The Effect of Piston Skirt Profile on EHD Lubrication in an Internal Combustion Engine

Abstract

This investigation is concerned with the elastohydrodynamic lubrication of the piston skirt / cylinder link of an internal combustion engine. In such compliant structures, the thickness of the lubricant film depends not only on the elastic deformation elements of the mechanism but also on their profiles. We have developed a computer program to study the effect of the profile of the piston skirt on the lubricant film. This program is based on a two-dimensional description of the lubricant film flow and a three-dimensional deformation of solids. The Reynolds equation defines the behavior of hydrodynamic film of oil in the liaison piston skirt / cylinder, and the equations of static and elastic equilibrium quantify the behavior of the structure. These Equations are solved numerically by using the finite differences method.