Cylinder Condition

Purpose

This booklet which is the third edition of the cylinder condition

procedure contains guidelines for overhauls, inspections and
trouble shooting. In line with previous editions it has been
prepared in order to give less experienced marine engineers a
better understanding of what they are observing and how they
should interpret and act on what they observe.

Many of the examples may be considered superfluous by experi-

enced marine engineers, however, nevertheless, many of the poor
conditions reported have actually occurred in our fleet and
although many of the pictures are from older engine type’s, no
longer in service, they are still considered relevant and illustrative
serving the purpose.

Compared to the first and second edition, this edition has been
updated so it reflects the “engine of today” and extended with
sections dealing with cylinder oil, monitoring, fuel oil, lubrica-
tion systems and trouble shooting.

In addition to the many photos taken by ourselves, we have

received very useful help in form of illustrations and photos from
“MAN”, “Wärtsilä”, “MITSUBISHI”, “DAROS” and “Chris
Marine”.

Copyright©, by A.P.Møller-Maersk - June 2009

Technical Services, Maersk Maritime Technology

Diesel Engine & Machinery

Jørn Dragsted
Jens Thomsen

2
Contents

1. Overhaul of Cylinder and Piston........................................   4

1.1 Removal of the Wear Edge in the Cylinder Liner..............   4
1.2 Evaluation of the Cylinder Liner...........................................   7
1.3 Honing of the Cylinder Liner................................................ 12
1.4 Evaluation of the Piston and Piston Rings........................... 14
1.5 Cleaning of the Piston Crown................................................ 23
1.6 Mounting of the Piston Rings................................................ 24

2. Piston Rings.............................................................................. 25
2.1 Materials...................................................................................... 25
2.2 Coatings...................................................................................... 26
2.2 Piston Ring Design and Geometry....................................... 29

3. Port Inspection........................................................................ 32
3.1 Port Inspection Procedure....................................................... 32
3.2 Running-In of Piston Rings.................................................... 34
3.3 Evaluation of Port Inspection Observations....................... 35

4. Monitoring................................................................................ 42
4.1 Traditional Measurements....................................................... 42
4.2 Replicas....................................................................................... 42
4.3 Drain Oil Analysis.................................................................... 44
4.4 Liner Temperature Monitoring.............................................. 46

5. General Maintenance and Engine Performance

Affecting the Cylinder Condition...................................... 47
5.1 The Air Intake Filter................................................................. 47
5.2 Air Coolers, Water Mist Catchers and Drains.................... 49
5.3 Engine Performance................................................................. 49
5.4 Fuel and Fuel Oil System......................................................... 50

6. Cylinder Oils............................................................................ 52
6.1 Basic Requirements................................................................... 52
6.2 Blending On Board (BOB)..................................................... 53

7. Lubrication and Lubrication Systems............................... 54

7.1 Lube Oil Distribution.............................................................. 54
7.2 Lube Oil Systems....................................................................... 56

8. Trouble Shooting Based On Port Inspections................ 57

8.1 Trouble Shooting Chart.......................................................... 57
8.2 Text To Trouble Shooting Chart........................................... 57

9. Index............................................................................................ 62

3
1. Overhaul of Cylinder and Piston

1.1 Removal of the Wear Edge in the Cylinder Liner

When the cylinder liner is worn, a wear edge has been worn in
the top position by the upper piston ring, Fig. 1. With heavily
worn cylinder liners, it is a necessity to remove the edge prior to
pulling the piston. Otherwise, the piston rings will not pass, but
in most cases lift the cylinder liner. The cylinder liner will then
have to be pulled in order to renew the O-rings.
This is, however, not the only reason why the wear edge must
be removed. Quite severe conditions have been observed when
newly fitted piston rings are run in a cylinder liner with a marked
edge and the upper ring hammer against the edge at every stroke.
The newly fitted piston ring becomes chamfered at the top and
collapses, Fig. 2.
However, it should be noted that only a cylindrical grinding of 5
mm in the height, just above the wear edge, must be performed.
The rest of the area, to the top of the cylinder liner, will then act
as a scrape-down-ring. The result will be good running condi-
tions of the piston rings as the coke on the top land never touches Fig. 1, Coke scraping
the cylinder liner surface.
When the piston ring collapse, gas blows by the ring, destroys the
oil film, and creates further blow-by of the entire ring package,
Fig. 3. A scavenging fire could be the result.

The normal appearance of the ring land is very dry. In this case,
however, the appearance is wet because the cylinder has been run
for 12 hours without injection of fuel oil due to blow-by.

Fig. 2, Chamfer on top ring

Fig. 3, Chamfered top piston ring placed in ring groove

4
 It is observed that removal of the wear edge has been done fre-
quently with an angle grinder, which is a very efficient tool. Un-
fortunately, the angle grinder is impossible to control vertically,
Fig. 4. This means that the cylinder liner running surface below
the edge is damaged, Fig. 5, and often to the extent that the upper
piston ring does not stand a chance of lasting the running-in pe-
riod. However, if the piston crown with a used piston ring on top
is positioned just below the wear edge the angle grinder may be
used in case no adequate tool (Chris Marine Wear Edge Grinder)
is available.

Fig. 4, Never use the angle grinder in this way!

Fig. 5, Damaged running surface below the wear edge

5
1. Overhaul of Cylinder and Piston

Instead, a wear edge should be removed by a special wear edge

grinder. A wear edge grinder as designed by “Chris Marine” is
shown in Fig. 6.

In approximately 15 minutes, the tool cuts a fine groove in the

cylinder liner exactly in the desired position, Fig. 7.
However, the upper piston ring should not extend more than 2
mm above the lower groove edge.

Fig. 6, Special tool from “Chris Marine” in working position

Cut groove

Fig. 7, Fine cut groove machined by the special tool from “Chris Marine”

6
 1.2 Evaluation of the Cylinder Liner

Before the piston is pulled, it is recommended to inspect the cyl-

inder liner surface to get an idea of how well it is lubricated and
if it is still reasonably round. The roundness can easily be checked
by talcum powdering the running surface and turning the engine.
Lack of contact between the piston rings and cylinder liner will
then turn up as powdered areas as illustrated in Fig. 8.

Fine cylinder liner surfaces should normally be left as they are.

However, if they are polished as a mirror, honing or roughening
with a stone is beneficial.

Black or brown areas on the liner surface are a result of local

blow-by, Fig. 9, and should be smothered with a stone or, prefer-
ably, the liner should be honed.

Black areas, also known as lacquering, might also occur in con-

nection with cylinder oil deterioration and/or attachment of
half-burnt fuel oil droplets or water mist to the cylinder wall.

Fig. 8, Talcum powdering the running surface

Fig. 9, Black or brown marks on the running surface

7
1. Overhaul of Cylinder and Piston
It is important to inspect the running surface of the cylinder
liner, but it is quite difficult to evaluate what is observed and to
determine what caused the wear pattern and shape. The wear pat-
tern of the liner (and piston rings) can be traced back to three
categories: abrasive wear, adhesive wear (scuffing) and corrosive
wear. “Normal wear” is the combination of two or three of these
wear patterns.
Abrasive wear may be the most easy wear pattern to determine
as it appears as long vertical scratches (coarse or fine) on the lin-
er/ring surface. The wear is caused by abrasive particles brought
into the engine either as impurities in the fuel oil as “cat-fines”
or through the air e.g. desert sand or grit (sand blasting). It is,
however, also possible that the abrasive wear is a consequence of
corrosive or adhesive wear-produced particles that grind liners
and piston rings.
Adhesive wear appears when, for various reasons, the lubrication
oil film disappears, and metallic contact is established between
piston ring and cylinder liner. In severe cases, the phenomenon
is called scuffing.
Fig. 10, Adhesive wear/scuffing caused by lack of water drain
Fig. 11, Corrosive wear caused by sulphuric acid on the cylinder liner surface
8
Fig. 10 illustrates severe adhesive wear/
scuffing caused by lack of water drain
from the scavenging air coolers. In less ex-
treme cases, it is difficult to see with the
naked eye when adhesion has occurred,
but a magnifying glass, magnifying 8 - 10
times, will make the job easier.
Corrosive wear is caused by the formation
of sulphuric acid on the cylinder liner sur-
face when the liner temperature is below
dew point and the oil film is missing or
scarce. However a “controlled” and lim-
ited corrosive wear is beneficial for the ad-
hersion of the cylinder oil. The surface of
the cylinder liner typically appears spot-
ted as shown in Fig. 11.
Abrasive wear and corrosive wear fre-
quently go hand in hand. Corroded parti-
cles, torn out of the surface of the cylinder
liner, act abrasively.
 Clover leafing is a phenomenon where the liner wear varies
relatively to the lube oil quills. It is a consequence of poor lube
oil/TBN distribution on the liner surface. The highest wear is
between the quills where the oil supply or neutralisation is less
than it is closer to the quills, Fig. 12 and 13. Such cylinder lin-
ers should be honed before the clover leafing develops further as
the load on the piston ring surface riding on the tops increases.
Chrome plated piston rings are particularly vulnerable and the
damaged ring surface will lead to scuffing or in severe cases a col-
lapse of the rings.

Fig. 12, Clover leafing in a cylinder liner with a wave cut surface

Fig. 13, Clover leafing in a cylinder liner with a fine honed surface

9
1. Overhaul of Cylinder and Piston

Horizontal bands and hammer marks in the top of the cylinder

liner are the result of the hammering of collapsed piston rings
against the liner surface, Fig. 14. Check for wear steps that have
to be removed.

Hammer marks caused by fragments of exhaust valve spindles or

piston rings look quite different, Fig. 15. If the marks are not too
deep and not too close to each other, the cylinder liner can be
used as it is. However, a check by honing is a good idea.

Fig. 14, Hammer marks, due to collapsed piston rings

Fig. 15, Hammer marks, due to fragments of exhaust valve

10
 If cylinders have run for a while with stuck and/or broken piston
rings, there is a high risk that the running surface has been ther-
mally overloaded and that cracks have developed in the top of the
liner in the area facing the piston ring pack. The larger the engine
bore, the higher the risk. Fig. 16 shows a typical crack pattern in
a 90-bore engine which has run with a poor piston ring condition
for a while. Development of crack pattern cannot be predicted
and the liner must be scrapped.

If the atomizers are wrong or in poor condition, thermal cracks

are also observed in the top of the cylinder liner in the direction
of the fuel spray, Fig. 17.

Fig. 16, Crack pattern, due to poor piston ring condition

Fig. 17, Thermal cracks in the top of the cylinder liner

11
1. Overhaul of Cylinder and Piston

1.3 Honing of the Cylinder Liner

To determine if a cylinder liner must be honed or not, an evalu-

ation can be performed according to the flowchart shown in Fig.
20. The time required for the honing process depends on the
actual cylinder liner condition and ranges from a few hours up
to 8 hours in more severe cases. The “Chris Marine” honing and
deglazing machine is designed for machining of the liner in situ,
Fig. 18 and Fig. 19. However, it is not recommended to do the
honing on board, except in special cases (emergency). Cylinder
liners where honing is required should be sent ashore for recon-
ditioning at workshops with expertise in this field.

The appearance of the honed cylinder liner is shown in Fig. 21.

Fig. 18, 4-armed “Chris Marine” honing and

deglazing machine

Fig. 19, 8-armed “Chris Marine” honing machine in situ

12
Fig. 20, Honing evaluation flowchart

13
1. Overhaul of Cylinder and Piston

Fig. 21, The appearance of a honed cylinder liner

Cleaning of the running surface and particularly the oil grooves

of the cylinder liner is of great importance. When honing is final-
ized, the cylinder liner is measured again and observations are
recorded in the “Cylinder Condition Report”.

1.4 Evaluation of the Piston and Piston Rings

Before the piston is cleaned and new rings mounted, the appear-
ance of the piston must be evaluated.

Deposits wipe
the cylinder wall

Fig. 22, The appearance of the piston is evaluated

14

Fig. 23, Calcium deposits on the piston crown
Fig. 24, Scores on the cylinder liner surface
produced by leaking fuel valve
Fig. 25, Deposits and coke on the ring lands and grooves
Deposits on the piston crown, Fig. 23 and top land tells if the
cylinder lubrication oil amount is adequate or excessive. Piston
rings may develop micro seizure in areas with a heavy build-up
as the deposits wipe away the oil film, Fig. 22. The deposits are
a consequence of the alkaline additives in the lube oil not being
in balance with the sulphuric acid developed during the com-
bustion process, and/or poor atomization of the fuel leading to
heavy production of small carbon particles that is “glued” to the
piston surfaces.
Also fuel leaks tending to adhere to the top land could produce
coke that finally damage the cylinder liner surface. A light case
of scores is shown in Fig. 24 – it could well develop to scuffing if
not taken care of.
A lube oil dosage exceeding the instruction is not only costly,
but may also be harmful in certain cases.
Deposits and coke are also frequently present on the ring lands
and in the ring grooves, Fig. 25. The reasons could be the same
as stated above, but poor combustion and blow-by will aggravate
the formation of coke. In some cases even polished coke in the
bottom of the grooves and on the inside surface of the rings are
observed as seen in Fig. 26.
It is essential that the rings are free to move in order to avoid
scuffing, Fig. 27 (usually starting in the lower part of the liner
having the smallest diameter).
Thus, the grooves must be cleaned thoroughly.
15
1. Overhaul of Cylinder and Piston

Burning of the piston crown is, when observed on all pistons,

generally, a matter of inadequate design of atomizers. If only
observed on single cylinders it could be due to oil coke inside
the piston crown (cleaning required). The typical banana shaped
burnings, Fig. 28, are not harmful as long as the depth of the
burnings does not exceed the measure stated in the instruction
book.

Fig. 26, Piston ring with polished coke on the inside

Fig. 27, Scuffed cylinder liner in the port area due to deposits behind the piston rings

Fig. 28, Burning of the piston crown

16
 Other types of burnings observed in individual cylinders are a
matter of defect atomizers, Fig. 29, or heavy blow-by, Fig. 30.

Thermal cracks may also be found on the ring land in case of

heavy blow-by, Fig. 31.

Fig. 29, Burnings due to defect atomizers

Fig. 30, Burnings due to heavy blow-by

Fig. 31, Thermal cracks due to heavy blow-by

17
1. Overhaul of Cylinder and Piston

Collapsed, stuck and broken rings frequently go hand in hand as

rings cannot work in the grooves as they are stuck. The result is
collapse and breakage, Fig. 32.

The running surface of the piston rings is very important as it dis-

closes more clearly than the cylinder liner what kind of wear that
has taken place. Fig. 33 shows the different wear types. From the
top: normal abrasive, corrosive, adhesive (local micro seizure),
adhesive/-scuffing, and severe scuffing. The pictures are enlarged
2 times.

Fig. 32, Collapsed, stuck and broken piston rings

Fig. 33, Types of wear; normal abrasive, corrosive, adhesive, and adhesive/scuffing

18
 The use of a magnifying glass with an 8 - 10 times magnification
is a very helpful mean. The same four rings are shown in 8 times
magnification in Fig. 34, Fig. 35, Fig. 36, and Fig. 37.

Fig. 34, 8 times magnification of normal

abrasive wear

Fig. 35, 8 times magnification of

corrosive wear

19
1. Overhaul of Cylinder and Piston

Fig. 36, 8 times magnification of adhesive

wear (local micro seizure)

Fig. 37, 8 times magnification of adhesive

wear/scuffing

20
 The clearance in the piston ring grooves is very important and
must be measured at all overhauls. Before doing so, the grooves
must be examined for uneven wear, which is unacceptable. A se-
vere case is shown in Fig. 38, where a wear ridge goes half way
through the groove and another in Fig. 39 where the outer part
of the chrome plating is gone. No piston ring will last long under
such conditions.

Normally, the clearance check is performed to ensure that the

clearance is not too big. From time to time, however, it is ob-
served that the clearance is below the required tolerance on new
piston crowns. As a too small clearance will reduce the pressure
of the ring against the liner running surface such piston crowns
must always be returned to the manufacturer. The result is col-
lapsed and broken rings.

Fig. 38, Examining the ring grooves for possible uneven wear

Fig. 39, Piston ring groove with worn down chrome plating

21
1. Overhaul of Cylinder and Piston

Piston skirts are often observed with scuffing marks, Fig. 40 and
Fig. 41. In severe cases, the skirt must be measured and the align-
ment of the piston in the cylinder liner checked. This is a difficult
job for the crew not having adequate tools. Nevertheless, a check
of the guide strips must be performed.

Fig. 40, Skirt observed with scuffing marks, however still OK

Fig. 41, Scuffed piston skirt, however still OK

22
 1.5 Cleaning of the Piston Crown

The most used cleaning method of the ring grooves is using

a piece of a piston ring or a screw driver. This is troublesome,
especially if the grooves are filled with coke. From time to time, it
is observed that piston ring grooves are not adequately cleaned.
The consequence is that rings are deformed or broken shortly
after replacement.

Some very “efficient” people may use a jet chisel in the ring
grooves. Never use a jet chisel as the chrome plating will be
ruined.

In order to perform the job efficiently and obtain top quality,

APMM developed a special cleaning tool in the 1990’ties, Fig. 42
and Fig. 43. The tool cleans both the piston ring grooves and the
ring lands at the same time, unfortunately this tool is not avail-
able anymore.

Fig. 42, The special tool in situ, cleaning piston ring grooves

Fig. 43, The special tool in situ, cleaning ring lands

23
1. Overhaul of Cylinder and Piston

1.6 Mounting of the Piston Rings

Various tools for mounting of piston rings are available from

the engine manufacturer. The three principal types are shown
in Fig. 44, Fig. 45, and Fig. 46. Only such tools are acceptable
for mounting of the piston rings. Be sure that the tool fits the
engine size by checking that the ring ends can not be expanded
more than what is just required slipping over the piston crown.

Fig. 44, Tool for mounting of piston ring

Fig. 45, Tool for mounting of piston ring

Fig. 46, Tool for mounting of piston ring

24
2. PISTON RINGS

As a consequence of the dramatically increased cylinder pressure
during the past two decades, the 2-stroke diesel engine design-
ers have been forced to improve the piston ring technology and
materials to obtain acceptable wear rates and Time Between
Overhaul.
A typical matrix of a traditional cast
iron ring is shown in Fig. 47. Depending
on the micro structure, it is possible to
improve wear resistance by the content of
the so-called hard face or iron carbides in
the pearlitic matrix.

2.1 Materials As mentioned above the selection of

The days of the simple cast iron ring is not entirely gone;
however, in most cases plain cast iron rings are not applicable
for high duty purposes, in particular as top piston ring and the
larger the bore the more troublesome it tends to get.
Consequently much more sophisticated coatings and various
profiles have been introduced despite of the increased manufac-
turing and procurement costs. Theoretically the increased TBO
should more than compensate for the more expensive coated
rings, however, in practice and for various reasons mentioned
in this booklet, the sophisticated piston rings does not always
perform according to the expectations, hence not “providing
value for money”.
materials is based on requirements to the
material strength, thermal stability and
wear properties. Not surprisingly, we see
increased strength and hardness due to
the spherical shape of the graphite em-
bedded in the matrix, whereas the heat
conductivity is better for the traditional
flake type graphite iron. The different
graphite shapes can be seen in Fig. 48,
Fig. 49 & Fig. 50.

In any case the cast iron ring is always used as a “base ring” and
today there are three variants available namely; lamellar, ver-
micular (compact graphite) and nodular cast iron.

The cast iron matrix is “re-inforced” by means of alloys in order

to obtain the desired properties with regard to material strength,
micro structure, thermal stability, thermal conductivity and
wear property.

Vermicular cast iron is the most commonly used top piston ring
material (with surface coating) and lamellar cast iron is used
for lower piston rings which may have a surface coating as well.
Nowadays nodular cast iron is not commonly used.

Fig. 47, Pearlitic matrix of cast iron

25
2. PISTON RINGS

Fig. 48, Blunt edge graphite (DAROS RM5) Fig. 49, Vermicular cast iron (DAROS Darcast)

2.2 Coatings

Coating of the surface could be advantageous in highly loaded

engines to enhance either the running-in process or to reduce
wear and prolong the TBO or a combination of the three.
Electrolytic hard chromed piston rings, Fig. 54, have been
standard in four-stroke medium and high speed diesel engines
for many years now (both diesel and gasoline), and Mitsubishi
was the first 2-stroke manufacturer to launch such piston rings
commercially as standard top piston ring in the UEC75 LSII
engine in the late 1980’ties.

The disadvantage of chrome plating is that it is vulnerable to

high temperatures, e.g. in case of blow-by by which the chrome Fig. 50, Nodular cast iron (DAROS RSG)
plating looses its strength and hardness, becomes soft and peels
off. Consequently the piston ring itself will most likely loose its
tension.
However, if the surface temperature is kept below 230°C,
chrome has the very best wear and friction properties of any
available material.

The chrome ceramic employed in today’s Wärtsilä engines, Fig.

55, have a slightly better thermal stability compared to the elec-
trolytic chrome plating, above 250°C before it gradually looses
its strength/hardness and eventually disintegrates.

The plasma sprayed ceramic coating consists of a mixture of

carbides and metallic components having a hardness of ~ 1500
HV and ~ 250 HV, respectively, Fig. 52.

The Cermet (Ceramic-metal) is sprayed on the running surface

of the piston ring and is able to withstand much higher tempera-
tures than both electrolytic and ceramic chrome, in the region

26
 of 500 °C, before it gets permanently damaged. Further it has
a very high scuffing resistance; in fact it is practically indestruct-
ible. The disadvantage of the plasma coating is that it can lead to
a relatively high initial cylinder liner wear and not only during
the running-in phase. In some cases the running-in is not pos-
sible why it becomes necessary to replace both the piston rings
and cylinder liner due to extremely high wear rates.

On plain cast iron rings, as well as on plasma coated rings, vari-

ous thin ductile coatings consisting of either graphite, cupper
Fig. 51, Alu-coat Fig. 53 or so-called RIAS, which could have
a profiled running surface too, contributes to a fast and safe
running-in process.

Fig. 51, Cupper plated piston ring. Not commonly seen

Fig. 52, PM2 plasma coating Fig. 53, Alu Coat

Fig. 54, Eletrolytic hard chrome plating Fig. 55, Multi-layer Chrome Ceramic

27
2. PISTON RINGS

In Table 1, Table 2 and Table 3, a survey of the most used piston

rings and the material trade names is given. Generally, the Japa-
nese rings have a wider specification than the Daros and Götze
piston rings.

Table 1, MAN engines; piston ring and cylinder liner compatibility

NB! Note that MAN large bore engines have CPR rings in the upper piston ring groove and Cr-plated bottom
side, ref. Fig. 59, and the 2nd ring has also Cr-plated bottom side.

PVA or Tarkalloy C*

Table 2, Wärtsilä engines; piston ring and cylinder liner compatibility

28
 2626

Table
Table
Table 3,3,
3,
Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi
Mitsubishiengines;
engines;
piston
engines;piston
ring
pistonringand
and
ring cylinder
cylinder
and liner
liner
cylinder compatibility
compatibility
liner compatibility
Piston
Piston
Ring
Ring Cylinder
CylinderLiner
Liner
Engine
EngineType
Type Pos.
Pos. Riken
Riken NPR
NPR Material
MaterialComposition
Composition Profile
Profile Manufacturer
Manufacturer
UEC50LSII
UEC50LSII 11 Rik29Cr
Rik29Cr Cr-plated
Cr-platedvermicular
vermicular
graphite
graphite Barrel
Barrel Toa
ToaKoki
Koki
UEC50LSII
UEC50LSII 22 Rik47
Rik47 Cu-Mo
Cu-Moalloyed
alloyed
flake
flake
graphite
graphite Barrel
Barrel Toa
ToaKoki
Koki
UEC50LSII
UEC50LSII 33 Rik45
Rik45 Plain
Plain
grey
grey
cast
cast
iron
iron Barrel
Barrel Toa
ToaKoki
Koki
UEC50LSII
UEC50LSII 44 Rik45
Rik45 Plain
Plain
grey
grey
cast
cast
iron
iron Barrel
Barrel Toa
ToaKoki
Koki
UEC60LS
UEC60LS 11 Rik47Cr
Rik47Cr Cr-plated
Cr-platedCu-Mo
Cu-Moalloyed
alloyed
flake
flake
graphite
graphite Barrel
Barrel Toa
ToaKoki
Koki
UEC60LS
UEC60LS 22 Rik47Cr
Rik47Cr Cr-plated
Cr-platedCu-Mo
Cu-Moalloyed
alloyed
flake
flake
graphite
graphite Barrel
Barrel Toa
ToaKoki
Koki
UEC60LS
UEC60LS 33 Rik47
Rik47 Cu-Mo
Cu-Moalloyed
alloyed
flake
flake
graphite
graphite Barrel
Barrel Toa
ToaKoki
Koki
UEC60LS
UEC60LS 44 Rik47
Rik47 Cu-Mo
Cu-Moalloyed
alloyed
flake
flake
graphite
graphite Barrel
Barrel Toa
ToaKoki
Koki
UEC
UEC60HA
60HA
&&52/125H
52/125H 11 Uballoy
UballoySS Cu-Mo
Cu-Moalloyed
alloyed
flake
flake
graphite
graphite Barrel
Barrel Toa
ToaKoki
Koki
UEC
UEC60HA
60HA
&&52/125H
52/125H 22 Uballoy
UballoySS Cu-Mo
Cu-Moalloyed
alloyed
flake
flake
graphite
graphite Barrel
Barrel Toa
ToaKoki
Koki
UEC
UEC60HA
60HA
&&52/125H
52/125H 33 Uballoy
UballoyCC Plain
Plain
grey
grey
cast
cast
iron
iron Barrel
Barrel Toa
ToaKoki
Koki
UEC
UEC60HA
60HA
&&52/125H
52/125H 44 Uballoy
UballoyCC Plain
Plain
grey
grey
cast
cast
iron
iron Barrel
Barrel Toa
ToaKoki
Koki
UEC
UEC60HA
60HA
&&52/125H
52/125H 55 Uballoy
UballoyCC Plain
Plain
grey
grey
cast
cast
iron
iron Barrel
Barrel Toa
ToaKoki
Koki
MHI/RTA96C
MHI/RTA96C 11 Rik29Mo
Rik29Mo Mo-coated
Mo-coatedvermicular
vermicular
graphite
graphite Barrel
Barrel Toa
ToaKoki
Koki
MHI/RTA96C
MHI/RTA96C 22 Rik29Mo
Rik29Mo Mo-coated
Mo-coatedvermicular
vermicular
graphite
graphite Barrel
Barrel Toa
ToaKoki
Koki
MHI/RTA96C
MHI/RTA96C 33 Rik47
Rik47 Cu-Mo
Cu-Moalloyed
alloyed
flake
flake
graphite
graphite Barrel
Barrel Toa
ToaKoki
Koki
MHI/RTA96C
MHI/RTA96C 44 Rik47
Rik47 Cu-Mo
Cu-Moalloyed
alloyed
flake
flake
graphite
graphite Barrel
Barrel Toa
ToaKoki
Koki

2.3 Piston Ring Design and Geometry

Today, all two-stroke engines have profiled high piston rings as The shape of the “minutenring” is the rea-
2.32.3 Piston
standard, PistonRing
either in the topRingDesign
piston Designand
groove alone andGeometry
or in Geometry son for the fast establishing of a gastight
all piston
ring grooves, depending on the engine design. The reason is seal and is illustrated in Fig. 56.
Today,
Today,
that as theallalltwo-stroke
ring two-stroke engines
height is increased, engines so ishave
have
the profiled
profiled
radius high
highpiston
of curvature pistonrings
ringsasasstandard,
standard,either eitherininthe thetoptop
piston
onpiston groove
the ring groove
face. Thisalone
alone
is theor orinin
most allallpiston
feasible piston
way ofring ringgrooves,
improving grooves,
the depending
depending ononthe
It goes without the engine
sayingengine
that thedesign.
design.
high andThe The
reason
oilreason isisthat
film thickness that(and
asasthe the
to ring
somering height
height
degree alsoisis increased,
the increased, sosoisisthe
oil distribution) theradius
radius
stiff ofofcurvature
piston curvature
rings are in on onthe
higher the ring
needring
offace.
aface.
This
Thisisisthe
between the
the most
mostring
piston feasible
feasible way
wayofliner
and cylinder ofimproving
improving
for a giventhe theoiloilfilm
cylinder filmthickness
thickness
taper or(and (andtotosome
barrel-face some
thandegree
degree
low also
piston also the
rings. the
oiloildistribution)
pressure.distribution)
However, an between
between
increasedthe thepiston
cylinder piston ring
ringand
oil viscosity, and
by cylinder
main- cylinderlinerlinerfor fora agiven
givencylinder
cylinderpressure.
pressure.
However,
However,
taining ananincreased
low cylinder increased cylinder
cylinder
liner temperature, oiloil
ref. viscosity,
viscosity,
section 5.3, couldbybymaintaining
maintaining lowlowcylinder
The so-called cylinder liner
barrel-facedliner temperature,
temperature,
piston rings,
refrefsection
also sectionthe
improve 5.3,
5.3,
oilcould
could
film also
alsoimprove
thickness. improvethe theoiloilfilm
filmthickness.
thickness. Fig. 58, “imitates” the profile of a already
run-in piston ring, and have been standard
The
TheThe difficulties
difficulties
difficulties ininintroducing
in introducing introducing
high piston high
high
ringspiston
piston
are relatedrings
ringsto arearerelated
related
in mosttotwo-stroke
tothetherunning-in
running-in
diesel enginesasasfor
a a30%
30%
increase
theincrease
running-inofofthe
asthe
a piston
30%piston ring
ringof
increase height
height more
the piston more than
ring than
heightdoubles
doubles
more the thetwisting
twisting
many years.stiffness,
stiffness,whichwhichmeansmeansthat that
thethepiston
than pistonring
doubles ring
the cannot
cannot
twisting adapt
adapt
stiffness, itself
whichitself sosoeasily
means easily
that theto tochanging
piston changinggeometrical
geometricalconditions
conditionscaused causedbyby
varying
varying
ring cannot engine
engine loads,
adapt itselfloads, temparatures
temparatures
so easily to changingand andpiston
piston
geometrical positions.
positions.In this context it should be mentioned
condi-
tions caused by varying engine loads, temparatures and piston that a factory fresh cylinder liner from
A.P.
A.P.Møller-Mærsk
positions. Møller-Mærskintroduced introducedthe theso-called
so-called"minutenrings"
"minutenrings" oror“taper
Wärtsilä “taper
have arings”
rings”in
surface inthe
thelarge
roughness large bore
almost bore
2-stroke
2-strokediesel dieselenginesenginesininthe thelate late1980’ties
1980’tiestotoenhance enhancethe therunning-in
similarrunning-in
to a run-inprocess.
process. Shortly
cylinder liner.Shortly
The after
after
MANMAN
A.P. introduced
introduced
Møller-Mærsk thethetapered
introduced tapered piston
pistonrings
the so-called ringsasastheir
“minutenrings” theirnewornewstandard
standard too,
idea behind too,Fig.
isFig.57.57.
to significantly reduce the
“taper rings” in the large bore 2-stroke diesel engines in the late running-in time and related difficulties,
TheTheshape
1980’ties shape ofofthe
to enhance thethe
"minutenring"
"minutenring"
running-in process. isisthethe reason
reason
Shortly for
after for
MANthe
thefast
fastestablishing
establishing
which otherwise ofofmay
a agastight
gastight
occur. seal sealandandisis
illustrated
illustrated
introduced ininFig.
the Fig.5656
tapered piston rings as their new standard too,
Fig. 57.
It Itgoes
goeswithout
withoutsaying
sayingthat
thatthe
thehigh
highand
andstiff
stiffpiston
pistonrings
ringsare
areininhigher
higherneed
needofofa ataper
taperoror
barrel-face
barrel-facethan
thanlow
lowpiston
pistonrings.
rings.

The
Theso-called
so-calledbarrel-faced
barrel-facedpiston
pistonrings,
rings,Fig
Fig58,58,“imitates”
“imitates”the
theprofile
profileofofa aalready
alreadyrun-in
run-inpiston
piston
ring,
ring,and
andhave
havebeen
beenstandard
standardininmost
mosttwo-stroke
two-strokediesel
dieselengines
enginesforformany
manyyears.
years.
InInthis
thiscontext
contextit itshould
shouldbebementioned
mentionedthat thata afactory
factoryfresh
freshcylinder
cylinderliner
linerfrom
fromWärtsilä
Wärtsilähave
havea a
surface
surfaceroughness
roughnessalmost
almostsimilar
similartotoa arun-in
run-incylinder
cylinderliner.
liner.The
Theidea
ideabehind
behindisistotosignificantly
significantly
reduce
reducethe therunning-in
running-intime
timeand
andrelated
relateddifficulties,
difficulties,which
whichotherwise
otherwisemaymayoccur.
occur. 29
2. PISTON RINGS

It is important that both taper- and barrel-faced rings are
installed with the “TOP” side upwards (provided of course that
the piston crown is not standing upside down). If the “TOP”
inscription is missing, the side stating the manufacturer’s name
and specification is the top side.
APMM vessels will receive taper- or barrel faced piston rings
for the top ring groove in all two-stroke engines. However, in
an emergency situation any piston ring can be utilized in any
of the piston ring grooves. Plain cylindrical piston rings which
may still be found on some of the older vessels should however,
mainly be used in the lower piston ring grooves.
Since the Controlled Pressure Relief
piston rings were introduced by MAN
in the early 1990’ties it has gone through
many design changes, however, today’s
standard dictates barrel-face with 4 CPR
grooves positioned at 30° and 90° on
each side of the gas tight ring lock and
chrome plated bottom face for the large
bore engines, Fig. 59 & Fig. 60.

Rectangular piston ring Tapered piston ring

Load dependent position of contact Same position of contact independent of load

Fig. 56, Geometrical shape of piston ring

Fig. 57, The taper is clearly seen on this piston ring Fig. 58, Barrel shaped profile of hard coating

30
The CPR ensures uniform heat distribution on the cylinder
liner, the piston ring and maintain a constant (over time) low
pressure drop resulting in lower wear rates. The wear resistant
plasma coating is required to maintain the cross section of the
CPR-grooves over time. Otherwise the piston ring will eventu-
ally become gas tight.

Darcast

Chrome Alu-Coat

PM2 Cermet hard coating

Fig. 59, Darcast PM2 + Alu-coat + Chrome

Fig. 60, MAN CPR piston ring

The various piston ring locks in use in the fleet is shown in Fig. 61 to Fig. 64.

Fig. 61, Gas tight piston ring lock, Alu-coated ring Fig. 62, “Daroseal” piston ring lock

Fig. 63, Straight cut piston ring lock Fig.64, Left cut piston ring lock

31
3. Port Inspection

To avoid extra work, frequent port inspections are important to
monitor the cylinder condition. Inspection every second week
ensures that nobody is taken by surprise by deterioration of the
ring condition provided no foreign elements like sand, “cat-
fines”, or water, have entered the cylinder.
The comments to the pictures in section 1.4 are also valid for the
examples in this section. The descriptions of the pictures in this
section are, therefore, brief.
3.1 Port Inspection Procedure
A port inspection can be performed either through the inspec-
tion covers on the camshaft side of the engine or, preferably,
from the scavenging air receiver.
Fill in the “Port Inspection Report” for
reference as the condition may change
as mentioned above, and it is impossible
to remember what was observed during
last inspection. Note that the report form
contains fields for reporting the ring gaps
(measured horizontally). The develop-
ment of the ring gap is proportional to
the ring wear. I.e. if the original gap is 6
mm and the new gap is 21 mm, then the
radial wear of the ring is (21-6)/2 p = 2,4
mm. See Fig. 65.

To determine the cylinder condition the piston is moved in four

steps: Top land, ring belt (before and after wiping off the lube
oil), piston skirt as illustrated in Fig. 66, and finally the piston is
turned to the BDC so that the liner running surface is exposed.

Feel the ring surface condition with your fingers and particularly
if the rings have sharp edges, or burrs, on the top and bottom
edges. If the piston has had long running hours since last over-
haul, check the clearance of the ring in the groove with a feeler
gauge/blade.

Calculation of radial ring wear based on measurement of increased ring gap

Fig. 65, Calculation of piston ring wear

32
Fig. 66, Port inspection

33
3. Port Inspection

3.2 Running-In of Piston Rings

The procedure for running-in of new rings or new rings and

liners is found in “MSPS”. This instruction must be followed.
It is a good idea to carry out a port inspection shortly after new
rings are mounted to monitor the process of the running-in of
the rings and liner.

After a short time, the enhanced running-in of piston rings can

be observed easily through the ports. The enhanced running-in
is due to the use of taper faced rings or barrel shaped rings and
can be observed in Fig. 67. An effective gas seal is clearly noticed
at the lower edge of the taper faced rings in the two uppermost
grooves after only 18 hours of operation.

Fig. 67, 18 hours after installation of taper faced piston rings in the two upper grooves

Enhanced running-in is also accom-

plished by means of various soft, so called
running-in coatings on the ring surfaces.

Normal piston rings take a little longer to

run-in as seen in Fig. 68 taken 33 hours
after installation.

Fig. 68, 33 hours after the installation of normal piston rings

34
 3.3 Evaluation of Port Inspection Observations

The evaluation of the port inspection observations is decisive

for possible actions to be carried out regarding piston overhaul.
The Chief Engineer decides what to do, but it is obvious that
his judgement is rather subjective and, consequently, will vary
throughout the fleet.

In order to establish a more uniform “what to do?” and to assist

those in doubt, we have developed a set of criteria based on Port
Inspection Reports, Fig. 69. In case of cylinders with damaged
surface plated rings (e.g. peeled off layers) the overhaul should
be decided as if the rings are broken. Additional information
e.g. the condition of the skirt, the rings (burrs or not), and coke
formation will, however, often support or lead to faster action
than proposed in the table.

Fig. 69, Port inspection evaluations and recommendations

35
3. Port Inspection

Some examples illustrating various cases mentioned in Fig. 69:

A bit of black area at

the ring end

Fig. 70, A good ring condition with a tiny black area at the ring end

Fig. 71 shows a piston with a broken 2nd ring. However, the

remaining rings are fine and the skirt, although scored, still
has intact upper chamfering, Fig. 72. Therefore, no immediate
overhaul is required.

Fig. 71, Piston with broken 2nd ring

36
Fig. 72, The skirt, although scored, still has intact upper chamfering

Quite frequently, examples are found with piston rings that are
too dry, with black surfaces, and sticking, Fig. 73. In an attempt
to rectify a cylinder with a stuck upper ring, the lube oil dosage
must be increased and the cylinder must be kept under observa-
tion. An overhaul must be planned to be carried out in next port.
In Fig. 74, the piston has a stuck 2nd ring and a very dry surface
and needs a similar increase of the cylinder oil dosage. In both
examples, no immediate overhaul is required.

Fig. 73, Dry, black surface and stuck upper ring Fig. 74, Dry and stuck 2nd ring

37
3. Port Inspection

It also happens that the lube oil amount

is too high (see section 1.4) and the top
land is covered with excessive deposits,
Fig. 75 and Fig. 76. The latter example is
caused by a long period at low load with
the engine having a high basic dosage
only regulated by engine rpm.

Fig. 75, Deposits due to too high lube oil amount Fig. 76, Excessive deposits due to a long period
at low load
One ring is working in Fig. 77; two lower rings in Fig. 78 and
three piston rings are stuck. In Fig. 79 the upper ring is missing
and the 3rd ring is stuck. In all cases, overhaul is required im-
mediately.

Fig. 77, One ring is working Fig. 78, Two rings are working

Fig. 79, The upper ring is missing and the 3rd ring is stuck

38
 Chrome ceramic coated rings have fantastic friction qualities, but
are requiring absolutely uniform surface and lubrication condi-
tions. Local black friction spots as seen in Fig. 80, require atten-
tion and should be observed in next port as the chance for healing
of the ring is limited. The same type of ring shown in Fig. 81 will
lead to scuffing and the cylinder unit must be overhauled as soon
as possible. A further development of the damage is shown in Fig.
82, here the cylinder liner definitely is damaged (scuffed).

Fig. 80, Slightly damaged chrome ceramic rings Wärtsilä 96-bore

Fig. 81, Destroyed chrome ceramic piston ring Fig. 82, Totally destroyed Chrome ceramic piston ring

39
3. Port Inspection

Adhesive wear observed on an Alu-coated piston ring (K98MC) is

shown in Fig. 83. This ring should be kept under observation.

Ring ends are frequently seen being somewhat damaged by hard

contacts in the port area. Fig. 84 show a mild attack on an Alu-
coated ring (K98MC) that cause no immediate concern, but
eventually could lead to peel-off. Also peel-off of Alu-coatings
due to manufacturing flaws is frequently reported, Fig. 85. When
seeing such damage it is important to check the ring on the entire
circumference; if no further damages are observed, overhaul is not
required, but the cylinder should be kept under observation.

Fig. 83, Adhesive wear of Alu-coated ring

Fig. 84, Mild attack at ring ends

40
Fig. 85, Peel-off of surface coating

41
4. Monitoring

Monitoring of the cylinder condition needs to be done for

two reasons.

1. The most obvious reason is to safeguard against un-

planned down time of the engine.

2. To run the engine in the most economical way.

4.1 Traditional Measurements 4.2 Replicas

Liner and ring calibration provides historic data that may be dif-
ficult to use in a cylinder diagnosis. It is, however, the most reliable
way to establish an overall picture of the engine cylinder condition.
One reason of extreme importance is that engineers are forced to
enter the cylinder while taking the measurements providing a good
opportunity to examine the running surface. No measurements
will ever substitute the use of eyes, nose and fingertips.
Engine builders tend to prefer that a very detailed wear picture
is provided by instructing 10 or more vertical position to be
measured in fore-aft and port-starboard directions. This is
well understood, however, the ship is no laboratory and such
detailed calibration should be limited to special tests only. It
should be the target that only few positions are required based
on a thorough knowledge of engine cylinder behaviour (ref. the
cylinder measurement form where liner calibration is done in
the following positions: 1st ring TDC, 4th ring TDC and 1/3
of engine stroke from top).
In addition to the measurements it would be advantageous that few
remarks regarding the overall condition of the liner is being noted
in the measurement form as part of the routine documentation.
Originally developed by innovative Aero
engineers at Rolls Royce some 30 years
ago, the replica technique is a unique
method for non-destructive testing and
analysis.
The so-called RepliSet from Struers,
Fig. 86, is a fast curing (1 - 20 minutes
depending on the surface temperature)
two-component silicone rubber com-
pound for flexible 0,1 micron high reso-
lution and exact replicas of microstruc-
tures or 3-D copy of the surface on-site.
The replica technique is typically
used within shore based power plants,
aerospace, aircraft industry, chemical
plants and the off-shore industry and was
developed for sophisticated laboratory
analysis, including both optical and SEM
microscopy.

In many engines the piston ring performance determines the

time between overhauls. The piston rings may be worn out but
in many cases they are cracked and that goes mostly for the top
ring. Be it as it may, the rings are and will continue to be one of
the most stressed machine elements in the engine, and even with
the best technology, piston rings will continue to crack for vari-
ous reasons. It is important to fill-in all specified information in
the measurement form.

42
 Nevertheless the replica technique has been used with great suc-
cess within APMM since 2001, using a simple and significantly
cheaper Struers optical microscope with a magnification of
100. The reason is of course that the requirement for tracing the
important parameters influencing the cylinder condition, i.e.
the graphite, hard phase, cat fines, corrosive and abrasive wear,
are relatively small.

Prior to attaching the backing slide (with the replica compound

distributed on the paper side) on the cylinder liner running
surface, Fig. 87, the surface must be thoroughly cleaned with a
cotton rag.

In rare cases it is necessary to polish with diamond paste and

etch the surface to obtain the optimal appearance of the micro-
structure, however, in fact it is usually only done at the foundry
or machining shop for evidence and documentation of the
correct microstructure with regard to the hard phase content,
distribution and specification of the graphite.

Despite the appearance of the silicone is deep black the light is

perfectly reflected for high image contrast and resolution, allow-
ing precise visual analysis and judgement of the microstructure,
as illustrsted in Fig. 88.

Fig. 87, Replica attached to the cylinder liner

running surface

Fig.
Fig. 86,
86, “Struers”
“Struers” RepliSet dispersing gun,
RepliSet dispersing gun, 2-component
2-componentsilicone
silicone cartridge,
car- static mixing nozzles and
slides. static mixing nozzles and backing slides
tridge,
In rare cases it is necessary to polish with diamond paste and etch the surface to
the optimal appearance of the microstructure, however, in fact it is usually only done
foundry or machining shop for evidence and documentation of the correct microst
with regard to the hard phase content, distribution and specification of the graphite.

Fig. 88, Replica seen under microscope. Mag- Despite the appearance of the silicone is deep black the light is perfectly reflected f
image contrast and resolution, allowing precise visual analysis and judgement
nified 100 times microstructure, as illustrsted in Fig. 88.

43
4. Monitoring

4.3 Drain Oil Analysis

In recent years systems monitoring drain oil from cylinders,

with potential of trend projection, are being implemented in
some ships or being tested. These systems should be seen in
contrast to the traditional calibration measurements that only
collect historical data with substantial time delay.

ExxonMobil have been in front by introducing the so-called

“MSA” system with which one examines the iron content of the
drain oil from each cylinder. The system has for several years
been used onboard ExxonMobil lubricated APMM vessels.
FAMM offers now a similar system, “DOT-fast”. Maersk Fluid
Technology have their “SEA-Mate” XRF equipment that can
be used for analyses of almost any element in fluids, and quite
recently a Kittiwake real time system “LinerSCAN” has been
tested onboard “Lars Mærsk”, ref. Fig. 89.

The idea by introducing the systems has been to establish the

“footprint” of each engine type, i.e. the relation between wear
and the ratio of fuel sulphur content and lube oil dosage, but
analyses of the drain oil can provide other information - so
altogether we have the following possibilities:

Fig. 89, Kittiwake “LinerSCAN” installation

44
 42
Check of abnormal wear (i.e. iron content and residual TBN) typical as seen in Fig. 90.
The
Checkequipment
of abnormal delivered willcontent
wear (i.e. iron contain
andrecommendations
residual TBN) typicalasas to
seenthe acceptable
in Fig. 90. The upper iron
content.
equipment delivered will contain recommendations as to the acceptable upper iron content.

"Arnold Mærsk", 12RTA96C

250 cyl1 cyl2 cyl3 cyl4 cyl5 cyl6
cyl7 cyl8 cyl9 cyl10 cyl11 cyl12
200
Fe in drain oil, ppm,

150

100

50

0
2004-4-23 2004-8-1 2004-11-9 2005-2-17 2005-5-28 2005-9-5 2005-12-14

Fig.90, Typical
Fig. 90, Typical iron
iron content
content records,
records, all acceptable!
all acceptable!

Engine footprintis is
Engine footprint demonstrated
demonstrated in 91.
in Fig. Fig. 91.
It is It is idea
a good a good idea tosuch
to establish establish such
a footprint to a footprint to
check that the engine designer’s recommendations on sulphur dependent
check that the engine designer’s recommendations on sulphur dependent lubrication (ref. lubrication (ref. the
engine lubrication instruction) are reasonable for the engine in
the engine lubrication instruction) are reasonable for the engine in question. question.

"CORNELIA MÆRSK", 12RTA96C

160

85-90 % MCR
140
scrape
in scrape

75-85 %MCR
40-50 %MCR
120
content in

Linear (ALL LOADS)

Iron content

100
ppm
down ,, ppm
corrected Iron

80
down
Accurate corrected

y = 21,51x
60

40
Accurate

20

0
0,00 1,00 2,00 3,00 4,00 5,00 6,00 7,00
Sulphur content relative to lube oil in the cylinder

Fig. 91, Example of foot print diagram

Fig. 91, Example of foot print diagram
Wear type, i.e. abrasive or corrosive is demonstrated in Fig.92, where the TBN is shown as a
Wear type, i.e. abrasive or corrosive is demonstrated in Fig. 92, where the TBN is shown as
function of the iron content. When high residual TBN is measured in connection with high
a function
iron of theitiron
contents content.
means thatWhen high residual
corrosion is lowTBN
andis that
measured in connection
the wear with
is abrasive/scuffing. The
high iron contents
encircled plots areit all
means
from that corrosion
liners whereis scuffing
low and that the wear is abrasive/scuffing. The
is verified.
encircled plots are all from liners where scuffing is verified.

45
4. Monitoring

43

"Nicoline Mærsk", 7RTA84C

70
60
TBN of drain oil

50
40
30
20
10
Cyl 1 Cyl 2 Cyl 3 Cyl 4 Cyl 5 Cyl 6 Cyl 7
0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300

Iron Content, ppm (MSA)

Fig.
Fig.92,
92,Example
Exampleofofthe
therelation
relationbetween
betweenTBN
TBNand iron
and content
iron content!
As
As the drainisisdiluted
the drain diluted with
with crankcase
crankcase oil it oil it is important
is important to to know to which extent. Each engine
type has its characteristics and further the dilution depends of the state of maintenance of the
know to which extent. Each engine type has its characteristics
piston rod stuffing boxes. For practical purposes and for comparison of the performance
and further the dilution depends of the state of maintenance
of the cylinders the contamination can be neglected.
of the piston rod stuffing boxes. For practical purposes and for
comparison
Another of thecause
failure performance of thetocylinders
is related the factthe contamina-
that 4.4 Liner
neighbour cylinders Temperature
could be affected Monitoring
when
tion can be neglected.
high wear is taking place in a cylinder. The cross contamination is mainly seen in Wärtsilä
engines as a consequence of the openings in the cylinderLiner frametemperature
betweenmonitoring
the engine has been
cylinders. The lesson to be learnt is that tests in Wärtsilä engines should always betime,
Another failure cause is related to the fact that neighbour used in Wärtsilä engines for some
carried out on
cylinders could 3 neighbour
be affected when high cylinders
wear is takingand placethat
in one should
Fig. 93. ca refullyhave
APMM consider
introduced thea
interpretation of results.
a cylinder. The cross Engines
contamination without
is mainly seensuch openings between
in Wärtsilä similarcy linders,
system as large
in their MANbore andengines
MHI-engines, have veryoflimited,
engines as a consequence if any,
the openings in cross contamination.
the cylinder frame supplied from MAN and MITSUBISHI
between the engine cylinders. The lesson to be learnt is that tests since 1993. This praxis has in several
4.4 Linerengines
in Wärtsilä Temperature
should alwaysMonitoring
be carried out on 3 neighbour cases saved liners that otherwise would
cylinders and that one should carefully consider the inter- not have survived. It is a good idea to
Liner temperature
pretation monitoring
of results. Engines withouthassuchbeen usedbetween
openings in Wärtsilä engines
combine forthe
some
inputtime, Fig. tempera-
from liner 93.
APMM have
cylinders, introduced
as MAN a similar system
and MHI-engines, have veryinlimited,
their large
if any,bore engines supplied from
ture measurements withMAN andoil
the drain
MITSUBISHI since 1993. This praxis has in several cases saved
cross contamination. linersresults.
analyses that otherwise would
not have survived. It is a good idea to combine the input from liner temperature
measurements with the drain oil analyses results.

Fig. 93, Example of liner temperature monitoring system (Wärtsilä MAPEX PR)

Fig.93, Example of liner temperature monitoring system (Wärtsilä MAPEX PR)

46
5. G
 eneral Maintenance and Engine Performance
Affecting the Cylinder Condition
The reasons for poor cylinder condition
are either a matter of too narrow design
margins especially at high engine load or
lack of proper maintenance in general.
In the following, some of the most
important areas affecting the cylinder
condition outside the cylinder itself are
mentioned.
Fig. 94, Waters near deserts
5.1 The Air Intake Filter
Unfortunately, not all vessels in the fleet are equipped with effi-
cient air intake filters and particles can access the engine. Under
certain circumstances, however, the filter can create severe dif-
ficulties, as mentioned below.
The main air intake demister and filter and the auxiliary air
intake filters have two purposes: to remove water and to remove
dust/soot. From a cylinder condition point of view, dust and
sand removal is particular important. Vessels operating in
waters near deserts will eventually run into storms carrying
a lot of sand, Fig. 94. The particles are so fine that they can
be windborne for hundreds of kilometers. The feeling of the
sand particles between your fingers is like that of fine powder.
However, the grinding effect is substantial due to the hardness
of the particles and can easily be tested with a knife blade, drawn
across the sand on a plate.
47
5. G
 eneral Maintenance and Engine Performance Affecting the Cylinder Condition

Apart from windborne sand, iron oxides are carried with the
prevailing winds in the waters around the northern Oman
Mountains as shown in Fig. 95. If exceptionally high iron con-
tents are found in drain oil samples in this region this might be
the explanation.

When the filters are in poor condition, the fine sand particles
are sucked into the engine room and finally through the turbo-
chargers and the air coolers into the cylinders. Fig. 96 shows a
severe example.

Looking at an enlargement of the particles, Fig. 97, it is not a

surprise that sand in the cylinders is such a disaster. Extreme
abrasive wear is the most probable outcome when such sand
“rocks” are not kept out of the engine.

Fig. 96, Air

intake filter in a Fig. 95, Area of possible dusty iron oxides in
poor condition the intake air

Fig. 97, Enlargement of the particles (7 times) (22 times)

48
 5.2 Air Coolers, Water Mist Catchers and Drains

It goes without saying that air coolers must be maintained/

cleaned in order to maintain high efficiency and low scavenging
air temperatures. It is, however, just as important that the water
mist catchers, drain pipes from the air cooler/mist catcher and
the automatic drain valves are kept clean and that they work satis­
factorily to maintain high performance and to allow condensed
water freely to escape. If water enters the cylinders, it will deterio-
ate the oil film and cause adhesive wear. The drain tray shown
on Fig. 98 is a severe example, where a supposed 5 mm long gap
Fig. 98, RTA84C clogged condensate drain
between cooler and water mist catcher is completely clogged.
Fig. 100 shows a completely clogged orifice in a drain line.

5.3 Engine Performance

It is important that the maximum temperature of the cylinder liner

does not exceed the cylinder oils thermal stability. The thermal
load of the engine components will however gradually be increased
in service, but can be influenced with good maintenance:
1. The turbochargers are affecting the cylinder condition
adversely if their efficiency for various reasons is reduced
Fig. 99, Rust stained due to partly clogged
and the thermal load of the engine increases. It is, therefore,
cooler drain important that the turbine side is kept clean and the blading
and clearances are up to standard.
2. The cooling down of the charging air will gradually be
reduced if the heat exchangers of the cooling water system are
not kept in order, meaning increased liner temperatures.
3. Broken or heavy worn top piston rings will increase liner
temperatures 10 – 15 °C and should consequently be
­exchanged as fast as possible (latest next port).

Fig. 100, Clogged orifice in drain line

49
5. G
 eneral Maintenance and Engine Performance Affecting the Cylinder Condition

4. Late combustion should be optimized to match test bed

conditions.
Some engineers tend to keep the cylinder maximum pressure
well on the low side of the trial values. This, combined with
the effect of VIT-systems, may lead to conditions with very
late injection and, consequently, late finalization of combus-
tion. On the P-V diagram, the pressure curve gets a drom- Fig. 101, P-V diagram, showing late injection
edary shape, Fig. 101.

On modern engines complying with IMO NOx regulations a

similar effect is seen at high loads (starting at about 90 %). The
consequence on cylinder condition is that quite an increased
portion of the liner running surface is exposed to combustion
flames. This leads to deterioration of the cylinder lubricant and
subsequently increased wear, stuck and broken piston rings.
Generally, the maximum pressure should be adjusted to its
prescribed value at all loads.

5.4 Fuel & Fuel Oil System

Today, the quality of the fuel does not represent the same
problems as previously. Better understanding of the traps, better
equipment, and analyses of all bunker before used in the engine
have improved the quality.

Three fuel parameters are of special importance to cylinder con-

dition – sulphur, CCAI and catalyst content (Al + Si) known as
“cat-fines”.

The sulphur content of the fuel oil constitutes no problem as long

as the lubrication is adjusted to the actual sulphur content, ref. the
“Main Engine Cylinder Lubrication Instruction”. On the other
hand the sulphur content has a great influence on the wear rates.

The actual problems mainly arise when engineers by authori-

ties regulations are forced to change the fuel frequently as local
authorities may demand. This means that the lubrication must
be adjusted frequently either by dosage and/or by the TBN
content of the oil as the minimum dosage to create a stable oil
film may otherwise contain too high TBN for very low sulphur
fuels. It has been questioned if a low sulphur content would lead
to scuffing, however, we have proved that the low sulphur in the
fuel have no adverse effect on scuffing sensibility.

High CCAI value means late combustion. The consequence is

mentioned in section 5.3.

The “cat-fine” problem is well known in all heavy fuel engine ap-
plication. The waste from the refining processes in form of small,
hard grains, consisting of Al, Si and O, will when injected

50
 in the engines plough their way in the cylinder liner and the
piston rings. The influence of “cat-fines” can only be reduced by
the separators. Proper working of the separators is a must, even
though the “cat-fine” content is well below the specification
limit.

It has been somewhat surprising that low sulphur fuel in many

cases have high cat-fine content. The explanation is that when
the low sulphur content is obtained in a blending process it
could result in any cat-fine content.

Fig. 103 shows a dramatic liner wear development due to incor-

rect operation of the centrifuges. The centrifuges had been oper-
ated for only a short period of time and fuel specifications were
well fulfilled. A complete change of piston rings and honing of
all liners are the only way to get back to normal condition fast.

Fig. 102 shows a magnification of a piston

ring with a “cat-fine” embedded. The abra-
sive effect is clearly demonstrated.

Fig. 102, Embedded “cat-fine” (400 times)

Fig. 103, Sudden cylinder liner wear due to lack of proper purification

51
6. Cylinder Oils

6.1 Basic Requirements

The standard cylinder oils provided by the major oil companies

have all obtained approval by the engine designers. This does,
however, not mean that they all have the same quality regarding
their ability to protect the rings and liner against wear and scuff-
ing, but none of the major suppliers products have extremely
poor performance provided they are used for the engines where
recommended. Some cheaper, less sophisticated oils are only
recommended for low loaded engines.

APMM try to keep track of the relative performance of cylinder

oils used in the engines as a mean to obtain value for money
when negotiating oil supply contracts.

The formulation of the additive packages used in the base

oil differs from one oil company to the other and so does the
selection of base oils. However, all suppliers will claim unique
advantages and performance.

The dominating wear in engine cylinders is caused by acid cor-

rosion as a result of condensation of the sulphur compound in
the fuels. In order to neutralise the acid all the lube oils contains
alkaline components – mostly calcium salts. The measure of the
lube oil to neutralise acid is the so called Total Base Number, or
TBN in short. Engine designers recommend as follows:

TBN 70
Wärtsilä Down to 1,5 % S at std. recommended feed rate.
From 1,5 % S – 1,0 % S at lowest recommended feed rate
MAN Down to 2,0 % S at std. recommended feed rate.
From 2,0 % S to 1,5 % S at lowest recommended feed rate
TBN 40
Up to 1,5 % S at std. recommended feed rate
From 1,5 % S to 3,0 % S with increased feed rate
Up to 1,5 % S at std. recommended feed rate

Apart from the TBN the thermal stability or the resistance to

oxidation is a very important factor for determining how much
deposit will be formed with a particular lubricant. The oxidation
leads to formation of binders that stick to the piston lands and
create a sort of glue for any other material such as soot and un-
burned particles which in turn form hard, thick deposits on the
piston crown and ring lands that eventually could wipe away the
cylinder oil on the liner surface. The other adverse thing is that
the oil resting on the liner surface loses its ability to lubricate
whereby scuffing could be a consequence.

The temperature of the cylinder liner is of course the most

important parameter for controlling the thermal stability of
the oil. Not all engines are designed with the same margins and
the small bore engines have generally a higher margin than the
large bore engines. The engine user can control the margin to a
certain extent by proper maintenance as mentioned in section
5.3, and this is very important.

52
 6.2 Blending On Board (BOB)

Today all the different grades of oil required to run engines and
other machinery is acquired from oil companies ready mixed for
immediate use. Recently, however, equipment for Blending On
Board (BOB) has been designed and tested both on stationary
plants and on board APMM ships, Fig. 104. The background
for this development has been:
1. To obtain freedom to mix oils that matches the fuel used in
the engine at any time.
2. To blend cylinder oil based on used system oil from the
engines, and thereby obtain:
• Freedom to select supplier
• Keep system oil in as new condition during the entire en-
gine lifetime resulting in less wear on bearings and constant,
low viscosity and SFOC
3. To facilitate purchasing and reducing costs.
The “SEA-MATE” blending equipment and the “SEA-Mate”
XRF (X-ray Fluorescence) Analyser required to control the oil
quality is presently rather expensive and consequently only used
in few applications.

Another obstacle for immediate use of BOB is the reluctance of

engine builders/designers to accept new standards for cylinder
oil approval.

Fig. 104, “SEA-Mate” BOB plant onboard “Charlotte Mærsk”

53
7. Lubrication and Lubrication Systems

No scuffing will occur if an adequate oil film is present

between the liner running surface and the piston rings and
piston skirt.

7.1 Lube Oil Distribution

It is consequently important to study the various methods for

lubrication to obtain an overview of their efficiency in providing
the oil where needed at the lowest possible feed rate.

Numerous examinations have clearly shown that the traditional

lubrication systems are far from optimal. The proof is found in
analyses of scavenge drain samples where it is demonstrated that
only a very limited portion of the fed-in TBN is used during
each stroke of the engine. This means that either the distribution
of the oil over the surface is inefficient or that the oil dosage locally
is far too high. Most likely it is a combination of both.

The conclusion is valid for all 2-stroke designs (MAN, Wärtsilä

or Mitsubishi) with traditional lubrication systems.

The distribution of lubricant on the liner surface can be accom-

plished in basically two ways: 1) By injecting the oil through the
quill hole and by means of grooves in the liner surface
2) By injecting the oil directly onto the surface as the Wärtsilä
“Pulse Jet” system, Fig. 105 & Fig. 111 or indirectly as in the Fig. 105, Deep honed Wärtsilä liner with
“SIP” system, Fig. 106 & Fig. 111. Irrespectively of the method Pulse Jet lubrication and zig-zag grooves
used the piston rings will of course be responsible for major
vertical but also some of the horizontal distribution.

In case of groove distribution, zig-zag grooves are the best solu-

tion, Fig. 107 & Fig. 111 and could with great advantage be
ground into liners having just holes or horizontal grooving.

A very interesting experiment is the so called 6k-pocket liner

featuring 6000 oil pockets on the running surface presently
undergoing test in RT96C-engines, Fig. 108. The idea is that oil
always is present on the surface irrespective of the distribution
system. To some extent that is also valid for wave cut cylinder
liners as the oil contained in the new machined wave valleys for
a K90MC-engine correspond to the amount dosed over 120 Fig. 106, Wave cut MHI/Wärtsilä liner with
rpm at full load. SIP lubrication and no distribution grooves

54
Fig. 107, Wave cut MAN liner with Alpha lubrication and zig-zag grooves

Fig. 108, Wärtsilä “6k-pocket” liner

55
7. Lubrication and Lubrication Systems

7.2 Lube Oil Systems

The lubrication systems have undergone considerable develop-

ment in recent years.

At present in service in the APMM fleet:

  1. Traditional Hans Jensen rpm regulated lubricators, Fig. 109
  2. Traditional MHI rpm regulated “Rational lubricators”
  3. Traditional Wärtsilä CLU3 power regulated (in higher load
ranges) lubricators Fig. 110
  4. MAN-Alpha lubricators with sulphur & power dependent
lubrication
  5. MAN-Alpha HJ “SIP” lubricators with sulphur & power
dependent regulation
  6. MHI/Hans Jensen “SIP” lubrication rpm regulated
  7. MHI/ECL-SIP lubrication power regulated
  8. MHI/ECL-T lubrication power regulated (both one and
two quill levels)
  9. Wärtsilä “Pulse Jet”, power regulated lubrication
10. Wärtsilä “Pulse Feed”, power regulated lubrication

The first three mentioned systems will not any more be used
in new engines with a few exceptions though, and the remain-
ing will all to different degrees require further sophistication
to cope with optimal injection timing, mode of injection &
fuel quality dependence. It is obvious that the many variants
means that it can’t be taken for granted that all engineers knows
all functionality of any system – so please study the system in
­question carefully. Fig. 111, Oil distribution methods

Fig. 109, Hans Jensen lubricator Fig. 110, CLU3 lubricator

56
8. Trouble Shooting Based on Port Inspections
8.1 Trouble Shooting Chart
In this section, we have prepared a trouble shooting
chart that links the appearance of the liner / piston /
piston rings as seen through the ports with a number
of parameters that govern the condition. The trouble
shooting chart should be read together with the
following text which has references to the previous
pages.
How to use the chart:
You have observed that the rings in certain cylin-
ders have sharp edges. You start your search in one
of the three squared boxes and choose “Adhesive
ring wear”. Follow the arrow. The first question is:
“Liner temp. OK?”. You have not had any alarms, or
you don’t have a temperature sensor, so your answer
is “Yes” and you continue with the next question.
“Liner without scuffing?” you have just checked this,
so “Yes”. Next question “Drains from Air Cooler
OK?”, you are positive that the drains are OK, so
your answer is “yes” and you continue with the next
question.
The next question is: “Piston skirt without scuffing?”.
You have carried out a port inspection and you did
not observe any scuffing. Therefore your answer is
“yes”. You go on to the next question which is also
answered with “yes”, and so on, until you reach the
question: “Lube oil dosage checked, OK?”. You have
not checked every cylinder, so your answer is “no”.
In the squared box, you are advised to read “text”,
points 7 and 9 (page 58), and “Guide” which refer to
the procedure “Cylinder Condition”, page 35. Now
you check the lube oil dosage of each cylinder and
eventually adjust some of the lubricators.
Even though you may have found a possible reason
for the poor cylinder condition and made a correc-
tive action, you continue as indicated. There might
be additional reasons.
8.2 Text to Trouble Shooting Chart
1. The wear edge in top of the liner, at the top dead
centre of the upper piston ring, has to be removed
by a wear edge grinder. If not done properly, there
is the risk that a new installed top ring will ham-
mer against the wear edge of the liner, and the
ring will collapse and blow-by occurs. This will,
eventually, lead to stuck and broken rings (see
page 4).
2. It is most likely that the running surface will be
damaged, when the wear edge of the liner not is
removed with a wear edge grinder. This means
that the new rings can’t be expected to be gastight
and blow-by will lead to stuck and broken rings
(see page 5).
3. If you do not mount the new rings with a stand-
ard tool, you risk overstressing the ring at the
neck or at the ends. After a while, this could cause
breakage of the ring (see page 24).
4. Water condensed in the air coolers or cooling wa-
ter leakages have to be drained. Otherwise, water
droplets will enter the cylinder and destroy the
oil film on the liner and rings. Wear is increased
and scuffing is very likely starting in the bottom
of the liner mainly in the forward/port side of the
cylinder. Thus, it is very important that you check
the drains of each cooler regularly and at least
once a year open up for cleaning (see page 49).
5. Piston skirt scuffing may reach an extent where
debris is spread all over the cylinder leading to
scratching of the rings.
The scuffing, which is the consequence of a mis-
match between piston and liner, could also lead
to local damage of the liner. This leads to scuffing
and/or micro seizure of the rings.
Skirts are often seen with slight scuffing, but
mostly without any further harm to rings and
liner (see page 22).
6. In case of severe scuffing of the piston skirts,
the alignment of the piston in the liner must be
checked. If the scuffing suddenly occurs on old
engines, it is most likely due to loose guide lists.
57
8. Trouble Shooting Based on Port Inspections
  7. Excessive deposits on the piston top land (see
pages 14 & 38) may wipe away the oil film on
the cylinder liner leading to scuffing of the liner
and rings.
The fuel oil sulphur content should be checked
and the dosage set in accordance with the pro-
cedures for sulphur dependent lubrication. (For
sulphur contents below 1 %, see “Procedures”).
If the lube oil dosage is higher than instructed,
the dosage must be reduced to the specified level
(see “Procedures”).
Deposits on the piston top land may also be
a consequence of poor fuel atomization – so
check fuel valves and fuel atomizers.
  8. If the rings are not run-in properly, they will not
be gastight and there is the risk that blow-by will
occur leading to stuck and/or broken rings. The
use of taper-faced or barrel-faced rings will ease
the running-in (see page 34).
A running-in instruction is found in “Proce-
dures”. This instruction must always be followed.
  9. An insufficient lube oil dosage will lead to scuff-
ing of the rings and frequently to blow-by. This
results in stuck and broken rings.
The proper lube oil dosage is stated in “Proce-
dures”. This instruction must always be followed.
10. Adjust the cylinder oil timing in accordance
with the instruction.
Wrong timing may lead to scuffing, blow-by,
high cylinder liner wear rate, stuck or broken
rings.
11. The piston ring grooves must be cleaned prop-
erly before the rings are mounted. This is done
most efficiently by using the special cleaning
tool, Fig. 42 & Fig. 43. If not cleaned, the rings
are prevented from moving in the groove and
the consequence is stuck and/or broken rings
and possible scuffing of the liner where the
diameter is smallest.
58
12. A check of the clearance of ring grooves is
normally carried out to see if the grooves are
worn out. Grooves with a too big clearance lead
to increased liner wear and, in extreme cases, to
stuck and broken rings.
Grooves with a too small clearance will lead the
ring to collapse and consequent breakage.
13. If the liner wear is more than 0.5% of the cyl-
inder diameter, it is very difficult to maintain a
good cylinder condition and it is adviceable to
change the liner rather than accept many piston
overhauls due to stuck and/or broken rings.
Also, scuffing may easily occur.
14. Oval liners or liners with clover leafing will lead
to ring breakage and scuffing. Check the liner
roundness with talcum powder and send the
liner ashore for honing if possible (see pages 7, 9
& 12).
15. Atomizers have to be checked with regular
intervals according to current instructions.
Heavily worn atomizers may lead to prolonged
combustion in the cylinder and possible fuel
sprays hitting the cylinder wall. This will damage
the lube oil film on the running surface of the
liner. The results are scuffing, blow-by, and stuck
and/or broken rings.
If the atomizers are found to be defect, the liner
should be checked for thermal cracks (see page
11).
16. The fuel oil analysis provides information on the
Calculated Carbon Aromaticity Index (CCAI).
If the CCAI number is above 900, combustion
may be delayed to the extent that the oil film
on the liner running surface becomes damaged.
The result is scuffing, stuck and/or broken rings.
In such cases, the lube oil dosage should be
increased.
17. Running the engine with full power and, at the
same time, high scavenging and inlet tempera-
tures will lead to thermal overload of the engine.
If the load is 85% and the sum of scavenging and
inlet temperatures is 75 °C, the thermal load of
the engine is 100%.
It is obvious that the cylinder condition easily
suffers under such circumstances and there is
very little room for mistakes. In extreme cases,
the consequence may be scuffing, sticking and
breakage of the rings. Normally, however, the
high thermal load is a catalyst for other reasons.
An additional high cooling water temperature
will increase the problems.
The cure is reduction of temperatures, particular
the scavenging air temperature. The cooling wa-
ter temperature should, however, not be lower
than 70 °C. The lube oil dosage could temporar-
ily be increased by 25%.
18. If the cooling water temperature exceeds 85
°C, scuffing may occur at high engine load. If
too low, corrosive wear may be the outcome
particularly when running at reduced power for
extended periods.
19. The air intake filter is mounted in order to pre-
vent water and dust/sand from entering the en-
gine room and be sucked into the engine. Dust/
sand is abrasive and will lead to fast wear-out of
the rings and the liner. Perform regularly checks
of the air intake filter to avoid this problem (see
page 48).
20. The best way to remove abrasive particles is to
run the centrifuges in series. Alternatively
­operate at minimum flowrate.
21. Check the fuel filter regularly.
22. If so called “cat-fines” (Al + Si) are present in the
fuel close to or above the limit stated in the Fuel
Oil Specification, special care must be exercised
when centrifuging the fuel (minimum flow
rate).
23. When honing the liner without removing the
piston, great care must be taken to have all
debris from the honing process removed prior
to assembling the cylinder. Otherwise, you will
experience heavy abrasive wear.
24. Cylinder liner temperature sensors situated in
the upper part of the liner are good indicators of
scuffing or that scuffing is likely to occur. Reduce
the load for the cylinder in question.
59
8. Trouble Shooting Based on Port Inspections

57

Abrasive ring wear Adhesive ring wear

With scratches in the ring Sharp edges, possibly dry
surface surfaces wih micro seizure
or friction marks (scuffing)

No
No Liner temp. OK? TEXT 24
Piston skirt
without scuffing? TEXT 5
GUIDE 19 Result
Yes
Result
TEXT 4
Yes Liner without No
Yes scuffing GUIDE 12
Piston alignment
checked, OK?
Yes
GUIDE
No 46
Result
Drain from Air No
TEXT 6
Cooler working
OK?

No Result
Air intake filter
checked? TEXT 19 Yes
GUIDE 44

Result Piston skirt No

Yes without scuffing? TEXT 5
GUIDE 19

Result
Fuel: Al+Si No Yes
content below TEXT 22
limits? GUIDE 47 Yes
Piston alignment
checked, OK?
Result
Yes
No
Result
Centrifuges: No TEXT 6
working in series? TEXT 20

Result
Yes Piston topland No TEXT 7
without excessive GUIDE
deposits? 11 + 35
Fuel filter No
checked, OK? TEXT 21
Result
Yes
Result
Yes
Running-in No
No instruction TEXT 8
Liner honed with followed? GUIDE 31
piston removed? TEXT 23

Result
Yes Yes

No TEXT 7 + 9
Lube oil dosage
GUIDE
checked, OK?
35

Result

Continue next
page

60
 58
Adhesive ring wear Broken and/or
stuck piston rings
Possibly dry with
continued traces of micro seizure

Timing of lubri- No Wear edge No

cators checked, TEXT 10 removed with TEXT 1, 2
OK? cutter? GUIDE 1

Result Result
Yes Yes

No Ring mounted No
Liner wear below
0,5% ? TEXT 13 with standard TEXT 3
tool? GUIDE 21
Result
Yes Result
Yes

Liner nearly No TEXT 14

circular without GUIDE Cleaning of ring No
clover leafing? 4, 6 & 9 grooves TEXT 11
checked? GUIDE 20
Result
Yes Result
Yes

Atomisers No
checked, OK? TEXT 15
GUIDE 8 Clearence in ring No
grooves within TEXT 12
Result limits? GUIDE 18
Yes

No
FUEL CCAI value Yes
below 900 ? TEXT 16

Result
Yes
Result

No

Engine power
below 80%
Yes
Tscav Tinlet No TEXT 17
< 75C ? GUIDE 46

Yes Result

Cooling water No
temp. As TEXT 18
instructed?

Yes

If you have answered all questions ”Yes” then there is no easy explanation of your problem
- contact Technical Service.

61
9. Index 1

9. Index
6k-pocket liner 54, 55 mounting of piston rings 24
abrasive wear 8, 18, 19, 45 nodular cast iron 25, 26
adhesive wear 8, 18, 20, 45 NPR piston rings 28, 29
air coolers 49 oil quills 54
air intake filter 47 piston cleaning 23
alignment of pistons 22 piston cracks 17
alu coating 27, 31, 40, 41 piston overhaul criteria 35
atomizers, influence of 11 piston ring coating peel off 41
barrel shaped piston ring 30 piston ring coatings 26, 27, 29
blending on board (BOB) 53 piston ring collapse 4, 9, 18
blow by 4, 17 piston ring deposits 16
blunt edge graphite iron 26 piston ring geometry 29
broken piston rings 11, 18, 36, 38 piston ring grooves 15, 21
broken piston rings 35, 49 piston ring locks 31
burning of piston crown 16, 17 piston ring materials 25
calcium deposits 15 piston ring mounting 24
cat-fines 50, 51 piston ring profile 30
CCAI 50 piston ring specification 28, 29
cermet coating 26, 31 piston ring wear 32
chrome ceramic coating 26, 27, 39 piston rings 25
chrome coated piston rings 26, 31 piston skirts 22
chrome plating of ring grooves 21 piston top land 15, 38
cleaning of pistons 23 plasma sprayed coating 26, 27
clogged drains 49 polished coke 16, 38
clover leafing 9 port inspection 32
collapsed piston rings 4, 10, 18 pulse jet lubrication 54, 56
corrosive wear 8, 18, 19, 45 p-v diagram 50
CPR piston ring 31 radial piston ring wear 32
cracked cylinder liner 11 rectangular piston ring 30, 34
cupper plating 27 replicas 42
cylinder liner calibration 42 Riken piston rings 28, 29
cylinder liner temperature 46, 49 ring collapse 4, 9, 18
cylinder oils 52 running-in coatings 27
Daros piston rings 28 running-in of piston rings 34
daroseal piston ring lock 31 sand particles 48
deposits on piston crown 14, 15, 38 sand storms 47
deposits on piston ring 16 scuffed chrome ceramic rings 39
dessert sand 47, 48 scuffing 8, 20, 46
drain oil analysis 44 scuffing of cylinder liner 8, 16
electrolytic chrome coating 26, 27 scuffing of piston skirts 22, 37
engine foot print 45 sea water removal 47
engine performance 49 SIP lubrication 54, 56
foot print diagram 45 straight cut ring lock 31
fuel injection, late 50 stuck piston rings 18, 37, 38
fuel oil 50 sulphur dependent feed rate 52
gas tight ring lock 31 tapered piston ring 30, 34
Götze piston rings 28 TBN 9, 46, 52
hammer marks 10 thermal load of components 46, 49
honed surface 9, 14, 54 thermal stability of cylinder oils 52
honing of cylinder liner 12 turbocharger efficiency 49
IMO Nox 50 vermicular cast iron 26
iron content in drain oil 44, 45, 46 water carry-over 49
lacquering 7 water drain 8
left cut piston ring lock 31 wave cut surface 9, 54, 55
liner cracks 11 wear edge 4
lube oil distribution 54 wear edge grinder 6
lube oil dosage 15 wear of ring grooves 21
lubrication systems 54 zig-zag grooves 54, 55

62
63