A computationally efficient mass-conservation-based, two-scale approach to modeling cylinder liner topography changes during running-in

In an internal combustion engine, the surface topography of the cylinder liner changes continuously during running-in. The wear rates at different locations of the cylinder liner can vary greatly. These changes will significantly affect the lubrication and localized wear rate within the piston ring pack-liner system. In this paper, a computationally efficient, two-dimensional, two-scale homogenized mixed lubrication and wear model is developed to predict cylinder liner surface topography evolution during running-in. It takes cavitation effects into consideration by the mass-conservation-based Elrod-Adams model. To reduce computing costs, the Fischer-Burmeister-Newton-Schur (FBNS) algorithm was used to solve the cavitation model. To the author's knowledge, for the first time, this approach accurately predicts the wear rates at different locations along the stroke of a cylinder liner which has been divided into thirteen zones. The effects of the surface topography evolution on the lubrication, friction and wear properties are analyzed. The simulated wear results seem to be consistent with experimental results obtained by other researchers.