Predictions of cam follower wear in diesel engines

In this paper, an attempt has been made to estimate the wear of followers quantitatively. The profile of followers resulting from steady and non-catastropic wear processes is computed by combining a linear wear relation and an elasto-hydrodynamic or boundary lubrication transition model with kinematic analysis. The finite element analysis, AVL TYCON simulation program and classical methodology have been effectively used to predict the follower wear. The model was validated on all types of followers widely varying in size, brake mean effective pressure and speed. The predicted wear profiles exhibit satisfactory agreement with experimental observations. At the end of the paper, a design guideline for designing a cam follower for low wear rate is given.