A rig test to measure friction and wear of heavy duty diesel engine piston rings and cylinder liners using realistic lubricants

Laboratory tests to evaluate piston ring and cylinder liner materials for their friction and wear behavior in realistic engine oils are described to support the development of new standard test methods. A ring segment was tested against a flat specimen of gray cast iron typical of cylinder liners. A wide range of lubricants including Jet A aviation fuel, mineral oil, and a new and engine-aged, fully formulated 15W40 heavy duty oil were used to evaluate the sensitivity of the tests to lubricant condition. Test temperatures ranged from 25 to 100 °C. A stepped load procedure was used to evaluate friction behavior using a run-in ring segment. At 100 °C, all lubricants showed boundary lubrication behavior, however, differences among the lubricants could be detected. Wear tests were carried out at 240 N for 6 h at 100 °C with new ring segments. The extent of wear was measured by weight loss, wear volume and wear depth using a geometric model that takes into account compound curvatures before and after testing. Wear volume by weight loss compared well with profilometry. Laboratory test results are compared to engine wear rates.