Texture-induced effects causing reduction of friction in mixed lubrication for twin land oil control rings

Piston rings are responsible for a major part of the frictional losses in a heavy-duty diesel engine. Such losses can be reduced by applying texture, such as dimples, on the cylinder liner surface. This paper investigates the effect of such texture on the friction between a land of the oil control ring and a textured cylinder liner via numerical simulation. A simulation model considering inertia and mixed lubrication together with a mass-conserving cavitation model is developed. The model is used to determine the dimple parameters that yield the lowest amount of friction for a specific oil control ring of a heavy-duty diesel engine.