Advanced Natural Gas Fueled Engine Development. Part 2. Materials Investigation. Final Report April 1985-July 1986

摘要

The program was undertaken in an effort to identify advanced materials and coatings capable of increasing the reliability and durability of valve train components in an industrial sized, natural gas fueled, reciprocating prime mover. Excessive valve train wear has been identified as the primary cause of frequent maintenance requirements for gas fueled reciprocating prime movers. Promising material and coating candidates were subjected to laboratory friction wear testing, single cylinder engine rig testing, and full scale engine dynamometer testing on a Cummins GTA 855 for 300 hours. Metallics, CerMets, and monolithic and composite ceramics were selected for evaluation. A cursory evaluation of low friction piston ring and cylinder wall materials was also conducted. The results of this program suggest promise for the use of advanced materials as a means of improving the reliability and durability of the valve train of natural gas fueled reciprocating prime movers. Additional testing is required to generate more statistically significant data, and to establish greater confidence in the predictive capability of the test methods employed in this investigation.