Plasma Texturing for Friction Reduction of Internal Combustion Engine Components

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With rapid introduction of a diverse range of electrification technologies, including various hybrids, fuel cell and battery electric vehicles, the majority of these still rely on internal combustion engines (ICEs) so continuing advances in that area remain important. Growing electrification presents new approaches for internal combustion engine design, which will enable greater levels of synergy between the ICE and powertrain electrification. Apart from developing advanced combustion technologies for ICE, automakers have paid great attention to friction reduction to increase ICE efficiency and fuel economy, since 20-30% reduction in friction can lead to 3-5% fuel saving. An important strategy is the use of dimples, grooves, and other surface textures to control friction in sliding interfaces.      This research will develop a new cost-efficient surface texturing approach through the following activities: i) generate surface texturing patterns (i.e., dimples) using a new plasma discharging method (called plasma texturing); and ii) study effects of plasma discharging process parameters (i.e, current and voltage) on surface textured morphology and material microstructures of selected alloys. The project intends to i) conduct controlled experiments that create different dimple geometric shapes and dimple's sizes tailored for reducing frictions in three lubrication regimes; and ii) study effects of oil viscosity and additives on friction of the texturally patterned surfaces. The research group will i) evaluate the anti-wear properties of the textured surfaces and explore compatibility of the textural patterns to counterpart surfaces, particularly under the boundary lubrication regime; and ii) finally establish a strategy of friction control via the plasma texturing. The objective of this research is to develop a new plasma texturing technology to create dimples with different sizes and areal densities on cylinder liner and bearing materials for reducing friction of powertrains. The research would provide a better understanding about the influence of dimple surface textures on friction at the different lubrication regimes for less parasitic (friction) losses.      The plasma texturing technology developed in this research is expected to provide significant friction reduction (20-40%) for piston-cylinder power system, bearing, water pump seals and mechanical seals, etc., resulting in reduced energy consumption and longer durability. If 20% vehicles use the proposed technology, leading to say 1-2% improvement in fuel efficiency, 6 million litres of fuel per day will be saved in North America. Thus, this proposed project will be very significant in environmental protection apart from technical advancement. The research project will also provide the important HQP training and personnel for the Canadian auto and manufacturing sectors.