Influence of engine load on piston ring pack operation of an automotive IC engine
Piston rings are used to form a dynamic gas seal between the piston and cylinder wall. Many physical phenomena are associated with the operation of the system piston-ring-cylinder (PRC), such as inter-ring gas dynamics for the labyrinth seal, hydrodynamic lubrication and mixed friction in gaps between the rings and cylinder liner, oil flow and distribution of lubricant along the liner, twist motion of rings, liner temperature influence on the oil viscosity. The authors have developed comprehensive models of the PRC system. Among their own models, the primary model includes several sub-models taken from literature, like a model of viscous oil flow between rough gap surfaces formulated by Patir & Cheng and an elastic contact model of Greenwood & Tripp. The main parts of the mathematical model and software have been experimentally verified abroad by the author1 at the marine engine designing centre. A relatively good qualitative and quantitative compatibility between the experimental measurements and calculated results has been achieved. In contrast to the previous papers of both authors, new calculation results for an automotive IC engine have been presented. These results concern the influence of engine load on piston ring pack operation of the analysed engine. They include fundamental physical quantities associated with gas and oil flow in the piston-ring-cylinder system of the engine. The developed models can be utilized for: evaluation of gas leakage through the sealing ring set, prediction of lubrication conditions of piston rings and oil consumption, defining areas of the possible cylinder liner wear and profile changes of piston rings sliding surfaces, and thus can be helpful for optimization of the PRC system design. Keywords: automotive engines, piston rings, gas dynamics, hydrodynamic lubrication, mixed friction
Tematyka artykułu: paliwa i smary, trybologia silników
Autor: Andrzej WOLFF, Warsaw University of Technology, Fa
Współautor(zy): Grzegorz KOSZAŁKA, Lublin University of Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering