Analytical Solution of Piston Ring Lubrication Using Mass Conserving Cavitation Algorithm

A novel analytical approach for piston ring lubrication solution is presented by taking proper account of mass conservation in the cavitated region (JFO boundary conditions). A system of five nonlinear equations is employed to calculate such parameters as oil film thickness, frictional force, power loss, and oil flow rate. For an enclosed cavitation pattern in piston-ring assembly it was found, that JFO boundary conditions give much better accounting of the estimation of friction force, power loss and flow rate. To show the effectiveness of the undertaken approach, the widely accepted Jeng's approach (Jeng, 1992a) was selected, in which the pressure contribution from the cavitated and the second full film regions, as well as the trailing edge pressure, are ignored.