Search Results

The present study looks into different possibilities for tribological optimization of the piston/bore system in heavy duty diesel engines. Both component rig tests and numerical simulations are used to understand the roles of surface specifications, ring pack, and lubricant in the piston/bore tribology. Run-in dynamics, friction, wear and combustion chamber sealing are considered. The performance of cylinder liners produced using a conventional plateau honing technology and a novel mechanochemical surface finishing process - ANS Triboconditioning® - is compared and the importance of in-design “pairing” of low-viscosity motor oils with the ring pack and the cylinder bore characteristics in order to achieve maximum improvement in fuel economy without sacrificing the endurance highlighted. A special emphasis is made on studying morphological changes in the cylinder bore surface during the honing, run-in and Triboconditioning® processes.

Wear of piston ring and cylinder was modelled through a computer code that calculates the hydrodynamic and roughness contact pressures acting on the contact surfaces. Both pressures are fully and coupled solved through, respectively, Reynolds equation and Greenwood-Williamson model. Piston secondary motion and piston groove thermal deformations are considered. The latter was discovered to be fundamental in defining the top ring worn profile. Due to the rough contact pressures, the model predicts material removal from both piston ring and cylinder surfaces and recalculates the system, hence simulating the evolution of the worn sliding surface of both parts. The predicted wear of the piston ring pack and the cylinder wall are compared with a medium duty diesel engine tested for 750 hours in dynamometer.

Engine developments have led to higher mechanical and thermal loads on the components, at the same time that lower friction losses are also sought. Therefore, the development of better materials and of surface treatments has received great emphasis. This paper presents the results of dynamometric engine tests with a proposed piston ring pack, composed of a gas nitrided steel top ring, a nitrided gray cast iron second ring and a normal production chrome plated oil ring. The proposed pack showed very low wear when applied to a medium duty diesel engine, besides being a cost-effective alternative to the conventional pack with moly coated and chrome plated (respectively in the top and second) rings. The proposed pack also caused very low wear on the cylinder bore, specially near the TDC, where the bore wear is usually maximum.