Single Cylinder Research Engine for Fired Tribology Investigations

The friction in internal combustion engines has large potentials to be reduced with better and optimised concepts. Increased efficiencies and reduced fuel consumption are coupled with decreased CO2 emissions and are important necessary research targets for cleaner engines.

The ITV has a single cylinder research engine on the basis of Mercedes-Benz Baureihe 500 (130 mm bore, 2 liter displacement) for detailed tribological investigations. For increased reproducability the engine as well as all relevant media are perfectly conditioned. With a modern "Floating Liner" approach the detailed friction processes can be measured with crank angle resolution. This allows the detailed investigation of modern and future tribological concepts like modified liner surface treatment.

Within the DFG Research Grup 576 "Microstructuring of Thermo-Mechanically Highly Stressed Surfaces" (2006 to 2012) the effects and tribological potential of microstructured liners has been investigated under fired conditions.

In the current follow-up projects (DFG Transfer Project "Tribologisch maßgeschneiderte Zylinderlaufbuchsen durch spanend gefertigte Mikrostrukturen", and the BMWi Project "Hochflexibles Gas-Genset für eine nachhaltige Energieversorgung" / Subproject "Tribologie am Floating-Liner-Prüfstand") also the Floating-Liner measurement system is included to investigate systematically the potential for future coated piston and liner systems.