Effect of oil viscosity on rings and pistons friction using experimental tests and semi-empirical equations in the motoring mode

One of the most important issues affecting engine efficiency is the internal friction of the engine. One of the important factors in the friction of the engine is the type of oil and its viscosity. In this paper, we tried to measure the amount of friction of the ring and pistons by the motoring method with two kinds of 10W40 and 20W50 oils with different viscosities and at temperatures of 35, 60 and 90 °C. In the next step, the semi-empirical equations for friction were compared with the results of the experimental validation tests for 90 °C. In the final step, the coefficients of the semi-empirical correlations were confirmed for other temperatures. The experimental results showed the significant effect of the viscosity at 35°C and 60 °C on the friction while its effect was negligible at 90°C. Also, the results of semi-empirical equations revealed that the friction contribution of the piston skirt was greater than the friction of the rings, and also the friction of the piston skirt increases with increasing speed.