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In support of efforts to apply ceramics to advanced heat engines, a study was performed of the wear mechanisms of ceramics at the ring/cylinder interface. A laboratory apparatus was constructed to reproduce most of the conditions of an actual engine, but used easily prepared ring and cylinder specimens to facilitate their fabrication. Plasma-sprayed coatings of Cr2O3 and hypersonic flame-sprayed coatings of cobalt-bonded WC performed particularly well as ring coatings. Similar performance was obtained with these coatings operating against SiC, Si3N4, SiC whisker-reinforced Al2O3, and Cr2O3 coatings. The study demonstrated the critical need for lubrication and evaluated the performance of two available lubricants. SIGNIFICANT EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS have been predicted resulting from the practical application of low-heat-rejection engines (1,2).

The single stage rotary Wankel engine is difficult to convert into a diesel version having an adequate compression ratio and a compatible combustion chamber configuration. Past efforts in designing a rotary-type Wankel diesel engine resorted to a two-stage design. Complexity, size, weight, cost and performance penalties were some of the drawbacks of the two-stage Wankel-type diesel designs. This paper presents an approach to a single stage low compression ratio Wankel-type rotary engine. Cold starting of a low compression ratio single stage diesel Wankel becomes the key problem. It was demonstrated that the low compression single stage diesel Wankel type rotary engine can satisfactorily be cold started with a properly designed combustion chamber in the rotor and a variable heat input combustion aid. A 10.5 compression ratio rotary Wankel-type engine was started in 15 secs at −10°C inlet air temperature. High cranking speeds and white smoke were the biggest drawbacks of this design.

A Minimum Cooled Engine (MCE) has been successfully run for 250 hours at rated condition of 298 kW and 1900 rpm. This engine was all metallic without any coolant in the block and lower part of the heads. Ring/liner/lubricant system and thermal loading on the liner at top ring reversal (TRR) as well as on the piston are presented and discussed. Ring/liner wear is given as well as oil consumption and blow-by data during the endurance run. Another engine build with a different top ring coating and several lubricants suggested that a 1500 hours endurance run of MCE is achievable. Rig test data for screening ring materials and synthetic lubricants necessary for a successful operation of a so-called Adiabatic Engine with the ring/ceramic liner (SiN) interface temperature up to 650°C are presented and discussed.