The evolution of surface topography of injection cams

Friction and wear are constant problems encountered in camshaft development. Among a wide amount of factors, surface topography is an important feature to improve in this complex system. Four parts of different shapes can be differentiated on an injection cam profile. Therefore the machining of such component is quite particular. Considering the complex shape of an injection cam, this paper is divided in two studies: 1. Variations of surface topography around freshly produced cams in order to emphasize the particular profile of cams which leads to a complex machining. 2. Evolution of surfaces during run-in in order to discover the effects of wear process on a group of roughness parameters. The results show a variation of density of peaks along the freshly produced cam surface and highlight also the importance of roller type on the evolution of topography. Further results show that summits of the surface are rounded off during run-in. Concerning the future, results of the study are encouraging to investigate more deeply the tribological behaviour (contact mechanic, oil film thickness) of the surfaces.