Thin layer activation for on line measurement of rocker pad scuffing

Despite its benefits, the use of thin layer activation (TLA) is limited owi ng to the restricted number of dedicated facilities available and to the un familiarity with the technique. The purpose of this paper is to familiarise a wider audience with the TLA technique for engine wear testing. For this the anti-scuffing properties of three different engine oils were evaluated by measuring the scuffing on one rocker pad on line during engine operation using TLA. The results illustrate that TLA offers the possibility of evalu ating the scuffing of rocker pads on line with a high degree of precision, thus providing a deeper scientific understanding of material degradation pr ocesses than with conventional techniques.