Dynamic behaviours of piston rings and their practical impact. Part 1: Ring flutter and ring collapse and their effects on gas flow and oil transport

Abstract This paper describes the physics of two major dynamic behaviours of the piston rings, namely ring flutter and ring collapse, and their effects on gas flow and oil transport. The analysis was conducted by applying a theoretical model in a spark ignition engine and a heavy-duty diesel engine. Parameters that have great influence on these dynamic behaviours are discussed for these two different types of engine and different rings. Specifically, the importance of ring twist, torsional stiffness and ring-groove clearance to ring flutter are discussed in detail. For ring radial collapse, the paper presents a simple formula that determines value of the critical parameters to eliminate ring radial collapse. Emphases are placed on the importance of mechanical designs in changing the performance of the piston ring pack in blowby and oil consumption.

[1]  John B. Heywood,et al.  Effects of Piston-Ring Dynamics on Ring/Groove Wear and Oil Consumption in a Diesel Engine , 1997 .

[2]  R. Rabuté,et al.  Challenges Involved in Piston Top Ring Designs for Modern SI Engines , 2001 .

[3]  Tian Tian,et al.  Investigation of Oil Transport Mechanisms in the Piston Ring Pack of a Single Cylinder Diesel Engine, Using Two Dimensional Laser Induced Fluorescence , 1998 .

[4]  John B. Heywood,et al.  Modeling Piston-Ring Dynamics, Blowby, and Ring-Twist Effects , 1998 .

[5]  John B. Heywood,et al.  A Piston Ring-Pack Film Thickness and Friction Model for Multigrade Oils and Rough Surfaces , 1996 .

[6]  Susumu Ariga.  Observation of Transient Oil Consumption with In-Cylinder Variables , 1996 .

[7]  L. Bouke Noordzij.  Measurement and analysis of piston inter-ring pressures and oil film thickness and their effects on engine oil consumption , 1996 .

[8]  Tian Tian,et al.  Modeling the Lubrication, Dynamics, and Effects of Piston Dynamic Tilt of Twin-Land Oil Control Rings in Internal Combustion Engines , 2000 .

[9]  John B. Heywood,et al.  An Overview of Hydrocarbon Emissions Mechanisms in Spark-Ignition Engines , 1993 .

[10]  J. Heywood,et al.  Analysis of Oil Consumption Behavior during Ramp Transients in a Production Spark Ignition Engine , 2001 .

[11]  Masaaki Takiguchi,et al.  An Experimental Study on Phenomena of Piston Ring Collapse , 2002 .

[12]  Shoichi Furuhama,et al.  Piston Ring Motion and Its Influence on Engine Tribology , 1979 .

[13]  Benoist Thirouard,et al.  Characterization and modeling of the fundamental aspects of oil transport in the piston ring pack of internal combustion engines , 2001 .

[14]  John B. Heywood,et al.  Modeling the Dynamics and Lubrication of Three Piece Oil Control Rings in Internal Combustion Engines , 1998 .

[15]  Tian Tian.  Modeling the performance of the piston ring-pack in internal combustion engines , 1997 .

[16]  J. Greenwood,et al.  The Contact of Two Nominally Flat Rough Surfaces , 1970 .

[17]  Harold Schock,et al.  Modeling of Ring Twist For an IC Engine , 1998 .