Development of Oil Film Pressure Measurement System for Engine Sliding Parts

Reduction of heat and mechanical losses is a critical factor in reducing CO2 emissions and fuel consumption of automotive engines. Toward that end, it is necessary to investigate the lubrication conditions of engine sliding surfaces and instantaneous heat flux in the combustion chamber in order to obtain experimental data for validating computer-aided engineering (CAE) calculations. The authors used thin-film sensors to measure the distribution of the oil film pressure on the sliding surfaces of engine parts including pistons, bearings and gear tooth surfaces. This paper describes the structure and configuration of the thin-film sensors and the measurement system used for direct observation, especially of piston pins, and presents the measured results.