The Caterpillar imep Meter and Engine Friction

A report on a detailed evaluation of cylinder pressure measurement was made in 1967 by the author. At the beginning of that paper, the primary importance of cylinder pressure measurement was pointed out. Pressure is the means by which work is extracted from the gases; the cycle is known only to the extent that this work function ∫PdV is known. At the end of that paper, it was concluded that cylinder pressure could be measured accurately enough to determine imep and that complete electronic determination of imep was needed. A system for determining imep electronically with excellent accuracy has been developed and has been in use for several years. This paper describes the Caterpillar indicated mean effective pressure (imep) meter and gives a sample of the information it can provide.