NDLI: Analysis of the Lubrication Regimes at the Small End and Big End of a Connecting Rod of a High Performance Motorbike Engine

Content Provider	The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Digital Collection
Author	Bertocchi, Luca Giacopini, Matteo Dini, Daniele
Copyright Year	2012
Abstract	In the present paper, the algorithm proposed by Giacopini et. al. [1], based on a mass-conserving formulation of the Reynolds equation using the concept of complementarity is suitably extended to include the effects of compressibility, piezoviscosity and shear-thinning on the lubricant properties. This improved algorithm is employed to analyse the performance of the lubricated small end and big end bearings of a connecting rod of a high performance motorbike engine. The application of the algorithm proposed to both the small end and the big end of a con-rod is challenging because of the different causes that sustain the hydrodynamic lubrication in the two cases. In the con-rod big end, the fluid film is mainly generated by the relative high speed rotation between the rod and the crankshaft. The relative speed between the two races forms a wedge of fluid that assures appropriate lubrication and avoids undesired direct contacts. On the contrary, at the con-rod small end the relative rotational speed is low and a complete rotation between the mating surfaces does not occurs since the con-rod only oscillates around its vertical axis. Thus, at every revolution of the crankshaft, there are two different moments in which the relative rotational speed between the con-rod and the piston pin is null. Therefore, the dominant effect in the lubrication is the squeeze caused by the high loads transmitted through the piston pin. In particular both combustion forces and inertial forces contribute to the squeeze effect. This work shows how the formulation developed by the authors is capable of predicting the performance of journal bearings in the unsteady regime, where cavitation and reformation occur several times. Moreover, the effects of the pressure and the shear rate on the density and on the viscosity of the lubricant are taken into account.
Sponsorship	Tribology Division
Starting Page	229
Ending Page	231
Page Count	3
File Format	PDF
ISBN	9780791845080
DOI	10.1115/IJTC2012-61087
Conference Proceedings	ASME/STLE 2012 International Joint Tribology Conference
Language	English
Publisher Date	2012-10-07
Publisher Place	Denver, Colorado, USA
Access Restriction	Subscribed
Subject Keyword	Viscosity Compressibility Lubricants Bearings Fluid films Combustion Wedges Rotation Cavitation Density Pressure Engines Stress Shear rate Pistons Fluids Algorithms Motorcycles Lubrication Shear (mechanics) Journal bearings
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article

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