Abstract
The purpose of this study is to determine whether piston friction can be reduced by applying a micro-pattern to the skirt portion of the piston, which accounts for the largest proportion of engine parts. The roughness of the ready-made pistons was reduced before etching the micro-scale pattern onto the piston skirt. The micro-patterns were screen-printed on the piston skirt, and kept uniform through etching. The friction reduction effect of the piston was confirmed through an engine experiment using a 1.6 L four-cylinder gasoline engine to remove parts. A hexagonal shape that is representative of bionic textures was selected for the micro-pattern, and circular and cross-hatch patterns were additionally produced for comparison. The friction experiments with the patterning pistons confirmed that friction was reduced by up to 6.74 % by adjusting the spacing of the hexagonal pattern. It was also confirmed that friction was reduced in the cross-hatch pattern by up to 5.28 %. The friction reduction effect may vary depending on the parameters used for a specific pattern.
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Acknowledgement
This research was financially supported by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and Agency for Defense Development of the Republic of Korea for Under-Water Vehicle Long-term Operation Research Laboratory (UD200012DD).
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Kang, J., Yi, J., Kim, D.R. et al. Reduction of Piston Skirt Friction Using the Micro-scale Patterned Surface. Int.J Automot. Technol. 24, 15–22 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12239-023-0002-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12239-023-0002-0