PROJECT 02 / May 2026 to August 2026

A better bearing material

Experimental aluminum zinc alloy development

Tenneco · Plymouth, Michigan

THE QUESTION

How can a bearing material become more manufacturable?

My contribution

During my research engineering internship at Tenneco, I cast, heat treated, and tested 24 experimental aluminum zinc bearing samples.

I compared design variables and documented which approaches did not perform as intended. That evidence narrowed the path toward a bearing material that could be practical to manufacture at a competitive cost.

The project is confidential, so I have omitted compositions, processing parameters, customer information, and test data.

OUTCOME / CONTRIBUTION

Prepared and tested 24 experimental samples.

The process

  1. 01

    Prepare experimental bearing samples

  2. 02

    Cast, heat treat, and evaluate

  3. 03

    Narrow the material development path

Source: Résumé supplied by Daniela Ojeda