 10X greater than that of a metal engine. I think that the Sierra Club would have mentioned it to Bill Ford who is having a hard time meeting some efficiency gains promised when he became FoMoCO chairman!!!
"I have learned that a 1 liter / 400 kW engine takes about 3 minutes to machine. - This engine is 100% ceramic. That means crankshaft, bearings, exhaust system, inlet system."
"Does this miracle of science exist? I have seen a demonstration model of a cylinder and I have been assured that a 1-liter, 400 kW (!) engine has run for 10,000 hours."
-- Since the writer's webpage was last Updated 07-28-1999, he should have managed to verify (or provide pictures "area under construction"
. If this claim were true, we would be seeing this engine in motorcycles, Corvettes, extra-high fuel efficiency vehicles, etc. Not to mention, wouldn't have needed to visit Iraq!!!
A source for genuine ceramic engine components is Kyocera:
Photos of real parts made from real ceramics.
Besides in limited components such as those of Kyocera, the next major application of ceramics in motors will be as protective coatings for metals, enabling higher temperatures and higher efficiencies. Avoiding spalling of the coating during thermal cycling is a major research aim:
