A kinematic model of primary piston motion was developed along with a simplified combustion model for the purpose of evaluating various factors that could impact the piston skirt thrust loads of an Opposed Piston Two Stroke Diesel engine. The assessment considered connecting rod length, wrist pin mass, peak cylinder pressure, indicated torque, and wrist pin offset. The results show that small changes in connecting rod length could realize significant improvements in piston skirt friction as well as increased engine performance. The results indicate that small increases in overall engine width should be considered when optimizing for reduced oil consumption and enhanced piston skirt lubrication.
John Srodawa (Tue,) studied this question.