Insight into friction and lubrication performances of surface-textured cylinder liners and piston rings

The effects of surface-texture technology on the friction and lubrication mechanism of cylinder liner-piston rings (CLPR) were explored in this study. An inclined groove texture was machined on the CL of a S195 diesel engine and dimples designed on the gas ring. Friction and wear tests of nontextured (NT), CL textured (CLT), and PR textured (PRT) conditions were performed on a CLTR friction and wear tester under different temperatures. First, the characteristics of friction and lubrication at different temperatures were analyzed by examining friction and contact resistance. Then, the wear characteristics were analyzed by examining surface morphology parameters of the CL and the PR wear mass after testing. Finally, the friction and lubrication mechanisms of NT, CLT, and PRT were studied by analyses of real-time friction and contact resistance in one cycle. The results showed that, under the same temperature, CLT and PRT increased oil film thickness, improved the lubrication state, and reduced friction, with CLT better than PRT in these respects. With increased temperature, the wear degree of CL liners became larger. The existence of surface texture reduced CL wear, yielded CL surface morphology not excessively changed by temperature, and improved its supporting performance and oil storage capacity. The inlet suction effect, structural effect, micro-wedge action, balancing wedge action, squeezing effect, and cavitation effect should be taken into account together when exploring the mechanism of the influence of surface texture on friction pairs. This study provided a method for scholars to explore the friction and lubrication mechanism of different texture types and provided an experimental basis for improving the performance of CLPR friction pairs.

Adhesion, Friction and Lubrication of Viscoelastic Materials

The mechanical behavior of viscoelastic materials is a key factor of many physical phenomena occurring at the interface of contacting bodies [...]

Numerical calculation and experimental study on friction and lubrication of Stirling engine piston ring

To solve the practical problem of Stirling engine piston ring, numerical model on friction and lubrication were established based on average Reynolds equation theory. Numerical calculation results show: piston rings are in the mixed lubrication state which gas lubrication film and micro-convex body contact existing simultaneously; contact pressure is 2 orders of magnitude less than gas film pressure; contact pressure is approximately linearly related to mean gas pressure. Simulated test rig was built and experimental results show: high-pressure working gas leak to intermediate chamber through piston rings, and the pressure of intermediate chamber drops sharply at lowest pressure of circulation; piston ring wear increases when rotational speed or working pressure increase. The accuracy of numerical model was proved by experimental phenomena and test data.

Friction and Lubrication Behavior of a Selective Laser Melted Hydraulic Spool Valve Under Contaminated Conditions

Selective laser melting (SLM) technology has a great potential to reduce size and weight of hydraulic valves. However, the tribological performance of an SLMed valve has not been studied which is crucial for the performance and reliability of the valve, especially under contaminated conditions. In this study, the friction and lubrication behavior between an SLMed valve body and a traditional spool were studied using a scaled reciprocating test rig under various contaminated conditions (frequency at 5 Hz and 25 Hz; particle concentration at 0.4 mg/ml and 4 mg/ml; particle size at 1.6 µm and 15 µm). Three types of SLMed samples were fabricated using different exposure times: one has many large surface pores (pores area > 1000 µm2 accounts for 7.167% of the sample surface); one has a few small surface pores (pores area between 100 µm2 and 1000 µm2 accounts for 0.574% of the sample surface); and one only has micropores (pores area < 300 µm2 accounts for 0.168% of the sample surface). The density, hardness, microstructures, and pore characterization of the SLMed samples were investigated. The results indicated that the frequency greatly influenced friction and lubrication behaviors by determining lubrication regimes. The influence of surface pores on the lubrication and friction depends on contact conditions: pores which served as particle containers to reduce friction are prominent under 5 Hz frequency and high particle concentration; extra lubrication by the surface pores is observed under 25 Hz frequency and low particle concentration.