Mechanism and Machine Theory 46 (2011) 975985

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Mechanism and Machine Theory

j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. e l s ev i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / m e c h m t

On the inuence of a pin type on the friction losses in pin bearings

Zivota Antonic a, Nebojsa Nikolic a,, Dragi Radomirovic b
a b

Faculty of Technical Sciences, Trg Dositeja Obradovica 6, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia Faculty of Agriculture, Trg Dositeja Obradovica 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia

a r t i c l e

i n f o

a b s t r a c t
The aim of this paper is to analyze lubricated revolute joints from the viewpoint of friction losses. The paper deals with the lubricated revolute joints composed of a pin and two more elements connected by means of the pin. It is considered here how different pin types affect friction losses in pin bearings. Three existing pin types are investigated: a pin press-fitted either in the first or in the second element or the one free to rotate in both elements. As a measure of friction losses, a dissipation function is determined in all three cases. Using the results obtained, the advantages of using the full-floating pin with respect to two other types are demonstrated by means of a numerical example. 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Article history: Received 17 July 2010 Received in revised form 27 January 2011 Accepted 13 February 2011 Available online 15 March 2011

Keywords: Full-oating pin Press-tted pin Viscous friction moment Dissipation function

1. Introduction The majority of machines and devices comprise moving elements that are in contact with each other. As a result of this interaction, the friction between coupled surfaces occurs, which leads to their wear. To reduce the resulting unwanted outcome as much as possible, a lubricant is supplied into the clearance between coupled elements. Then, instead of dry friction, there is the inner friction in the lubricant, the coefcient of which can be up to 1000 times smaller than the one corresponding to dry friction [1]. Consequently, the energy dissipation is signicantly reduced and there is higher reliability and durability of the coupled elements. Rotating pins in revolute joints are examples of moving elements exposed to this behaviour. What is of interest here is the pin rotation in revolute joints accompanied with viscous friction, which is frequently found in crank gears of IC engines, piston compressors and other joint mechanisms. However, this problem has not been investigated widely, perhaps due to the fact that the pin rotation is difcult to determine. Chun [2] and Ha and Chun [3] considered the pin motion as a two-dimensional problem of the hydrodynamic lubrication theory. Using this theory, they obtained the coefcient of friction, the oil lm thickness as well as the friction moment in pin bearings. Aoki et al. [4] studied the inuence of a pin deformation on lubrication conditions at a pin boss bearing. Livanos and Kyrtatos [5] analyzed the friction in all components of the piston assembly. They also presented a mathematical model that enables one to predict the oil lm thickness in pin bearings from the given magnitude of an external load. Spuria et al. [6] presented the model that predicts lubricating conditions around a full-oating piston pin in the connecting rod small-end and pin boss bearing. The angular velocity of the piston pin and the moments of viscous friction are also determined therein. Flores et al. [7] analyzed different cases of the clearance of a pin in revolute joints: clearance without friction, clearance with dry friction and clearance with viscous friction. Lubricated revolute joints composed of a pin and two more elements, connected by means of the pin, are considered in this paper. Using the well-known Petroff's equation for the viscous friction moment in hydrodynamic bearings [8,9], it is analyzed here how the different pin types affect friction losses in pin bearings. Three existing pin types are considered: a) pin press-tted in the rst element, b) pin press-tted in the second element and c) pin free to rotate in both elements. The expressions for the
Corresponding author. Tel.: +381 21 485 2355; fax: +381 21 6350 592. E-mail address: nebnik@uns.ac.rs (N. Nikolic). 0094-114X/$ see front matter 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.mechmachtheory.2011.02.003

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Nomenclature l l1 = l l2 = (1 - )l L m r c i Mp ij k kp D Dp T V length of a pin [m] length of pin bearing in Element 1 [m] length of pin bearing in Element 2 [m] length of Element 1 [m] mass of Element 1 [kg] radius of a pin [m] radial clearance [m] dynamic viscosity [Pas] angular velocity of the ith element, i=1,2,3 [s 1] moment of viscous friction between elements i and j for the pth pin type [Nm], i = 1; 2; 3; j = 1; 2; 3; ij; p = I; II; III viscous friction coefcient (dissipation function coefcient) [Nms] viscous friction coefcient for the pth pin type, p=I, II, III [Nms] dissipation function [W] dissipation function of the system for the pth pin type, p=I, II, III [W] kinetic energy [J] potential energy [J]

corresponding dissipation functions with the viscous friction coefcient are derived. Using the expressions derived, friction losses are estimated for the sake of dening the most appropriate pin type in one illustrative example. 2. Determination of a viscous friction coefcient in pin bearings In lubricated simple revolute joints, a pin of the radius r and the length l performs rotational movement about its own axis in a bearing of the radius R, as shown in Fig. 1. The pin also performs translation movement with respect to the axis of the bearing, but this movement will not be considered in this paper. Since there is a lubricant between the pin and the bearing, the moment of viscous friction Mf opposes the pin rotation. Assuming that the clearance c (c= R-r) between the pin and its bearing is small and lled with the lubricant of dynamic viscosity , and that there are no misalignments between the axes, the moment of viscous friction can be determined by using the Petroff's equation [10]. A general form of this equation is Mf = 2lr 3 ; c 1

where represents the relative angular velocity of the pin with respect to the bearing. Introducing the substitution k= 2lr3 ; c 2

Eq. (1) becomes Mf = k : 3

Fig. 1. Decomposed simple revolute joint.

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Fig. 2. Revolute joint composed of three elements: (a) front view during operation and (b) decomposed assembly with basic geometric parameters.

As a measure of viscous friction losses, a dissipation function is introduced. Physically, it is related to power losses due to viscous friction. The dissipation function has the form [11] 1 2 k : 2

D=

Of interest here is to determine the viscous friction coefcients for different pin types in revolute joints and to compare them mutually. 2.1. Revolute joint composed of three elements A schematic review of a revolute joint composed of three elements is shown in Fig. 2. Element 1 is a bar, which has a cylindric hole at the end. The hole serves as a bearing for the pin (Element 3) and the length of the bearing is l1. The pin has two more bearings in Element 2, the length of each is l2/2. The sum of the lengths l1 and l2 is equal to the length of the pin, labelled by l, as it is seen in Fig. 2b. For the sake of further calculation, the dimensionless coefcient is introduced = l 1 = l: 5

The angular velocities of Elements 1 and 2 are 1 and 2, respectively (Fig. 2a). The pin can be built into the assembly presented in Fig. 2a in several ways, depending on whether the clearance between the pin and other elements exists or not. Thus, there are three pin types: - pin press-tted in Element 2 (which will be considered here as Case I), - pin press-tted in Element 1 (Case II) and - pin free to rotate in both elements (Case III). All these three cases will be considered separately. 2.1.1. Case I In Case I, Element 3 (pin) is press-tted in Element 2, which is illustrated in Fig. 3. Elements 1 and 2 rotate with the angular velocities 1 and 2, respectively, as it is earlier shown in Fig. 2a. The angular velocity of Element 3 is equal to that of Element 2, i.e. 3 = 2, because these two elements behave like a rigid body. The length of the pin bearing in Element 1 is l1 (Fig. 3a). Since the space between Elements 1 and 3 is lled with the lubricant, the viscous friction moment MI 13 opposes the rotation of Element 1. This moment is in balance with the viscous friction moment MI 31 acting on Element 3. The cylindrical area on Element 3 where the viscous friction exists is shown in Fig. 3b as a shaded area. Using Eq. (4) and taking into account that the relative angular velocity of the pin with respect to the bearing is in this case (1 2), the dissipation function is 1 2 k 2 ; 2 I 1

DI =

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Fig. 3. Pin press-tted in Element 2: (a) cross-section; (b) viscous friction moments acting on Elements 1 and 3.

where, due to Eq. (2), kI = 2l1 r : c

3

Since, according to Eq. (5), l1 = l, Eq. (7) becomes kI = k; so that the dissipation function can be written as DI = 1 2 k 1 2 : 2 9 8

2.1.2. Case II In this case, Element 3 is press-tted in Element 1 (Fig. 4) and, therefore, they both rotate with the same angular velocity i.e. 3 = 1. Element 2 rotates with the angular velocity 2, as it is earlier shown in Fig. 2a. The bearing of the pin in Element 2 has two parts, the length of each is l2/2 (Fig. 4a). The space between Elements 2 and 3 is lled with the lubricant, so the viscous friction moment MII 32 opposes the rotation of Elements 1 and 3. The shaded area shown on Element 3 in Fig. 4b depicts the area where the moment MII 32 acts. Taking into account the conditions described and implementing the same procedure as in Case I in section 2.1.1, similar expressions for the viscous friction coefcient and the dissipation function are obtained kII = 1 k; 1 2 1 k 1 2 : 2 10

DII =

11

2.1.3. Case III In this case, the pin (Element 3) pivots freely in both elements that it connects and is called the full-oating pin (Fig. 5). The pin has a bearing of the length l1 in Element 1 and two bearings in Element 2, which have the total length l2 (Fig. 5a). Elements 1 and 2 rotate with the angular velocities 1 and 2, respectively (Fig. 5b).

Fig. 4. Pin press-tted in element 1: (a) cross-section; (b) viscous friction moments acting on Element 3.

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A cylindrical gap between Elements 1 and 3 as well as the gaps between Elements 2 and 3 is lled with the lubricant, so there are III the viscous friction moments acting on each of the elements. Of interest here are the moments acting on Element 3, MIII 31 and M32, III caused by rotations of Elements 1 and 2, respectively. A shaded area of the pin denotes the area where M31 acts, while the nonshaded cylindrical areas show where MIII 32 acts (Fig. 5b). As a result of the viscous friction moments, Element 3 rotates with the angular velocity 3. According to Eq. (4), the friction losses between Elements 1 and 3 can be described by the following dissipation function DIII DIII =
0

1 2 k 3 : 2 I 1

12

There are also friction losses between Elements 2 and 3, described by the dissipation function D III, DIII =
00

1 2 k 2 : 2 II 3

13

The overall dissipation function is DIII = DIII + DIII :

0 00

14

The unknown angular velocity 3 can be determined by using the moment equation for Element 3. Taking into account Eqs. (3), (8) and (10), the viscous friction moments acting on Element 3 can be expressed as M31 = k1 3 and M32 = 1 k3 2 :
III III

15

16

III III Neglecting the moment of inertia of the pin with respect to the axis of its rotation, the viscous friction moments M31 and M32 must be in balance, i.e.

k1 3 = 1 k3 2 : Solving Eq. (17) for 3, gives: 3 = 1 + 1 2 : Substituting Eq. (18) into Eqs. (12) and (13), and then into Eq. (14), one obtains DIII = i.e.: DIII = 1 2 k 2 ; 2 III 1 1 2 1 k 1 2 ; 2

17

18

19

20

Fig. 5. Full-oating pin assembly: (a) cross-section; (b) decomposed assembly with the viscous friction moments acting on the elements.

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where kIII = 1 k: 21

2.1.4. Comparison of the viscous friction coefcients For the sake of the reader, the results obtained above are summarized in Fig. 6 and clearly show three pin types and the corresponding expressions for the viscous friction coefcient. Based on the expressions derived, the plots of the viscous friction coefcient versus the parameter are given in Fig. 7 for all three cases considered. It is seen that kIII has the lowest value. In other words, the coefcient of viscous friction is lower in the case of the full-oating pin than in the case when the pin is press-tted in any of the assembly elements. This is completely in accordance with the fact that the full-oating pin is the most convenient solution in machine design, especially in internal combustion engines [12,13]. It should be noted that, for practical reasons, the parameter ranges between 0.4 and 0.6, because the values outside the interval do not provide satisfactory stiffness of the assembly and, at the same time, jeopardize its functionality. The graph in Fig. 7 indicates that the full-oating pin is the most advantageous option compared to both other pin types especially in the region [0.4, 0.6]. 3. Illustrative example To illustrate different dynamic characteristics of the three pin types analyzed, the example of a rotating rod shown in Fig. 8 is considered. If the mass of the pin is neglected, the system has one degree of freedom. Therefore, the position of the rod is dened by one generalized coordinate, angle . It will be determined here how the revolute joint affects the motion of the rod, caused either by its own weight or by an external moment Mext for all the three pin types analyzed above. The parameter values used in this example are given in Table 1. In order to make use of the dissipation functions derived, the equation of motion will be found starting from the Lagrange equation Dp d T T V + + + = Q ; p = I; II; III; dt where the kinetic energy T and potential energy V are, respectively: 1 2 2 mL ; 6 23

22

T=

Fig. 6. Viscous friction coefcient expressions for different pin types.

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Fig. 7. Viscous friction coefcient versus .

L V = const : mg cos; 2 where the dots stand for the time derivatives. The dissipation functions are Dp = 1 2 k ; p = I; II; III: 2 p

24

25

When motion of the rod is caused by its own weight, then the generalized force Q is Q = 0: However, more frequently the external moment Mext acts on the rod. Then, the generalized force Q is Q = Mext :

26

27

Substituting Eqs. (23)(27) into Eq. (22), the non-linear differential equations of free and forced motion of the rod are obtained, respectively + 2p + 0 sin = 0; p = I; II; III; + 0 sin = + 2p where 0 = r 3kp 3g ; p = I; II; III: ; = 2L p 2 m L2
2 2

28 29

3 Mext ; p = I; II; III; m L2

Further, Eq. (28) is solved numerically for the initial conditions given in the Table 1, and the results obtained are plotted in Fig. 9.

Fig. 8. A rotating rod with viscous friction in the revolute joint.

982 Table 1 Values of the system parameters.

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Mass of the rod Length of the rod Coefcient of dissipation function Case I Coefcient of dissipation function Case II Coefcient of dissipation function Case III Dimensionless characteristics Initial position of the rod Initial angular velocity of the rod External moment

m = 3 kg L=1 m kI = 0.4 Nms kII = 0.6 Nms kIII = 0.24 Nms = 0.4 (0) = 3rad, if Mext = 0 (0) = 0rad, if not Mext = 0 0 = 0 rad/s Mext = 29.43 Nm, constant Mext = 29.43 sin(t) Nm, variable

Fig. 9. Characteristics of the rod motion caused by its own weight: a) angular displacement of the rod versus time; b) angular velocity of the rod versus time; c) viscous friction moment acting on the pin versus time; d) power loss in pin bearings versus time.

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Fig. 10. Viscous friction moment acting on the pin versus time, Mext = 29.43 Nm.

Fig. 9a and b shows that the angular displacement and the angular velocity of the rod have the highest amplitudes in the case of the full-oating pin, which means that the motion is damped less than in other cases. Unlike the angular displacement and angular velocity, the situation is not so clear when it comes to the viscous friction moment and the friction loss power, which are presented in Fig. 9c and d, respectively. Namely, only at the beginning of the period considered (during the rst 3 s), the moment and the power are lower in the case of the full-oating pin (Case III) than in the cases of the press-tted pin (Cases I and II). Later on, the opposite is true. This can be explained by the fact that the motion of the system with higher values of the viscous friction coefcient (Cases I and II) is damped faster, so the energy available is almost exhausted after a short time interval. When the external moment Mext acts on the rod, the advantages of the full-oating pin become more obvious. By solving Eq. (29) numerically for the initial conditions given in Table 1, the motion of the rod caused by the moment Mext is obtained. By using Eq. (3), the viscous friction moment acting on the pin is determined. The comparison of the viscous friction moments for different pin types is shown in Figs. 10 and 11. The graph in Fig. 10 is obtained for Mext = M0 = const, and the graph in Fig. 11 for Mext = M0 sin(t).

Fig. 11. Viscous friction moment acting on the pin versus time, Mext = 29.43 sin(t) Nm.

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Fig. 10 shows that the viscous friction moment is the lowest in the case of the full-oating pin during rst 20 s. After this period, the viscous friction moments for all the three cases become almost equal to the external moment Mext and the steady motion regime is established. When the motion is caused by the periodically changing external moment, the full-oating pin is again the one which gives the lowest viscous friction resistance. This can be seen in Fig. 11. It should be noted that the authors have also determined the motion of the rod for parameter values other than those given in Table 1: m = {2, 1, 0.5}, L = {0.8, 0.6, 0.4} and = {0.5, 0.6}. However, the results obtained are not qualitatively different from those reported in Figs. 9, 10 and 11, and, thus, are not shown here. They imply that the conclusions reached on the pin type inuence on friction losses can be considered as general. 4. Conclusion In this study, the inuence of a pin type in revolute joints composed of three elements on friction losses in pin bearings has been investigated. The procedure yielding the viscous friction coefcients for different pin types has been developed. The fulloating pin has been conrmed to be the most convenient solution for revolute joints composed of three elements in terms of energy losses. It has been shown by means of an illustrative example that for different motion laws of a rotating rod, the viscous friction moments in the full-oating pin bearings are the lowest. Acknowledgements The authors would like to express their gratitude to Prof. Ivana Kovacic from the University of Novi Sad for her very helpful cooperation and encouragement during the research work. References
[1] D.D. Fuller, Theory and Practice of Lubrication for Engineers, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1984. [2] S.M. Chun, Study on the rotating motion of a piston pin of full oating type, Journal of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers 23 (3) (2007) 95102. [3] D.H. Ha, S.M. Chun, Pin-boss bearing lubrication analysis of a diesel engine piston receiving high combustion pressure, Journal of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers 24 (3) (2008) 133139. [4] Y. Aoki, K. Fujii, M. Takiguchi, Y. Takashima, Effects of piston pin deformation lubrication characteristics at pin boss bearing, Effects of Bend and Elliptical Deformation, ASME-Publication-ICE 34 (1) (2000) 139146. [5] G.A. Livanos, N.P. Kyrtatos, Friction model of a marine diesel engine piston assembly, Tribology International 40 (2007) 14411453. [6] M. Spuria, D. Bonneau, Y.L. Baratoux, P.G. Molari, A Dynamic Model for an Internal Combustion Engine Full-oating Piston Pin in Lubricated Conditions, XVII Congresso dell'Associazione Italiana di Meccanica Teorica e Applicata, Firenze, 2005. [7] P. Flores, J. Ambrosio, J.C.P. Claro, H.M. Lankarani, C.S. Koshy, A study on dynamics of mechanical systems including joints with clearance and lubrication, Mechanism and Machine Theory 41 (2006) 247261. [8] B. Bhushan, Introduction to Tribology, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 2002. [9] G.W. Stachowiak, A.W. Batchelor, Engineering Tribology, Butterworth-Heinemann, Woburn, 2001. [10] A.I. Lurie, Analytical Mechanics (Foundations of Engineering Mechanics), Springer, 2002. [11] N.P. Petroff, Friction in machines and the effect of lubricant, Inzhenernyj Zhurnal 1 (1883) 71140. [12] E. Koehler, R Flierl, Verbrennungsmotoren - Motormechanik, Berechnung und Auslegung des Hubkolbenmotors, 4. AuageVieweg & Sohn Verlag, GWV Fachverlage GmbH, Wiesbaden, 2006. [13] D.N. Virubov, S.I. Emov, N.A. Ivaschenko, M.G. Kruglov, O.B. Leonov, A.S. Orlin, S.G. Roganov, F.F. Simakov, N.D. Chainov, V.K. Chistiakov, Internal Combustion Engines (in Russian), Maschinostroenie, 4, Edition, Moscow, 1984. Zivota Antonic was born in 1950 in Brdarica, Serbia. He received his BSc and MSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences. He is currently Teaching and Research Assistant in the eld of internal combustion engines at the Faculty of Technical Sciences. His scientic areas of interest are mechanics and tribology.

Nebojsa Nikolic was born on 27 January 1969 in Loznica, Serbia. He graduated from Mechanical Engineering at the University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences in 1994. He received his MSc in internal combustion engines from the same faculty, where he currently holds the position of Teaching and Research Assistant. His scientic areas of interest are dynamics and control of internal combustion engines. He is also interested in software development and has been involved in several software development projects.

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Dragi Radomirovic was born on 22 July 1957th in Nis, Serbia. He graduated from Mechanical Engineering at the University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences in 1981, where he also received his MSc and PhD theses in Mechanics. He currently holds the position of Full Professor at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad. His scientic areas of interest are analytical mechanics, vibrations, dynamics of machines and engineering design.