Production of pistons having a cavity

Abstract

A piston of a light alloy matrix material having a cavity for containing heat insulating air immediately below its head or a cavity for passing cooling oil inside the grooved side wall is manufactured by preforming a precursory member having the shape of the cavity from an extractable material which remains in solid state at room temperature and is convertible into a fluid, gas or liquid when heated at a temperature below the melting point of the matrix metal. The precursory member is disposed in place in a pressure casting mold having a cavity corresponding to the shape of the piston, and covered with a porous member stable to the molten matrix metal. A head member of heat resisting metal material to constitute at least a portion of the piston head may be disposed on the mold cavity bottom. Molten matrix metal is then cast into the mold cavity and a pressure is applied thereto to form a piston-shaped casting having precursory member and porous member embedded therein. Finally the casting is heated at a sufficient temperature to gasify or liquefy the extractable material of the precursory member material into fluid, which is extracted from the casting, leaving a cavity at the location of the precursory member. Alternatively, the precursory member may be formed from a composite material of a gasifiable material and a stable material whereby the cavity is given as a porous insert of the stable material which is left after the extraction of the gasifiable material by heating.