Caterpillar Inc.

Michael Stevan Radovanovic

Nien L Lee

Seth Carl Studnicka

Paul Kenneth Stark

James Atkinson

Christopher S Meeks

A piston for an internal combustion engine includes a piston crown having a crown outer surface forming piston lands alternating axially with piston ring grooves together with the piston lands defining a deposit-sensitive zone. The crown outer surface is smoothed to inhibit deposit formation and/or adhesion within at least a portion of the deposit-sensitive zone to a roughness average (Ra) of 0.0002 millimeters or less, and in a refinement to a mirror finish Ra of 0.000125 or less.

Piston having smoothed outer crown surface in deposit-sensitive zone

A method and system for grading pistons with deposits is disclosed. In an embodiment, a piston with upon its outer surface deposits is three dimensionally scanned and compared to a reference model to detect the location and geometry of the deposits. The location and geometry of the deposits are recorded and used to grade the pistons. The piston is increased in temperature and thermally scanned. The deposits are identified based on the temperature differences measured with respect to the temperature of the outer surface of the piston. Deposit characteristics can be generated from the identified locations of deposits and the magnitude of temperature difference with respect to the outer surface. The deposit characteristics are recorded and used to grade the pistons.

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Dunlap, IL, United States of America

Michael Stevan Radovanovic