Influence of microdimple on lubrication performance of textured plunger pump
Industrial Lubrication and Tribology
ISSN: 0036-8792
Article publication date: 6 April 2021
Issue publication date: 2 June 2021
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of dimple radius, depth and density on the lubrication performance of the plunger.
Design/methodology/approach
A lubrication model was adopted to consider eccentricity and deformation during the working process of the plunger, and a rig test was performed to confirm the simulation results. The texture was fabricated using laser surface texturing.
Findings
The simulation results suggested that when dimple radius or depth increases, oil film thickness of the plunger increases before decreasing, and asperity friction displays an opposite trend. Therefore, appropriate microdimple texture could facilitate lubrication performance improvement and reduce the wear. Microdimples were then lased on the plunger surface, and a basic tribological test was conducted to validate the simulation results. The experimental results suggested that the average friction coefficient decreased from 0.18 to 0.13, a reduction of 27.8%.
Social implications
The introduction of microdimple on a plunger couple to reduce friction and improve lubrication is expected to provide a new approach to developing high-performance plunger couple and improve the performance of the internal combustion engine. If applied, the surface texture could help reduce friction by around 27% and cap the cost relative to the plugger friction.
Originality/value
The microdimple texture was introduced into the plunger couple of a vehicle to reduce the friction and improve the performance. Findings suggested that surface texture could be used in the automotive industry to improve oil efficiency and lubrication performance.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ILT-07-2020-0259.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/publication of this paper: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51975252), State Key Laboratory of Engine Reliability (skler-201808), Postgraduate Research and Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (KYCX19_1597), The Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD), High-technology Research Key Laboratory Project of the Zhenjiang City (SS2018007) and Major Scientific and Technology Project of the Zhenjiang City (ZD2018001).
Citation
Jia, H., Zhou, Z., Yin, B., Zhou, H. and Xu, B. (2021), "Influence of microdimple on lubrication performance of textured plunger pump", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 73 No. 4, pp. 563-571. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILT-07-2020-0259
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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