Friction and Wear Reduction

in Diesel Engine Valve Trains

Peter J . Blau
1 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy
This presentation does not contain any
proprietary or confidential information
Materials Science and Technology Division
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
DOE OVT MERIT REVIEW - February 26, 2008
Pur pose of t he Wor k
Methodology: To develop methods for characterizing
the combined effects of mechanical damage and
oxidation on the durability of exhaust valve materials at
elevated temperatures.
Knowledge: To improve our understanding of the
science underlying high-temperature, oxidative wear
processes in exhaust valve materials.
Application of knowledge: To aid engine
manufacturers in selecting and developing durable,
long-lasting valve train materials for the next generation
of fuel efficient, low-emissions diesel engines.
2 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy
Bar r i er s
Valve and seat wear leads to loss of compression,
loss of engine efficiency, repairs, and increased
emissions. Hotter-running engines demand more
of materials.
A better understanding of the conjoint effects of
mechanical contact, oxidation, and elevated
temperature is needed to select durable valve and
seat materials and surface treatments. This is a
challenging, multi-disciplinary problem.
3 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy
Under st andi ng val ve w ear i nvol ves i nt egr at i ng
mec hani c al , met al l ur gi c al , c hemi c al , and t i me-
dependent pr oc esses
Alignment between valve/seat
Wear-in of the valve face
Wear-in of the seat
Progressive lateral displacement of material
Thermal cycling during start-up/shut-down/idle
Aging of the alloys
Surface/ sub-surface oxidation in the presence of repetitive contact
Mechanical mixing of surface material effects of scales, debris,
and transferred material on damage accumulation
External material sources: ash and other deposits
THIS WORK
4 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy
Time-
Dependent
Processes
Tec hni c al Appr oac h
1) Design and build a high-temperature repetitive
impact apparatus to wear-test both simple coupons
and actual valves.
2) Conduct experiments to understand the role of
mechanical surface damage on high-temperature
oxidation and re-oxidation (healing) of superalloy
surfaces.
3) Develop a valve/seat recession model to account for
simultaneous wear and oxidation.
4) Work closely with a diesel engine builder to
understand engine valve wear behavior, and to help us
select our test conditions to produce relevant results
for material selection.
5 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy
Resear c h pl an
Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy
FY 2007 FY 2008
Complete HTRI system - shakedown
Obtain / charact. valves
and alloys
HTRI tests
Oxide damage study
Experiment plan / specimen prep.
Model development
Report
TODAY
Caterpillar valve CRADA
(P. Maziasz, ORNL, PI)
6
(I ) Desi gn and Const r uc t i on of a
Hi gh-Temper at ur e Repet i t i ve
I mpac t Test i ng Syst em
(HTRI )
7 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy
Feat ur es of t he HTRI i n t he Val ve Head Test i ng
Conf i gur at i on
Exhaust valve
8 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy
I ni t i al ex per i ment s at 800
o
C on a Ni -based,
c ommer c i al ex haust val ve
Surface damage from 20,000
impacts displays micro-welding,
plastic deformation, and transfer.
9 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy
Damaged area
Feat ur es of t he HTRI i n t he Si mpl e Coupon
Conf i gur at i on
Cylinders
Flat-sided blocks
Inclined pin-on-flat (45 deg)
10 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy


Test c ondi t i ons c oupon t est s
Match surface finishes (valve/ test coupons)
Match temperatures (700 850
o
C)
Combine oxidation with mechanical wear
Production valve: Ra = 0.354 m, Rz = 2.504 m
HTRI test coupon: Ra = 0.476 m, Rz = 3.933 m
11 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy
(I I ) Ex per i ment s on Re-heal i ng of
Damaged Ox i des on Val ve Mat er i al s
As the engine operates, oxides grow on the
exhaust valve surfaces but are destroyed by wear.
Do the oxides that re-form on worn surfaces have
the same composition and properties as the
oxides on undamaged surfaces?
12 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy
Al l oy c omposi t i on af f ec t s ox i de sc al e
f or mat i on at 870
o
C* (Ni -based al l oys)
Wt% Alloy
A
Alloy
B
Alloy
C
Alloy
D
Cr 29. 29. 29. 29.
C 2.4 2.2 2.0 2.2
Si 1.0 1.5 1.2 1.5
Mn 0.5 - - -
Co 10.0 - - -
W 15.0 14.0 - -
Mo - - 8.5 8.5
Fe 8.0 8.0 8.0 25.
13 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy
*Narasimhan, et al. (1981) Wear.
Logar i t hmi c ox i de gr ow t h r at e f or a Ni -
Cr -Fe val ve al l oy i n ai r at 850
o
C
A micro-abrasion
technique was used
to measure oxide
thickness
14 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy
The ox i de t hat r e-gr ew on damaged ar eas
of a val ve al l oy di f f er ed i n c omposi t i on
Alloy (wt%) 57 Ni, 22.7 Cr, 13.3 Fe + bal.
Oxidized 2 hrs at 850
o
C, exposed substrate
by dimpling, then re-
oxidized for 4 more
hrs at 850
o
C Fe, Ni enriched on damaged area
XPS data, H. Meyer, ORNL
15 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy
(I I I ) HTRI t est s w i l l c ombi ne i mpac t and sl i p
at t emper at ur es r angi ng f r om 700 - 850
o
C
Combinations of high temperature exposure and
mechanical damage will be applied to the surface.
Abrasion of the scales affects 1000 repetitive impacts mixes
the oxide that reforms oxide into the substrate alloy
16 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy
Thr ee model al l oys based on Fe, Ni , and
Co have been sel ec t ed f or HTRI t est i ng
Element Stellite 6B* Pyromet 80A** Custom 465**
Fe 2.65 0.75 bal. (~74.)
Ni 2.48 bal. (~74.) 10.75 11.25
Co bal. (~58 ) 1.00 -
Cr 29.8 20.00 11.00 12.50
Mn 1.46 0.35 0.25 (max.)
Mo 0.06 - 0.75 1.25
Si 0.55 0.35 0.25 (max.)
Ti - 2.35 1.50 1.80
Cu -
0.05
-
Al -
1.25
W 3.78 -
C 1.02 0.06
S <0.01 0.007
P <0.01 -
Comments Co-based, superalloy Ni-based, oxidation
used for corrosion- and resistant alloy with
wear-resistance creep-resisting
properties resistance
HV, GPa (200 gr) 7.75 2.80
-
-
0.02 (max..)
0.010 (max.)
0.015 (max.)
martensitic Fe-base,
age-hardenable alloy
designed for corrosion
5.75
17 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy
(I V) A Val ve Wear Model i s Bei ng
Devel oped
Total recession, h
T
h
T
h
T
= h
i
+ h
v
h
i
For each side (valve and seat):
h
i
= (d
i
+ w
i
) ( y
o
+ t
i
)
h
v
DISPLACEMENT AND LOSS MATERIAL GAIN
18 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy
y
o
=oxide growth
t =material transfer
d =plastic deformation
w =wear loss
Per f or manc e Measur es and Ac c ompl i shment s
Designed, built, and tested a high-temperature repetitive
impact testing apparatus (HTRI)
Began a two-pronged experimental plan: (a) HTRI tests
and (b) damage studies on pre-oxidized surfaces
Established initial framework for a wear-oxidation model
Coordinated work with Caterpillar
19 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy
Tec hnol ogy Tr ansf er
Coordinated work with Caterpillar on a periodic basis,
including use of commercial exhaust valves / seats
provided by Caterpillar as part of the test matrix
Participation in project reviews like this one
Final report due September 2008
Publ i c at i ons / Pat ent s
Paper on wear-oxidation mechanisms of high-
temperature alloys is planned for the International
Conference on Wear of Materials
Patents: (none)
20 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy
Pl ans f or Nex t Fi sc al Year
This project is scheduled to end in FY 2008.
The final report and publications will suggest
directions for further work.
21 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy
Summar y: Fr i c t i on and Wear Reduc t i on i n
Di esel Engi ne Val ve Tr ai ns
Complex wear-oxidation processes affect the durability of diesel
engine exhaust valve contact surfaces.
A new HTRI was designed and built to investigate these processes.
Experiments will support the development of a materials-based
valve/seat surface recession model.
The fundamental knowledge gained here will complement the R&D
efforts of engine designers.
Added benefit : The HTRI will become available to industry and
university researchers through the Tribology Research User Center
in the High Temperature Materials Laboratory User Program.
22 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy
Many t hank s t o
DOE/EERE/OFCVT J erry Gibbs
ORNL:
Ray J ohnson, Brian J olly, Harry Meyer, Phil
Maziasz, Neal Evans, J un Qu, Ian Wright, J erry
McLaughlin,
Caterpillar:
Nate Phillips, J eff J ensen, Eric Kelsey, J eremy
Trethaway (fmr CAT), J ohn Truhan
23 Managed by UT-Battelle
for the Department of Energy