Piston Clearance: Importance & Measurement
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ScribdTranslationsPiston Clearance: Importance & Measurement
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ScribdTranslationsPiston Clearance
Piston clearance relative to the cylinder
It is about theradial slackof the piston orembolus, that is, the difference between the diameter of thecylinderand the diameter of
piston.
This clearance is of utmost importance for the functioning of an [Link]. Excessive leave
it may cause 'knocks' and compression leakage or oil burning. Clearance below the limit may
to cause the piston to seize inside the cylinder.
The piston clearance is extremely low, approximately 0.05mm.
This break is determined based on the characteristics of the engine,
but the main factor taken into consideration is the coefficient of expansion
thermal of the components. This would even be easy to determine if
both the cylinder and the piston were made of the same type
of the material and the temperature to which they would also be exposed
the same. However, in practice this is not what happens, the cylinders
they are usually made of cast iron and still receive treatment
on the contact surface to ensure greater mechanical resistance and
thermal. The piston is typically made of aluminum alloy with
a soul of steel. This is all, not to mention theringsof segment that
they have a different structure in their material.
Piston that got stuck in the cylinder
The engine is designed so that all internal clearances are compensated at operational temperature, this
is approximately equivalent to 95o to 100o Of the cooling liquid, therefore, keep the engine within this
temperature range is extremely important.
To get an idea of how complex it is to determine the correct clearances, imagine an engine working in
ambient temperature, around 25oC. At this moment, the time off has not yet been compensated. With the
engine heating, the parts begin to expand, but in different proportions due to the difference
of material. For example, the piston will have a greater expansion than the cylinder, since aluminum has a
higher coefficient of expansion.
This same piston still operates at different temperatures along its length. For example, the head of the piston
works with temperatures between 450oto 500oC, while the skirt (lower part of the piston) works between
150oto 250oC. This means that the top of the piston will also undergo different expansion between its upper part and
inferior. To compensate for this difference, the piston at room temperature will always have a smaller diameter in
upper part is larger than the lower one.
To correctly measure the diameter of the piston, measure at the skirt and never at the top, with the help of
a micrometer. The diameter of the cylinder is measured at its top part, about 10mm below the top at two points
diametrically opposed. If the two measurements are different, the cylinder will already have a certain degree of ovalization,
which also has a limit. Take the larger diameter and subtract the diameter of the piston. The value found is the
piston clearance that should be compared to the manufacturer's specification table to see if it is within limits
allowed. If the clearance is below the limit, it must be corrected to avoid damage to the engine. If the clearance
if it is above, it should also be corrected. To do this, simply rectify the cylinders and replace the pistons and rings
by the same measure that the cylinder is going.
Example:
. Diâmetro do cilindro: 86,06 mm
. Piston diameter: 85.95mm
. Gap found: 86.06 - 85.95 = 0.11mm
. Piston clearance (correct): 0.05 to 0.08mm
As we can see, the piston clearance found in the measurement was above the established maximum limit.
by the manufacturer. In this case, it will be necessary to regrind the cylinder and replace the pistons so that the clearances
let's stay within the limits.
Observing the specifications table, the original diameter of the cylinder should be 86.00, but the value
Found was another, that is, 0.06 above (this refers to the wear of the cylinder). What will the grinding do?
It will simply open the cylinder to a new diameter, about 0.50mm, then moving on to a surplus-
measure. In this case, the piston diameter will also have to be 0.50mm larger, and the set of rings will too. With the
the reconditioning and replacement of the pistons, we will have:
. Diameter of the cylinder: 86.50mm
. Piston diameter: 86.45mm
. Gap found: 0.05mm
Note that the piston clearance in the cylinder has been normalized again.
Each cylinder regrinding removes 0.25mm from its original diameter. But in practice, this doesn't always happen.
It happens due to the difficulty of finding pistons with measurements of 0.25mm. It is more common to skip the values.
every 0.50mm.
The engine shop will always ask the customer to buy the pistons first, before opening the cylinders. When
receive the parts from the reconditioning, always check the measurements before assembling the engine, because if there is any mistake,
it will be detected before assembly and you will have grounds to complain to the workshop. Once assembled, if
If any damage occurs to the engine, there will always be that conflict between the customer, mechanic, and repair shop.