Passenger Car Diesel Technology receives the Steel Innovation Award: The Innovative Steel Pistons win again
 Mercedes-Benz E 350 BlueTEC |
STUTTGART/BERLIN -- June
10, 2015: The coveted Steel Innovation Award 2015 category, "products made
of steel", has been awarded to Daimler AG. The prestigious award of the
German Steel Federation is awarded every three years and honors this year
the newly developed steel pistons for passenger car diesel engines with a
significant CO2 savings and high performance
potential.
Two to four percent lower
fuel consumption and CO2 emissions – this is the overall
noticeable balance of Mercedes-Benz passenger car diesel engines, the first
ever engines in the word equipped with innovative steel pistons in
conjunction with lightweight aluminium housings. The consumption advantages
are important and even more pronounced for the everyday low and medium
engine speed ranges. In September 2014, the new high-tech steel piston
celebrated its world premiere in a production car; the V6 diesel engine of
the Mercedes-Benz E 350 BlueTEC.
At first
glance, the combination of aluminium housing and steel pistons seems
problematic because steel expands less when heated than aluminium; it
conducts heat more poorly and is heavier. Therefore, so far Alu-Pistons
have been used. However, the Stuttgart engine designers minted these
apparent disadvantages into benefits. For example, the low expansion of
steel through rising operating temperatures ensures a growing interplay
between piston and aluminium housing, and reduces friction by 40 to 50
percent. The higher strength of steels allows, at the same time, a very
compact designed, lightweight pistons, for even extra strength reserves.
Finally, the lower thermal conductivity of steel leads to increased
component temperatures, thus improving the thermodynamic efficiency with
higher ignition performance and reduced burn time.
The steel pistons previously used, however, were poorly
suited for a combination with engine housings made of aluminium. Rather,
Mercedes-Benz had to completely redesign the piston. The modern designed
steel pistons used for the first time in the V6 diesel in the E 350
BlueTEC, come at series production in the aluminium crankcase with
NANOSLIDE® cylinder liner coating. These are high-tech versions,
which are forged from high-grade strong steel. This means a great challenge
for the piston supplier, because the new, ultra-strength steels are also
demanding in terms of production.
The Steel
Innovation Prize is awarded every three years by the German Steel
Federation and is one of the most important innovation awards in Germany.
The award was presented last night by the patroness of the Steel Innovation
Prize, Prof. Dr. Johanna Wanka, Minister of Education and Research, as part
of the Berlin Steel Dialogue. Dr. Torsten Eder, Vice-President of the
Competence Center engines, as a representative for Daimler AG, personally
received the prize. Daimler development partner KS Kolbenschmidt GmbH and
its participating partner, the Hirschvogel Holding GmbH, also received
awards for the innovation. With 578 applications by architects and
engineers, technicians and designers as well as designers, researchers and
inventors, the Steel Innovation Award one of the leading competitions of
its kind in Germany.
As early as October 2014,
the innovative PC Diesel steel piston had been awarded with the MATERIALICA
Design + Technology "Best of Award" in the category "CO2
efficiency". This price is awarded for material applications and surfaces
in product and technology developments across all
industries.