Posted by Leland on August 23, 1999 at 12:20:55:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Stuff that I've Wondered About posted by mike teague on August 20, 1999 at 22:27:03:
From chemistry & physics back in HS, I remember that dissimilar metals were more problematic in terms of corroding into each other. The idea is that any two metals will have different electrical properties, and this will propagate a charge between the two, causing corrosion and binding.
Sorry if my explanation is so foggy, but HS was a long time ago. I don't remember the term "galling", either, maybe for the same reason...
From my standpoint, then, it would make sense to use the same metal for the casing & piston, or maybe non-metallic materials (say, ceramic pistons?).
Seeya,
Leland