Billet top fuel Pistons?

[flapjack]

I just read a Facebook post by JE Pistons that they've developed a billet top fuel piston. I didn't think a billet piston could withstand the forces in a nitro engine, that they needed to be forged. Or is that the rods?

 

[Draw 3D]

A billet can be forged.

 

[JON]

Thanks for posting.

There are pics on there - quite different to a conventional Top Fuel piston.

With such a simple geometry, the forged piston is likely to have no grain flow benefit and the billet piston is likely to have better-controlled metallurgical properties.

I guess the higher machining time will hit the cost/unit.

I wonder if a steel monotherm racing piston could give a benefit in TF?

 

[flapjack]

I wonder if a steel monotherm racing piston could give a benefit in TF?

I wonder how much this would change the reciprocating mass. I did look up monotherm pistions (never heard of them before), and they seem to be for diesel engines, which have a lower cylinder PSI. I know billet steel cranks can handle the load, but I wonder if a steel piston could.