Effect of micro-surface-texturing on the friction between cam/tappet interface of a commercial vehicle engine

Reduced wear and friction are directly related to longer component service lives and increased energy efficiency. The mechanisms used to achieve this goal in mechanical systems include the study of lubricant chemistry, surface coating, and surface modification. Significant research has been conducted on friction reduction of valve trains of internal combustion engines using surface modifications such as coatings and surface texturing. Here, an experimental approach has been adopted to investigate the effect of micro surface texturing on Thermo-Elastohydrodynamically Lubricated cam/tappet contact in a direct-acting valve train. A commercial vehicle valve train has been instrumented to study the effect of varying surface texture area density on friction under realistic engine operating conditions. Fiber laser surface texturing has been used to microtexture three samples of tappet shims with texture densities of 5%, 8%, and 10%. The tests have been run at four engine speeds—300, 500, 700, and 900 RPM—and three temperatures—30 °C, 60 °C, and 90 °C. The experimental results show a significant friction reduction of up to 18.33% for textured shims at the temperature of 90 °C. The friction reduction performance of the 8% textured shim has been optimum for all RPMs at the higher temperatures.