An Application of Simplified Average Reynolds Equation for Mixed Lubrication Analysis of Piston Ring Assembly in an Internal Combustion Engine

A mixed lubrication model based on the average Reynolds equation has been used so far for the tribological analysis of a piston ring assembly. In this study, a simplified average Reynolds equation is applied for mixed lubrication analysis of a ring assembly. The tedious numerical procedure and computing time required for the modeling and analysis was significantly reduced by introducing a contact factor to replace the average gap that includes the asperity contact between two lubricated surfaces. It was observed that this model appropriately reflects mixed lubrication characteristic or piston ring from the qualitative analysis.