10.1007%2Fs11249-013-0243-6.pdf (1.23 MB)
Transient tribo-dynamics of thermo-elastic compliant high-performance piston skirts
journal contribution
posted on 2013-10-29, 15:17 authored by Stephanos TheodossiadesStephanos Theodossiades, Miguel De-La-Cruz, Bryn Littlefair, R. Mills, S.J. Howell-Smith, Homer Rahnejat, R.S. Dwyer-JoyceAdvanced piston technology for motorsport applications is driven through development of lightweight pistons with preferentially compliant short partial skirts. The preferential compliance is achieved through structural stiffening, such that a greater entrainment wedge is achieved at the skirt’s bottom edge through thermo-elastic deformation, whilst better conforming contact geometry at the top of the skirt. In practice, the combination of some of these conditions is intended to improve the load-carrying capacity and reduce friction. The approach is fundamental to the underlying ethos of race and high-performance engine technology. Contact loads of the order of 5 kN and contact kinematics in the range 0–35 m/s result in harsh transient tribological conditions. Therefore, piston design requires detailed transient analysis, which integrates piston dynamics, thermo-elastic distortion and transient elastohydrodynamics. The paper provides such a detailed analysis as well as verification of the same using non-invasive ultrasonic-assisted lubricant film thickness measurement from a fired engine under normal operating conditions, an approach not hitherto reported in literature. Good agreement is noted between measured film thickness and predictions.
Funding
This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) [grant number EP/G012334/1].
History
School
- Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering
Citation
THEODOSSIADES, S. ... et al, 2014. Transient tribo-dynamics of thermo-elastic compliant high-performance piston skirts. Tribology Letters, 53 (1), pp. 51-70.Publisher
Springer / © the authorsVersion
- VoR (Version of Record)
Publication date
2014Notes
This is an Open Access Article. It is published by Springer under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence (CC BY). Full details of this licence are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ISSN
1023-8883eISSN
1573-2711Publisher version
Language
- en