Abrasive Wear of Piston Rings

MEASURING piston-ring wear by use of irradiated piston rings and modern detection equipment, as was done in tests reported here, is accurate, fast and overcomes any need of disassembling engines.

Tests made with a variety of abrasives showed that size and properties of abrasives influence not only the amount of wear but also its duration.

The same technique would work equally well, the authors say, in studying wear of any irradiated internal engine part in any type of piston engine.