Ceramic engine

A ceramic engine is a theoretical engine made from technical ceramic material (engineered ceramics made to withstand extreme environments). The engine was a proof-of-concept popularized by successful studies in the early 1980s and 1990s. Under controlled laboratory conditions, ceramic engines outperformed metallic engines in terms of weight, efficiency, and performance. The plan for an all-ceramic engine was seen as the next advancement in future engine technology. However, ceramic engines have not entered the automobile market because of manufacturing and economic problems.
History.
Research into more efficient diesel engines occurred after the 1970 Energy Crisis, resulting in a new market for fuel-efficient vehicles. A newly developed gas-turbine engine promised high thermal efficiency, but needed a material that could withstand 2,500°F temperatures. The high heat did not allow for readily available materials like metals, superalloys, and carbon composites to be used. As a result, government-funded research facilities from the United States, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom experimented with replacing metal with new ceramic material. Ceramic's high resistance to heat helped pave the way towards the first commercial use of gas-turbine engines. The Nissan Motor Company Ltd. produced the Nissan 300ZX, which was an automobile that had a ceramic turbocharger (a component within an engine which helps increase energy efficiency). The successes of the gas-turbine engine led to the idea of an all-ceramic engine.
Predictions for an adiabatic turbo-compound engine (a theoretical heat-efficient engine) was seen as plausible with the use of technical ceramic material. A 1987 technical paper by Roy Kamo predicted the mass production of such engines to occur in the year 2000. However, these predictions are estimated with the belief that ceramics would overcome "the design methodology, manufacturing process, machining cost, and mass production quality control needed for high volume production."
Currently, the idea of an all-ceramic engine is not viable in mass production. Large ceramic parts, like a ceramic engine block, would be challenging to manufacture due to ceramic being brittle and stiff.
Ceramic Engine Application.
Ceramic engines allow the compression and expansion of gases at extremely high temperatures without loss of heat or engine damage.
In 1982, Isuzu Aska tested a car with an all-ceramic engine near the Kinko Bay.
In 1988, Toyota introduced its ceramic engine into its Toyota Crown line. Also to the Toyota GTV line.