Morris_2020_Surf._Topogr.__Metrol._Prop._8_034001.pdf (1.55 MB)
Laser surface texturing of Wankel engine apex seals
journal contribution
posted on 2020-08-04, 13:12 authored by Nick MorrisNick Morris, George Hart, Yong Jie Wong, Matthew SimpsonMatthew Simpson, Sebastian Howell-SmithWankel rotary engines are used as power units in contemporary machines such as unmanned aerial vehicles and automobile range extenders due to their high-power density. A challenge of the engine architecture is the maintenance of an effective seal around each chamber while simultaneously minimising parasitic frictional losses. This paper investigates, experimentally, the suitability of laser surface texturing to reduce frictional losses at the apex seal-housing interfaces of Wankel engines. To inform the design of the laser surface texture features an analytical model is created to characterise the tribological properties of the apex seal-housing conjunction. The performance of the texture features is evaluated experimentally, and the results indicate that laser surface texture features can reduce frictional power loss by up to 30% at the apex seal-housing interface.
History
School
- Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering
Published in
Surface Topography: Metrology and PropertiesVolume
8Issue
3Publisher
IOP PublishingVersion
- VoR (Version of Record)
Rights holder
© The AuthorsPublisher statement
Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.Acceptance date
2020-08-03Publication date
2020-08-10Copyright date
2020eISSN
2051-672XPublisher version
Language
- en