An existing model of the interface between a parallel-sided piston skirt and the cylinder wall in an internal combustion engine is extended to allow the modelling of barrelling of the piston skirt. The effects of the skirt profile on the secondary motion of the piston and on the distribution of pressure in the lubricant film are examined. It is shown that piston secondary motion, and in particular rotation of the piston about the gudgeon pin, which might contribute to wear of the cylinder, can be reduced by appropriate positioning of the maximum diameter of the piston skirt in relation to the gudgeon pin and the centre of mass of the piston.
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2.
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BriarisJD. Dynamic analysis of piston secondary motion in a single-cylinder engine and a four-cylinder engine operating under non-lubricated and lubricated conditions. DPhil Thesis. University of Oxford, 2008.
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McFaddenPDTurnbullSR. Dynamic analysis of piston secondary motion in an internal combustion engine under non-lubricated and fully flooded lubricated conditions. Proc IMechE Part C: J Mechanical Engineering Science2011; 225: 2575–2585.
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McFaddenPDTurnbullSR. A comparison of methods of modelling the bearing surfaces in an internal combustion engine. Proc IMechE Part C: J Mechanical Engineering Science2012; 226: 913–920.
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