OPTIMIZATION OF MECHANICAL LOSSES IN RECIPROCATING AIR COMPRESSOR WITH CYLINDER CONSISTING OF ALUMINUM ALLOY

Transport is largely dependent on oil because the majority of transport vehicles are propelled by engines combusting petroleum products-hydrocarbon fuels. This particularly relates to road, air and water transport. Power losses in the internal combustion engines and other reciprocating machines are mainly engaged to overcome friction. If using aluminum alloys for producing of piston and cylinders in engines and compressors, the results are lower fuel consumption and exhaust emission, firstly because of lower weight and mechanical losses, too. The problems are poor tribological characteristics and lower strength of unprotected aluminum comparing with gray cast iron. For research purposes, the inner surface of cylinder which was produced of aluminum was reinforced by integrating tribological inserts. In this paper, the tribological properties of ferrous based reinforcements were analyzed and compared with aluminum alloy as a base material for cylinder liner and piston skirt in air brake compressor. The ball-on-plate CSM tribometer was used to carry out these tests under dry sliding conditions. In addition to tribological, have carried out and testing of experimental reciprocating compressor on the bench, in the laboratory for engines and compressors in Faculty of Engineering in Kragujevac.