Engineering The Spark-Ignition Engine - The Piston-Rings-Cylinder Wall Interface

The engine is often considered to be a subsystem of the automobile, along with the drivetrain, chassis, suspension and body. The spark-ignition engine is itself a system, however, comprised of subsystems managing such necessities as fuel, air, exhaust, ignition, cooling and lubrication. The sophistication of the modern automotive engine fosters the development of engineering specialists, but the specialist must never lose sight of the relationship of his particular subsystem to the others, for inattention to the interfaces between subsystems leads to an inferior product. To illustrate the need for maintaining a systems viewpoint, issues surrounding the interface between the piston and rings and the cylinder wall are reviewed.