Using composite coatings containing solid lubricants to minimize friction in piston combustion engines for aviation
Andrzej Posmyk, Jerzy Myalski
Quarterly No. 1, 2019 pages 3-6
DOI:
keywords: piston combustion engine, composite coatings, solid lubricant, loss of lubrication
abstract The paper presents the results of research on a composite coating with a polymer resin matrix containing glassy carbon microparticles as the modifying phase acting as a solid lubricant for piston aircraft engines. Comparative tests were carried out on a T-11 tribological tester at the temperature of 80°C, pressure of p = 8 MPa and relative velocity v = 0.55 m/s of a cam/push rod contact coated with a developed coating (RGC) and a cam/push rod contact coated with a reference coating (RC). 2 mg of AeroShell 100 oil were added to the contact for 10 hours of rubbing. This lubrication simulates the operating conditions of the combustion engine components after lubrication loss. As a result of the tests, it was found that the developed coating can work 10 hours after the lubrication disappears because the coating is porous and absorbs the oil during heating up to the engine\'s operating temperature. The oil sorption is indicated by the increase in the mass of the sample with the coating. Thanks to the coating material anchored in the roughness valleys of the push rod surface soaked with oil, the coefficient of friction, despite evaporation of the volatile parts of the oil, does not exceed μ = 0.1, which prevents seizure of the contact. The contact with the reference coating seized after 8.5 hours of sliding. The tests of the developed coating on the engine dynamometer as well as in the aircraft confirmed the usefulness of the developed coating.