The Tribological and Chemical Analysis of Top Ring Zone Samples of Fully Formulated Oil Taken From a Four Stroke Gasoline Engine Available to Purchase

With increasing pressure on engine oil manufacturers to extend oil drain intervals and reduce fuel consumption, whilst changing the composition of fully formulated oils to meet the new CEC, ILSAC and OEM specifications, there is an ever increasing need to understand the effect of oil degradation on the operating conditions and tribological performance of engines [1]. This work samples oil from the rear of the top piston ring of an engine during the first 15 minutes from cold start and operating at steady state under three different loads. These samples, used 40 hour sump oil and fresh oil have been subjected to tribological tests and chemical analysis.