PRODUCT

I N F O R M A T I O N
Piston Rings
Sealing under extreme conditions

P OS T E R
INSIDE
Under pressure
KOLBENSCHMIDT piston rings. Controlled application of force.
Inertia and gas loads as well as high
temperatures put high demands on piston
rings. It is only by making the correct
adjustment to the relevant engine that
optimum service life and compliance
with the exhaust gas regulations can be
achieved.
Casting process for piston ring castings (die casting)
Internal lathe Manufacturing the inner contour
Type, dimensions and material adapta-
tions together with a precise production
process are indispensable factors for
applying controlled force that determines
the function of the rings.
Grinding the piston ring sliding surface
Phosphate-coating plant
Molybdenum coatings
To protect the rings against scufing, the
sliding surfaces of the rings can be illed
or coated all over with molybdenum.
The lame spraying or plasma spraying
procedure can be used for this purpose.
Thanks to its high melting point (2620C),
its porous structure and lubricating
efects, molybdenum warrants a higher
stability of the piston ring sliding sur-
faces.
 KOLBENSCHMIDT piston rings
more than just a seal.

Temperature management
is a vital function of the piston rings.
Most of the heat that is absorbed by the
piston in the course of the combustion
process is dissipated by the piston rings
to the cylinder. Without this continuous
heat dissipation the aluminium piston absorbed
would melt within a few minutes. quantity of
heat

45%

Pressure is essential 20%

because only the proper amount of
combustion pressure will enable
compression rings to fully perform their
sealing function. The given tangential
load of the rings only assumes the basic 5%
function which is to establish contact to
the cylinder wall. The far higher pressure
force representing up to 90% of the Compression rings dissipate up to 70% of the piston temperature to the engine block.
total pressure force is generated by
the combustion pressure during the
combustion cycle. As can be seen in the
illustration, the pressure is applied
behind the piston ring and presses it even
tighter again the cylinder wall.

Two are better than one

with two oil scraper lands (rails) on
the oil control rings ensuring that the
oil ilm thickness of 1-2 m required for
lubrication is always achieved and never
ex-ceeded. Low oil consumption and a
low mixture low rate as well as a long
service life of the associated parts are
thus translated into practice in an almost
ideal way.
Motorservice Group.
Quality and service from a single source.
The Motorservice Group is the sales organisation for the global aftermarket activities of
KSPG (Kolbenschmidt Pierburg). It is one of the leading suppliers of engine components for
the independent aftermarket, including the premium brands KOLBENSCHMIDT, PIERBURG and
TRW Engine Components, as well as the BF brand. Our comprehensive product range allows
our customers to obtain engine components from a single source. As a problem solver for
dealers and garages, Motorservice ofers extensive service and the technical expertise that
you would expect from the subsidiary of one of the largest automotive suppliers.

KSPG (Kolbenschmidt Pierburg).

Renowned supplier to the international automotive industry.
As long-standing partners to the automotive industry, the companies in the KSPG Group
develop innovative components and system solutions with acknowledged competence for
air supply and emission control, for oil, water and vacuum pumps, for pistons, engine
blocks and engine bearings. The products comply with the high demands and quality
standards of the automotive industry. Low emissions, reduced fuel consumption,
reliability, quality and safety these are the forces that drive innovation at KSPG.

Motorservice Partner:

Headquarters:
MS Motorservice International GmbH
Wilhelm-Maybach-Strae 1418
74196 Neuenstadt, Germany
www.ms-motorservice.com

50 003 735-02 12/14 EN

MS Motorservice International GmbH
 Piston Rings
Function and Design
Incorrect reconditioning
Piston impact on cylinder head
If the sealing surface of an engine block is
reconditioned and a piston with standard
compression height itted, this may cause
mechanical impact by the piston on the
cylinder head in the case of diesel engines.
The same occurs if cylinder head gaskets with
the wrong thickness are i tted. Due to these
hard im-pacts, the piston rings start to lutter
and vibrate, dislodging the lubrication ilm
and as a consequence sealing is no longer
efectively.
Ring joint clearance too small
The piston ring joint clearance is compa-
rable to the valve clearance. When the
parts are warmed up, the components are
thermally heated which results in a change
in length. As long as the machine is cold,
100 C the joint clearance prevents the pistons in
0 C
the cylinder from being jammed when the
machine is hot. If the joint clearance is too
small when the machine is cold, there will
be an excessive rate of wear on the piston
100 C
0 C
ring, sealing problems and engine failure
could occur when the machine is hot.
Asymmetric piston wear pattern
Deformed connecting rods, which often
occur as a result of engine failure, can
cause the piston to have an incorrect atti-
tude in the cylinder. The piston rings con-
sequently take on an elliptical form and no
longer rotate in the piston. This results in
uneven wear and piston ring luttering.
Installation of worn-out parts
Out-of-round cylinders
When machining the cylinder bores, it is
essential to make sure that the geometry
To
p is perfect. The piston rings can still seal
slightly oval cylinders. However, sealing
becomes more diicult with out- of-rounds
of the 3rd or 4th order. These are often
caused by tension stressing from the cylin-
der head bolts. The crescent-shaped gap
caused by out-of-roundness between the
piston ring and the cylinder will result in
leakages.
Ring joint clearance too great
An excessive joint clearance on the piston
rings appears after a long running period
and high wear on the cylinder and piston
MS Motorservice International GmbH 50 003 928-02 01/15 EN
rings. The joint clearance is too great if it
has doubled its size compared to its new
condition. Clearance exten-sions of up to
0.3 mm are irrelevant. They contribute
100 C neither to a loss of engine power nor to
excessive oil consumption. Slightly en-
0 C
larged piston ring joint clearances are often
over-estimated. On this topic, also see
www.ms-motorservice.com
100 C
Ring joint clearance too small .
0 C
Worn-out cylinders
If new pistons and piston rings are itted
into a worn-out cylinder, the piston rings
often hit the upper wear edge of the cylin-
der. As a result, the piston rings start to lut-
ter and can no longer seal efectively.
Also see Piston impact on cylinder head
and Worn-out ring grooves .
Maintenance faults
Worn-out ring grooves
The result: High oil consumption and high Dirt that reaches the combustion The result: High oil consumption and poor
cylinder wear (see also Fuel Flooding ). chamber settles in the ring grooves where performance.
it causes abrasive wear in the ring grooves
Remedy: Compliance with the correct and at the lanks of the piston ring. This Remedy: Regular air ilter main-tenance,
piston protrusion; use of correct cylinder results in excessive ring height clearance especially in very dusty areas.
head gaskets. and consequently to a deterioration of the
guidance of the piston rings in the ring
grooves. The rings will become bent during
use and start to lutter. If the rings are
severely worn at the sides, they can break.
The result: Premature piston ring wear,
piston seizure and high oil consumption.
Remedy: It is essential that the minimum
joint clearances are complied with a reduc-
tion of the joint clearance by the repair shop
is not permitted.
Jammed piston rings
Piston rings must be able to rotate freely in The result: Piston seizure, high wear and
their ring grooves during operation (excep- high oil consumption.
tion: two-stroke engines). If the piston rings
are blocked by carbon deposits or dirt in Remedy: Regular air ilter maintenance and
the ring grooves they are no longer able to the use of engine oil with the prescribed oil
seal properly and will not wear uniformly. speciication for the engine.
The result: High wear, ring fractures and If the rings are clamped in the grooves, the
excessive oil consumption. sealing efect is no longer warranted. This
causes a blow-by of combustion gases on
Remedy: Check the connecting rod compression rings, and results in the penet-
for deformation and torsion prior to ration of oil into the combustion chamber
installing it. on oil rings.
Abnormal combustion
Knocking combustion and glow ignition
Knocking combustion or glow ignitions The result: Piston seizure, loss of engine
result in excessive pressure peaks in the power and/or high oil consumption.
cylinder as well as high mechanical stress
of the parts. The piston rings start to lut- Remedy: Use of high-grade fuels.
ter and can break. On moly-bdenumplated
rings, the moly-bdenum layer can break
away.
The result: Poor performance, excessive
oil consumption and engine failures.
Fuel looding
Remedy: Observe the tightening specii-
cations for the cylinder head or exclude The oil ilm is washed of due to incomplete The result: High ring and cylinder wear,
out-of-rounds during cylinder machining. combustion of the in-jected fuel or to exces- high oil consumption.
sive injected fuel. This causes mixed fric-
Out-of-rounds: Sliding friction tion or even dry friction of the piston in the Remedy: Correct function and setting of
cylinder. The metal parts rub against each the fuel system.
other without a protective oil ilm.
3rd order 4th order
Mixed friction
Remedy: Replace worn-out pistons and
cylinders.
d
Details on this subject can be found in our brochure
Piston Rings for Combustion Engines.
The result: Higher oil consumption and
premature wear. Further information can be obtained directly from your local
Motorservice partner or at www.ms-motorservice.com
Remedy: Replacement of the cylinder liner
or remachine the cylinder bore (drilling,
honing).
The Motorservice Group is the sales organisation for the global aftermarket
activities of KSPG (Kolbenschmidt Pierburg). It is one of the leading suppliers
of engine components for the independent aftermarket, including the
premium brands KOLBENSCHMIDT, PIERBURG and TRW Engine Components,
as well as the BF brand. Our comprehensive product range allows our
customers to obtain engine components from a single source.