Wear Resistance of Spark Ignition Engine Piston Rings in Hydrogen-Containing Environments

Myroslav Kindrachuk,Dmytro Zhuravlev,Olexiy Balitskii,Dmytro Volchenko,Valerii Kolesnikov,Alina Yurchuk,Karol F Abramek,Vasyl Skrypnyk,Alexander Balitskii,Mykola Volchenko

doi:10.3390/en14164801

Abstract

We describe the external and internal hydrogen interaction on contacting surfaces in the “cylinder–piston rings” friction coupling. Under the influence of high temperatures and pressure, the oil in the combustion chamber at a temperature up to 1473 K decomposes and forms small amounts of water. External hydrogen (H2) is subsequently formed. Hydrogen removal from the piston rings reduces the heterogeneity of the structure, residual stresses, and uneven physical and chemical properties of the near-surface layers, which reduces the stress concentration and, as a consequence, results in an improvement in the performance characteristics of the surface layers of the friction couple “cylinder-piston rings” of the spark ignition engine.

Highlights

Interaction of External and Internal Hydrogen in “Cylinder–Piston Ring”Spark ignition engines are the most common heat engines in the world today. The central working unit of such engines is a piston, along the height of which compression and oil-retaining rings are set in the grooves
This paper addresses the following issues concerning the problem being solved: the interaction of external and internal hydrogen in a “cylinder–piston rings” friction couple, and the hydrogen wear of the piston rings of engine cylinders and ways to reduce it
Deformation stresses associated with introducing a significant amount of intercalated hydrogen cause more intense growth of elastic constants [34], which characterize the bond between hydrogen atoms in the interlayer space compared to the corresponding values directly in the matrix layer [29]. This fact is confirmed by the shift of the exciton maximum by 7 meV toward the region of higher energies in the range of hydrogen concentrations 0–0.4 and the increase in the bandgap (Eg) and the binding energy of the exciton (Eex )

Summary

Interaction of External and Internal Hydrogen in “Cylinder–Piston Ring”

Spark ignition engines are the most common heat engines in the world today. The central working unit of such engines is a piston, along the height of which compression and oil-retaining rings are set in the grooves. External hydrogen from the fuel and lubricant during friction is accompanied by nitrogen and oxygen desorbed from the metal The latter interacts with the metal surface, where a temperature gradient exists. During electrothermomechanical friction [12,13,14], the micro-roughness of the rings undergoes plastic and elastic deformation The latter, slightly changing the unit cell volume, facilitates the penetration of external hydrogen into the crystal lattice, creating interstitial or substitutional solid solutions. The atomic external interstitial hydrogen, moving along the crystal lattice, finds nano- and micropores, wherein it collects mollies and creates an excess pressure gradient, which contributes to the destruction of the metal.

Typical

Result

Hydrogen Wear of Piston Rings of Engine Cylinders and Ways to Reduce It

Findings

Conclusions