Called nanosecond laser surface texturing, it helps increase lubrication of moving parts within the engine and therefore increases engine performance.
Internal combustion (IC) engines represent the backbone of modern transportation, but friction and wear between moving parts pose a major challenge to their performance. It causes huge loss of energy and as a result, poor fuel economy.
Nanosecond laser surface texturing aims to address this problem, the researchers said.
“This timely approach seeks to improve the tribological performance (lubrication of moving parts within the engine) in gray cast iron applied to a variety of critical engine components, including piston rings and cylinder liners,” said the Ministry of Science and Technology. Technology.
Thermal and frictional dissipation consume a significant proportion of the power supplied to IC motors. Friction losses in internal combustion engines amount to almost 50 percent in the piston-cylinder system.
Of these, 70 to 80 percent have been found to occur in the piston rings: top compression ring, oil control ring, and second compression ring.
The extent of these losses depends largely on tribology – the study of friction, wear and lubrication of moving parts within the engine, the team said.
Nanosecond lasers with a pulse duration of 100 nanoseconds and a wavelength of 527 nanometers can produce high-quality surface textures quite cost-effectively, making them a more practical solution for industrial applications.
In tests conducted under different conditions, the laser-textured surface demonstrated great improvement in reducing friction and increasing wear resistance.
The results were not limited to the combustion engine.
"Optimization of laser-textured surfaces has immense potential to improve the performance of overall components in various industries, from automotive to manufacturing," the team noted.
Internal combustion (IC) engines represent the backbone of modern transportation, but friction and wear between moving parts pose a major challenge to their performance. It causes huge loss of energy and as a result, poor fuel economy.
Nanosecond laser surface texturing aims to address this problem, the researchers said.
“This timely approach seeks to improve the tribological performance (lubrication of moving parts within the engine) in gray cast iron applied to a variety of critical engine components, including piston rings and cylinder liners,” said the Ministry of Science and Technology. Technology.
Thermal and frictional dissipation consume a significant proportion of the power supplied to IC motors. Friction losses in internal combustion engines amount to almost 50 percent in the piston-cylinder system.
Of these, 70 to 80 percent have been found to occur in the piston rings: top compression ring, oil control ring, and second compression ring.
The extent of these losses depends largely on tribology – the study of friction, wear and lubrication of moving parts within the engine, the team said.
Nanosecond lasers with a pulse duration of 100 nanoseconds and a wavelength of 527 nanometers can produce high-quality surface textures quite cost-effectively, making them a more practical solution for industrial applications.
In tests conducted under different conditions, the laser-textured surface demonstrated great improvement in reducing friction and increasing wear resistance.
The results were not limited to the combustion engine.
"Optimization of laser-textured surfaces has immense potential to improve the performance of overall components in various industries, from automotive to manufacturing," the team noted.
