» Corrosion Protection
» Cylinder Bore Hardness Comparison
» Environmental Considerations
» Identification of the Nickel+Carbide™ Process
» Nickel+Carbide™ Process vs. Nitrided Steel
» Ring Finish and Break-In
» Ring Compatibility
» Quality Assurance
» Rejuvenation Kit
» TBO Performance
» Value
» Wear Rate vs. Coating Cross-Section
» Warranty

CORROSION PROTECTION
The Nickel+Carbide™ process deposits a metallurgically bonded layer of nickel/silicon carbide composite onto the bore of a steel barrel. The silicon particles provide the primary wear surface while the nickel acts as the matrix to hold the particles in place. Silicon carbide is not a metal so it does not corrode in any environment. Nickel is the primary metal (80%) in engine exhaust valves and does a good job of resisting the effects of hot exhaust gases. Could there be any better material toprevent corrosion on cylinder bores?

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Cylinder Bore Hardness Comparisons

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ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS
Laboratory research has shown that the chromium chemical used in the chromium plating process is a carcinogen. While the resultant metal coating poses no hazard while it is in the engine, disposing of waste from the plating process as well as disposing of the grinding debris from the cylinder overhaul process is becoming more difficult and costly. The cost of disposing of chromium waste is expected to rise dramatically in the future. By contrast, waste management costs associated with the Nickel+Carbide™ process are affordable now and are expected to stay at present levels well into the future, thereby insulating the customer from pass-through disposal costs.

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Identification of the Nickel+Carbide™ Process
The coating produced by the Nickel+Carbide™ process can be identified by its color, texture, by performing the copper sulfate test on it or by the silver color painted on the flange of the cylinder. With regard to color of the coating, nickel usually has a yellow tinge when it is finished to a low Ra. However, alloy steel can also have a yellow tinge when highly finished. Polished chrome, on the other hand has a bluish tinge. The copper sulfate test is the most reliable method of differentiating the Nickel+Carbide™ process from a steel bore. Copper sulfate solution applied to a steel cylinder bore will turn the steel to a copper color (nitrided steel reacts slowly, so be patient). Copper sulfate applied either to a chrome bore or a Nickel+Carbide™ process bore produces no change in color.

The texture (surface finish) of the Nickel+Carbide™ process is smooth by comparison to a traditional ring finish for steel. Except for loss of cross hatch, there is very little difference in appearance between a new Nickel+Carbide™ process cylinder bore and a cylinder bore with several hundred hours of operating history.

Externally, the area of the cylinder which normally receives a color code to indicate the type of cylinder bore material, will be painted with two (2) silver bands.

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Nickel+Carbide™ Process vs. Nitrided Steel
Nickel+Carbide™ offers the exceptional advantage of protecting the cylinder bore from harmful corrosion and premature wear that is far better than a nitrided bore. In 1994 ECi developed and certified an unprecedented proprietary bore coating process. The process involves a state-of-the-art proprietary nickel and silicon carbide composite material to the interior of each cylinder bore, brand named Nickel+Carbide™.

A nickel composite plating which has been specified by many OEM's for use in high performance internal combustion engines, including the Porsche 911, the Porsche aircraft engine, BMW automobiles and motorcycles, the Jaguar automobile and NASCAR race engines, use the Nikasil® brand of nickel composite plating.

In view of the outstanding performance of the Nickel+Carbide™ process in aircraft cylinders and the success of the Nikasil process in new up-market engines, ECi has incorporated this technology into the design of the TITAN® cylinder. The TITAN® cylinder features a new through-hardened forged barrel with a Nickel+Carbide™ coated bore. This nickel and silicon carbide process has been successfully applied to over 120,000 cylinders since its market introduction.

The natural corrosion resistance of nickel differs greatly from nitrided steel's affinity to corrosion. Additionally, the Nickel+Carbide™ process provides a surface which is uniform throughout as opposed to nitrided steel which is a case-hardened surface that varies in hardness along its depth and can show soft spots. These soft spots lead to uneven and premature wear.

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Ring Finish and Break-In
Break-in of a Nickel+Carbide™ cylinder is unique and cannot be compared to any other cylinder bore/ring combination. The smooth surface of the Nickel+Carbide™ bores produces reliable ring break-in, which is especially significant when installing new rings during cylinder mid-life. A normally run Nickel+Carbide™ cylinder bore surface without any surface roughening will accomplish ring break-in equally as well as when it was a new cylinder. Run-in procedures are specified in the ECi handbook entitled Aircraft Piston Engine Break-In and Lubrication-What Every Pilot Must Know

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RING COMPATIBILITY
ECi has tested and certificated a customized ring pack for Nickel+Carbide™ process cylinder bores. The rings have been in production since 1995 and are manufactured from materials approved by ECi using manufacturing procedures and processes that are monitored by ECi’s quality control personnel. Ring part numbers for specific cylinders are contained in ECi Service Instructions which can be obtained from our web site, www.eci2fly.com or by calling Customer Service. Please refer to Service Instruction 96-4 , Plasma Face Piston Rings for Use with CermiNil® Process Cylinder Bores; and Service Instruction 94-4-1, ECi Piston ring Sets – Applications, Fitting Instructions and Reference .

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QUALITY ASSURANCE
Unlike chromium plating, the Nickel+Carbide™ process is highly automated which assures reliability. All variables in the process such as cleaning, temperature, amperage and plating time are under computer control. Other than manual loading and unloading of the cylinder barrel on the plating apparatus, all product movements are made by a programmed logic controller so that human error is eliminated, and a consistent end product is assured.

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REJUVENATION KIT
ECi sells a cylinder rejuvenation kit that contains all of the necessary tooling for imparting a ring finish on used nickel silicon carbide composite process cylinders. Call ECi for details.

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TBO PERFORMANCE
Aircraft engine manufacturers recommend that piston powered airplanes be flown frequently if cylinders are to make TBO. They state that frequently flown engines rarely have cylinder problems but as usage becomes more and more infrequent, cylinder problems can be expected to increase. But what is the recreational pilot to do if nitrided steel deteriorates with inactivity? The Nickel+Carbide™ process is the answer because it retains its good wear properties in both low and high usage conditions. Whether you fly 50 hours a week, 50 hours a month or 50 hours a year, the Nickel+Carbide™ process will perform well all the way to TBO. There are no special inspections recommended or required other than as specified in the engine overhaul manual or instructions for continued airworthiness.

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VALUE
Plated coatings have long been used by engineers to enhance the wear and corrosion resistance of steel. While cylinder barrels could be made out of a more exotic material, such as stainless steel, the cost of producing the barrel would be prohibitive. By combining the Nickel+Carbide™ process with alloy steel, a bimetallic cylinder barrel is produced that is structurally strong, corrosion proof and wear resistant. All these desirable qualities, without compromise, are incorporated into the cylinder barrel at the lowest possible costs.

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Wear Rate vs. Coating Cross-Section
Nickel+Carbide™ process excepted, all cylinder bore surface treatments currently approved for use in aircraft piston engines have the common characteristic of exhibiting increasing wear rates as the bore enlarges due to the effects of friction. The beneficial features present on the surface of a new cylinder bore begin to diminish as the cross sectional thickness is reduced. Lubrication is reduced during periods of high cylinder temperature as well as high power settings. Therefore, once lubrication between piston ring and cylinder bore deteriorates and friction begins removing metal from the bore, wear rates will irreversibly begin to climb, resulting in an extreme ring step.

The Nickel+Carbide™ process is a coating consisting of extremely hard silicon carbide particles in a nickel matrix. The high hardness of the silicon carbide particles effectively prevents wear from occurring throughout the life of the cylinder.

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WARRANTY
ECi warrants each Nickel+Carbide™ process cylinder bore to remain free of corrosion and
wear beyond service limits in normal operating conditions during TBO or for a period of five (5) years following date of shipment from its factory, whichever event occurs first. No other manufacturer warrants their cylinder bore against rusting. There are no eligibility requirements other than you must use ECi recommended rings. See TITAN® Brand Cylinder Limited Warranties for complete details.