Development of a Bench Wear Test for the Evaluation of Engine Cylinder Components and the Correlation with Engine Test Results

A reciprocating motion bench test was developed that uses a modified Cameron-Plint High Frequency Friction Tester for evaluating the friction and wear of engine cylinder bore/piston ring pairs. This paper summarizes the development of such a bench wear test, and the correlation to engine dynamometer tests. The main advantage of the bench test is that parts of real components are tested (cylinder liners and piston rings) so that the geometry and metallurgy of the engine are preserved and representative surface finishes can be tested and evaluated. Precise, quantitative correlation of wear depth is not obtained between the Cameron-Plint bench test and engine dynamometer tests. However, the bench test does rank the various materials and coatings qualitatively in the correct order in terms of wear resistance, and thus provides a valid test for the rough screening of new cylinder bore coatings and materials. Also, the wear mechanisms observed in the bench and engine tests are the same, reinforcing the validity of the bench test.