Improving frictional performance of ring-liner system under cylinder deactivation conditions by surface texturing

Abstract

In this study, a method of surface texture is considered to improve the frictional performance of the ring-liner system (i.e. RLS) under the conditions of cylinder deactivation (i.e. CDA). To assess the effectiveness of the method, a lubrication model is developed with considerations of the liner deformation, the actual rheological properties of lubricant, and the lubricant transport. By solving the model numerically, the friction reduction effect of surface texture for the RLS under the CDA is investigated. The results show that the surface texture can improve the friction properties significantly. For a six-cylinder gasoline engine, 7.57% and 7.28% decreases in the total average friction loss and power loss are observed when the RLS under the CDA is surface textured.