Pistons are typically made from which material?

Pistons are typically made from aluminum due to its favorable properties for high-performance applications. Aluminum has an excellent strength-to-weight ratio, making it lightweight yet strong enough to withstand the intense pressures and temperatures experienced in an engine. Additionally, aluminum is highly resistant to corrosion and can effectively dissipate heat, which is essential for maintaining engine efficiency and performance.

While silver, copper, and plastic can be valuable in various applications, they do not offer the combination of lightweight strength, heat resistance, and cost-effectiveness that aluminum provides in piston manufacturing. Silver is too expensive for widespread use in pistons and lacks the required durability, copper, while used in some engine components due to its thermal conductivity, is heavier and prone to deformation under high temperatures, and plastic is generally not suited for high-stress engine components like pistons because it cannot withstand the intense conditions present in the combustion chamber.