ExperimentaI Investigation on the Effect of Liner Surface

Properties on Wear, Friction and Surface MorphoIogy in Non-

Firing Engine SimuIator
By
Dhananjay Kumar Srivastava

Engine designers and tribology engineer are constantly challenged to produce products
with lighter weight, lower Iriction, reduced wear, and longer liIe. The engine system must
also meet increasing demanding emissions and Iuel economy targets. Advance lubricants
and surIace coating are concurrently being developed worldwide to meet the needs oI
new engine material combinations. Because oI the enormous cost and time associated
with engine testing, attention is being Iocused on the development oI representative and
repeatable bench test Ior evaluation oI materials and lubricants.
Several experimental studies have been conducted Ior evaluating coeIIicient oI
Iriction and wear in simulated engine conditions using Cameron-Plint wear tester, which
uses a piston ring segment and a liner piece rubbing against each other in lubricated
condition in reciprocating mode under varying load. This technique has a drawback that it
does not test components. It is desirable to test component by maintaining the geometry,
surIace Iinish and microstructure.
In the present experimental investigation, a non-Iiring engine simulator has been
developed in order to simulate engine conditions to a closer degree. This machine can
operate at similar linear speed, stroke, load and can simulate almost similar engine
operating conditions except Iiring pressures. Two cylinder liners with diIIerent surIace
properties have been used Ior experimentation and the wear and surIace properties
behaviour were evaluated at several locations in the liner. This machine can be used Ior
comparing liners with diIIerent surIace properties and the eIIects oI surIace texture on
wear and oil consumption.
The perIormance oI a combustion engine is closely related to the Iriction Iorce
between the cylinder liner and the piston rings. It is believed that this Iriction can be
signiIicantly reduced by optimizing the surIace topography oI the cylinder liner. The
surIace oI cylinder bore is typically machined in two steps. First, a rough honing step
gives the right cylindericity, and engraves deep valley on the surIace (up to 10m deep).
Secondly, a Iinish-honing step, also called plateau honing, gives a relatively smooth
surIace to the plateaux. The resulting surIace is, thereIore, composed oI plateaux
separated by deep valley. The plateaux play an important role with respect to Iorce
bearing and Iriction, whereas the valley serves as lubricant reservoirs and distribution
circuits. Features oI the surIace changes during engine running are related to the wear
caused by the piston ring on the bore surIace. This action varies rapidly causes a
'transitional topography, where the surIace generated exhibits the inIluence oI the piston
ring. The transitional surIace although modiIied, still retains signiIicant characteristics oI
its initial machined state.
Plateau honing is a Iinishing process which attempts to impart a transitional
topography which may be considered partially 'run in and hence provides a condition
which is part way towards the Iully run-in state.
The simulator was run at 1500 RPM Ior 60 Hours Ior two diIIerent liners. The rings were
weighed initially and they were weighed aIter every 10 hours Ior the loss oI material.
CoeIIicient oI Iriction between cylinder liner and piston ring was calculated Ior Iour
diIIerent liner surIace using Oscillation Friction Wear (SRV). Scanning electron
microscopy (SEM) was also conducted Ior top ring and liner surIaces aIter a deIinite
interval and whenever possible. Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS) analysis oI ring
and liner was done Ior scuIIing. The surIace proIile was done Ior liner and top ring
surIaces initially and at the end oI the experiments.