Tappet Rotation and Friction Reduction in a Center Pivot Rocker Arm Contact

Abstract

The instantaneous tappet rotation velocity and instantaneous friction torque were measured simultaneously for the CVH center pivot rocker arm geometry. The measurements were made in a cam/tappet friction apparatus equipped with a laser reflectance tappet rotation monitor capable of following rapid changes in tappet rotation velocity. The data showed that more rapid tappet rotation resulted in lower friction. The effect was greatest in the region of maximum cam lift. Several tappets were modified to produce higher rotation rates than production tappets. The best results were obtained with tappets incorporating an internal squeeze film bearing to reduce resistance to rotation. The data were analyzed to elucidate the cause for the friction reduction effect. The analysis showed that most important effect was the partial rolling motion between the surfaces, rather than enhancement of the oil film thickness. A model based on that conclusion agreed reasonably well with the experimental data.