Lubrication Analysis of Piston Skirts

Lubrication analysis of piston skirts is a complex problem because of elastic and thermal deformation of the skirt, mixed lubrication, and surface geometry. Several analysis methods have been developed at General Motors over the years for carrying out the piston lubrication analysis. These methods differ in how much of the complexity is modelled.

This paper briefly describes these methods and compares the friction prediction of each of these methods with data from an experimental rig designed to measure piston-assembly friction. In addition, results are presented to demonstrate the effect of some design parameters on the lubrication performance of a piston skirt.