Method of ameliorating the lubrication and friction performance of an engine based on different microtextures

A design of different microtextures on the surface of the crankpin bearing(CB)is proposed to ameliorate the lubrication and friction performance(LFP)of engines.On the basis of the CB s hydrodynamic lubrication model,the bearing surface of CB using different microtextures,such as wedge-shaped textures(WSTs),square textures(STs),circular textures(CTs),and combined square-circular textures(CSCTs),is simulated and assessed under various external loads of the CB at an engine speed of 2000 r/min.The pressure of the oil film,the frictional force,the force of the solid asperity contact,and the friction coefficient of the CB are used as objective functions.Results indicate that the bearing surface designed by the STs remarkably improves the CB s LFP in comparison with other structures of WSTs,CTs,and CSCTs.Particularly,the average values of the frictional force,solid asperity contact,and friction coefficient of the CB using the STs are greatly reduced by 28.5%,14.5%,and 33.2%and by 34.4%,26.3%,and 43.6%in comparison with the optimized CB dimensions and CTs,respectively.Therefore,the application of the STs on the CB surfaces can enhance the LFP of engines.

Thermal performance of tubular heat exchanger with multiple twisted-tape inserts

The paper presents an experimental investigation on enhanced heat transfer and pressure loss characteristics by using single, double, triple, and quadruple twisted-tape inserts in a round tube having a uniform heat-fluxed wall. The investigation has been conducted in the heat exchanger tube inserted with various twisted-tape numbers for co- and counter-twist arrangements for the turbulent air flow, Reynolds number （Re） from 5300 to 24000. The typical single twisted-tape inserts at two twist ratios, y/w = 4 and 5, are used as the base case, while the other multiple twisted-tape inserts are aty/w = 4 only. The experimental results of heat transfer and pressure drop in terms of Nusselt number （Nu） and friction factor 00, respectively, reveal that Nu increases with the increment of Re and of twisted-tape number. The values of Nu for the inserted tube are in a range of 1.15-2.12 times that for the plain tube while f is 1.9-4.1 times. The thermal enhancement factor of the inserted tube under similar pumping power is evaluated and found to be above unity except for the single and the double co-twisted tapes. The quadruple counter-twisted tape insert provides the maximum thermal performance.

Microstructure,wear and friction behavior of CoCrAITaY-xCNTs composite coatings deposited by laser-induction hybrid cladding

To improve the wear performance of CoCrAlYTa coating,part of the carbon nanotubes(CNTs)chemically reacted with Ta to form reinforcement phase(TaC),while the other CNTs were retained as lubrication phase.Subsequently,the CoCrAlYTa-xCNTs(x=0,1,2,and 4;wt%)composite coatings were prepared by laserinduction hybrid cladding(LIHC),and the microstructure and wear resistance of coatings were systematically analyzed.Results show that the coatings are mainly composed of TaC,y-(Co,Cr)andβ-(Co,Cr)Al.As the CNTs content increases from 0 wt%to 4 wt%,the volume fraction of TaC increases from 13.11 vol%to 16.12 vol%.Meanwhile,the nano-hardness ofγ-(Co,Cr)andβ-(Co,Cr)Al are improved from 7.49 and 9.72 to 9.36 and 11.19 GPa,respectively.As a result,the microhardness of coating increases from HV536.25 to HV 738.16,the wear rate decreases from32.4×10^(-3)to 6.1×10^(-3)mg·m^(-1),and the average friction coefficient decreases from 0.55 to 0.44.The good wear performance of the coating is attributed to the formation of TaC and the existence of remained CNTs lubricant film.

Si_(3)N_(4)nanowires@pyrolytic carbon nanolayers coupled withhydroxyapatite nanosheets as reinforcement for carbon matrixcomposites with boosting mechanical and friction properties

Extensive attention has been drawn to the development of carbon-matrix composites for application in the aerospace and military industry,where a combination of high mechanical strength and excellent frictional properties are required.Herein,carbon-matrix composites reinforced by Si_(3)N_(4)nanowires@pyrolytic carbon nanolayers(Si_(3)N_(4nws)@PyCnls)coupled with hydroxyapatite nanosheets is reported.The Si_(3)N_(4nws)@PyCnls(SP)with coaxial structure could increase the surface roughness of Si_(3)N_(4nws)and promote the stress transfer to the carbon matrix,whereas the porous hydroxyapatite nanosheets favor the infiltration of the carbon matrix and promote the interfacial bonding between the SP and carbon matrix.The carbon matrix composites reinforced by SP coupled with hydroxyapatite nanosheets(Si_(3)N_(4nws)@PyCnls-HA-C)exhibit excellent mechanical strength.Compare with the conventional Si_(3)N_(4nws)reinforced carbon composites,Si_(3)N_(4nws)@PyCnls-HA-C(SPHC)have 162%and 249%improvement in flexural strength and elastic modulus,respectively.Moreover,the friction coefficient and wear rate decreased by 53%and 23%,respectively.This study provides a co-reinforcement strategy generated by SP coupled with hydroxyapatite nanosheets for effective improvement of mechanical and frictional properties of carbon matrix composites that are used for aerospace and military industry applications.

Frictional performance of silicon carbide under different lubrication conditions

The frictional performance of materials used in face seals is critical to the sealing performance.Silicon carbide is commonly used in hard rings because of its abrasion resistance,corrosion resistance,and thermal shock resistance.In this study,the frictional performance of silicon carbide,including graphite-added silicon carbide,under water and lubrication-absent conditions was studied by using a Falex-1506 tribotester and different working parameters.In addition,the morphology of the worn surfaces was observed using scanning electron microscopy and the damage was characterized to understand the tribological behavior of different silicon carbides.The results suggest that the friction coefficients decrease with increasing pressure under water lubrication conditions because of the water within the holes on the surface of the materials.The percentage of water lubrication increases,whereas the percentage of solid friction decreases when the pressure increases.Under dry contact conditions,the friction coefficients change negligibly with increasing pressure and graphite-added silicon carbide shows better frictional performance.

Experimental Study on Frictional and Sealing Performances of Packing Rings in an Oil-free Gas Compressor

To enhance the reliability and to extend service life of packing rings, tribological and sealing perfor- mances are investigated based on the experimental results. Friction force, leakage rate and power consumption of three materials of pressure packing seals are measured in a refitted vertical gas compressor. The rings are made of common filled polytetrafiuroethylene （Filled PTFE）, PTFE reinforced with 30% mass fraction carbon fiber （30%CF^PTFE）, and carbon-carbon composites infiltrated with PTFE （C/C＋PTFE）, respectively. It is found that packing rings will periodically vibrate with the periodic vibration of pressure packing after the travel direction of motion abruptly turns to the reverse direction. Furthermore, the amplitude of vibration slows down with the increasing crank angle. Approximate value of friction force is available by multiple-point fast Fourier transformation （FFT） employed to process the experimental results by reducing the impact of vibration to a great extent. Of three materials of rings employed in experiments, Filled PTFE presents minimal leakage rate accom- panied with maximum power consumption. And 30%CF＋PTFE exhibits minimum friction power and moderate leakage rate. As for C/C＋PTFE, its high mechanical and thermal properties are favorable factors to enhance the ability of operating under high pressure and velocity and to improve the wear resistance. Unfortunately, this also leads to a large leakage rate. Comprehensive consideration should be taken into to evaluate the availability, reliability and service life for a type of packing ring under dry running conditions.