2-DIMENSIONAL PISTON-RING LUBRICATION .1. RIGID RING AND LINER SOLUTION

A two-dimensional elastohydrodynamic cavitation algorithm is developed for piston ring lubrication. The nonlinear governing equation derived from the Reynolds equation to include cavitation and elastohydrodynam ics is linearized for numerical efficiency. An elliptic cylinder liner and rigid ring are considered to investigate circumferencial flow eff ects which have been ignored in previous studies. The hydrodynamic pre ssure distribution and film thickness at various crank angles are dete rmined. Results for a typical automotive engine show that the elliptic liner causes a dramatic drop in the hydrodynamic pressure and reduces the film thickness. It is found that the pressure reformation effect cannot be neglected when the piston ring moves away from the top dead center (TDC).