Effect of Groove Texture on Deformation and Sealing Performance of Engine Piston Ring

Abstract

During the present study, a double groove texture was designed on the surface of a piston ring to improve the sealing performance between the piston ring and cylinder liner. The experimental design method was used to fabricate the test plan according to the groove width, depth, and spacing. By using the thermal–structural coupling analysis method, the finite element analysis of the standard piston ring and the textured piston ring was carried out to simulate the deformation state of the cylinder liner system of the piston ring group during the working stroke. The piston rings with different parameters designed by the test scheme were manufactured by wire electrical discharge machining, and the self-made experiment device carried out the sealing test. The results showed that the groove texture could improve the sealing performance of the piston ring, and the analyzed results demonstrated that the groove texture had little effect on the maximum deformation of the piston ring. Still, it could significantly reduce the minimum deformation of the piston ring group. A piston ring with groove texture would improve the sealing performance and reduce the deformation during the work stroke. During the test, the average deformation of the No.7 piston ring group, with a groove depth of 1 mm, a groove width of 0.5 mm, and a groove spacing of 0.1 mm, was the smallest, about 29.6% lower than that of the standard piston ring group. The sealing performance of the No.7 piston ring group was the best, and the reduction rate of the top gas leakage rate was 52.18%. During the present study, the sealing performance of the piston ring was improved by designing the grooved structure on the piston ring surface, thereby improving the fuel economy and power performance of the engine. The present study could provide a reference for the engineering field to design a piston ring with high sealing performance.