Design of a Tribometer for Piston Rings

Reducing the energy loss associated with offsetting friction losses occurring on the contact surfaces of mutually moving parts is an important factor when correctly designing structures. A typical case of reciprocating sliding motion with significant friction losses on the overall mechanical losses of a machine is a piston group of internal combustion engines or compressors. One way to reduce friction is to use modern coatings on the surface of the friction pairs. Special testing equipment i.e. a tribometer is used to obtain information on the benefits of these coating layers. This paper deals with the design and verification of the functions of a special tribometer for identifying the losses of piston rings.