A Study on the Distribution of Oil Film Thickness in the Circumferential Direction of Oil Ring in a Gasoline Engine

Abstract

Abstract Oil traveling upward through the sliding surface of a piston ring causes oil consumption of an engine. Piston rings are designed considering conformability to deformed cylinder bore. However, cylinder deformation sometimes affects strongly oil consumption. It suggests that a piston ring cannot conform dynamically to the cylinder bore. In this study, distribution of oil film thickness of an oil ring was measured for investigating the dynamic conformability. An optical fiber has embedded in the sliding surface of the lower rail of the oil ring, and oil film thickness was measured by laser induced fluorescence method. The measuring point was rotated in the circumferential direction, so the distribution in both the circumferential and the axial direction could be measured. Thick oil films partially were found and it was found that the oil ring did not conformed to the deformed cylinder bore dynamically. Furthermore, such oil film showed thicker value than those expected theoretically. It was showed that dynamic conformability must be considered for piston ring design for reducing oil consumption.