Measuring radial pressure distributions of piston rings based on partial-thin-walled cylinder

The measurement of radial pressure distribution of piston rings is very important for minimizing the wastages of lubricating oils and hence the lower gas emissions; for improving the friction status to reduce the gasoline consumption and for the reasonable heat transfer efficiency for the desired accuracy levels. For accurate and efficient measurement of radial pressure distribution of piston rings, a new PC based prototype instrument based on a partial-thin-walled cylinder sensor is designed and developed. The present paper describes the details of the measurement principle, hardware and software of this instrument. The measurement results thus obtained using the proposed instrument during experiments performed on a conical ring of diameter 110 mm and a drum ring of diameter 120 mm, are quite accurate, consistent and repeatable within the desired level of accuracy.