Choosing in-cylinder surfaces is complex. A well-chosen surface has low friction and wear. Conversely, poor oversight often leads to premature failure through wear and scuffing. Typically cylinder bore surfaces are selected experientially. This paper demonstrates the use of Atomic Force Microscopy in LFM mode, characterising typical cylinder bore materials and coatings. The approach uses integrated LFM with continuum contact mechanics. It evaluates the real contact area and effective elastic modulus of the surface, including the effect of any reactive surface film. Surface energy and shear strength, as well as the coefficient of friction in nanoscale interactions are also determined. These properties are measured for 6 cylinder bore materials, including for composite Nickel-Silicon Carbide and DLC, used for high performance engines.
Funding
The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for the funding extended to this project under the CDT-ei scheme.
History
School
Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering
Published in
Tribology International
Citation
UMER, J. ...et al., 2018. Asperity level tribological investigation of automotive bore material and coatings. Tribology International, 117 (January 2018), pp. 131-140.
This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Acceptance date
2017-08-24
Publication date
2017-09-04
Notes
This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).