Optimization of cylinder liner surface finish by slide honing

Abstract

Cylinder liner surface finish controls the frictional losses, oil consumption, and emissions of internal combustion engines to a large extent. In order to minimize such losses, it is important to optimize the liner surface topography by a consistent and more productive finishing process such as slide honing. This process employs diamond abrasives and has been recently introduced in the automotive industry. In this study, its potentials are explored, especially the winning combination of its key process parameters: the base honing pressure and plateau honing time that would yield an optimal liner surface finish. A number of truck engine liners were slide-honed by using different process parameters, samples of the liners were cut, and three-dimensional (3D) surface measurements were taken on a white light interferometer. Then, among others, the (deep honing) groove parameters, specific for liner surfaces, were computed from the measurements for building a large database for comparison and correlation. By simulating the contact and fluid mechanics between the measured liner topographies and a twin land oil control ring under mixed lubrication conditions, the friction mean effective pressure and oil passage rate for a range of engine speeds were calculated. These two parameters represent the liner’s function associated with the engine’s friction and oil consumption respectively. The results show that the lowest friction and oil flow are highly correlated with surfaces having smoother plateaus and smaller valleys, finished by using lower base honing pressure and longer plateau honing time. High correlations between the 3D roughness parameters were also found, enabling the selection and use of more stable and robust parameters in the quality control of the liner’s surface finish.