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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Test devices for investigation of piston-ring/cylinder-liner wear on coal-fueled diesel engines: Review and evaluation

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6169327

Literature on existing devices has been searched to determine their appropriateness for coal/water-slurry (CWS) diesel wear investigations. Parameters involved in the piston-ring/cylinder-liner tribological system are identified, as are materials that could potentially mitigate the wear problem. Many devices exist for materials screening, but none specifically addresses the dynamic interaction at high cyclical pressures and temperatures of the piston ring/cylinder liner with an abrasive containment in the interface. Simulation of these dynamic processes is a necessary step in solving the wear problem, although the first step must be to screen candidate materials using a device that would simply reciprocate flat specimens. Elimination of wear (other than by fuel modification) is found to depend on achieving adequate film thickness to prevent particulate contaminants from contacting the surfaces, as well as on developing surfaces substantially harder than the contaminants. A candidate wear-test device (based on a commercially available single-cylinder research engine) that would allow investigation of materials and lubrication schemes under representative engine conditions is recommended for further consideration. The device can be motored and pressurized to combustion conditions with nitrogen or ash introduced with the lubricant, or it can be motored with coal contaminants introduced into the cylinder by employing an external, low-pressure coal combustor. A similarity condition on lubricant film thickness is used to extrapolate the results to engines of different bore sizes.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
W-31109-ENG-38
OSTI ID:
6169327
Report Number(s):
ANL/CNSV-TM-181; ON: DE87013195
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English