Accelerated Chromium Plate Piston Ring Wear Associated With Liner Pitting

Accelerated wear of chromium plated piston rings by an unidentified wear mechanism has been occasionally observed in small bore, high speed diesel engines in the field. This chromium plate wear phenomenon has been successfully reproduced in laboratory engine tests using chemically pitted cylinder liners with rough surface finishes. This paper reviews the laboratory test program which was developed a) to understand and identify the wear mechanism and b) to maintain ring wear life through piston ring modifications.