Influence of a DLC coating topography in the piston ring/cylinder liner tribological performance

• Published in: Journal of manufacturing processes Vol. 66; pp. 483 - 493
• Main Authors: Ferreira, Rita, Almeida, Rui, Carvalho, Óscar, Sobral, Luís, Carvalho, Sandra, Silva, Filipe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2021; Elsevier 1
• Subjects: Piston ring; Science & Technology; Surface topography; Tribological performance; Tribological performance; Piston ring; Surface topography
• ISSN: 1526-6125; 2212-4616
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jmapro.2021.04.044

[Display omitted] •DLC films deposited using a large cathodic arc deposition chamber.•Influence of the surface finishing technique in the DLC surface roughness.•The surface roughness is controlled by the rotation speed of the abrasive tool.•Wear resistance and friction are dependent on the topography of the tribological pair.•Rough surfaces of hard coatings may instigate wear debris entrapment. In the piston ring-cylinder system, the surface topography is crucial to their tribological performance, emphasizing the relevance of the surface finishing processes. The present work studied the influence of different finishing processes in the surface roughness parameters of the coated compression piston rings. Three distinct surfaces’ finishing processes were used in the first approach: Option A, B, and C. Options D comprised the variation of different processing parameters. The piston rings with different surface topographies were tribologically evaluated using a tribometer developed explicitly for this industrial evaluation. Regarding the tribological performance, it was concluded that the use of the surface finishing processes fostered a decrease in the coefficient of friction. The surface finishing had also impacted the wear of the piston ring and in the counterbody. An increase in the piston rings’ surface roughness led to a rise in the surface's weight loss.