Designing cylinder liners made from hybrid composites containing solid lubricants
Andrzej Posmyk, Jerzy Myalski
Quarterly No. 1, 2016 pages 15-19
DOI:
keywords: cylinder liner, solid lubricant, hybrid composite, ceramic foam, thermal conductivity
abstract The paper presents the basic knowledge for designing cylinder sleeves made of hybrid composites containing solid lubricants. The matrix for the described composites could be aluminium wrought alloys used for manufacturing pistons, for example AlCu4Ni2Mg or cast aluminium-silicon alloys used for blocks and cylinder sleeves for engines and compressors, for example AlSi12NiCuMg. These composites should contain two kinds of reinforcing phase, i.e. strengthening Al2O3 or SiC foam and thin layers of glassy carbon. Ceramic foam increases the compressive strength and wear resistance of the composite and decreases the thermal conductivity. Glassy carbon plays the role of a solid lubricant. A cylinder sleeve manufactured of a composite containing particles or spheres of aluminium oxide will possess other properties than one made of a composite containing silicon carbide. The reason for that is the different thermal conductivity for Al2O3 ( λ= 20÷30 W/(mK)) and SiC (λ =100÷130 W/(mK)). Cylinder sleeves manufactured of a composite containing ceramic foams (Al2O3 or SiC) will possess a similar, but much lower thermal conductivity (for Al2O3 foam λ = 0.2 W/(mK) and SiC foam λ = 0.12 W/(mK) at temperatures of 20÷200°C. It is very important for air compressors in which the piston rings are manufactured of composite plastics.