TLA and wear quantification of an aluminium–silicon–copper alloy for the car industry

In modern car engines the tribosystem piston ring and cylinder liner is mostly affected due to the latest trends towards high ignition pressure for low fuel consumption, low particle and low CO2 production, and due to bio-admixtures in fuels. To test the wear behaviour of such a system a model tribometer with realistic loading conditions and a very sensitive and on-line technique has to be used. For reasons of accessibility and applicability only a tracing system with radioactive isotopes turns out to be reasonable. In this paper pieces of an aluminium–silicon alloy cylinder liner were prepared by partial thin layer activation (PTLA). The application of such prepared specimens to a model tribometer tests is shown. The total activity induced is below the free limit by establishing very high sensitiveness at the same time. The tests are carried out in a model tribometer system with piston ring and cylinder liner geometry to investigate the impact of motor oil and diesel fuel as lubricants and different loading conditions on the running in and steady-state wear behaviour of the cylinder liner material.