Technical Paper
A new tribology test procedure to investigate ethanol dilution on engine oils
2018-09-03
2018-36-0090
With the worldwide trend towards CO2 emission reduction, renewable fuels such as ethanol are gaining further importance. However, the use of ethanol as a fuel can bring some tribological impacts. Friction and wear of engine parts when lubricants are contaminated with ethanol are not very well understood. Within this scenario, the present paper introduces a new procedure to investigate the ethanol dilution on the performance of engine oils. Friction and wear of actual piston ring and liner were evaluated in a reciprocating test designed to emulate real thermomechanical conditions of both urban and highway car use. In addition to fresh oil, lubricant/ethanol emulsions were prepared carefully following two different procedures - unheated and heated mixing. The former to emulate cold start and “bakery” driving use, the latter to reproduce what happens after the engine heats in normal conditions.
