ABSTRACT Frictional losses in internal combustion engines are strongly influenced by mixed lubrication, particularly, at the piston ring–cylinder interface. This study investigates the radial and lateral deformations, as well as the axial twist, of the compression ring and their impact on the lubricant film profile. These deformations affect key tribological parameters such as elastohydrodynamic pressure, friction and lubrication regime. A three‐dimensional fluid–structure interaction (FSI) approach is employed to model the piston ring–cylinder liner tribopair using both synthetic oils and fullerene‐enhanced lubricants. The results demonstrate a significant effect of fullerene nanoparticles on oil rheology and friction reduction. Surface roughness and thermal interactions are incorporated into the model to improve prediction accuracy of lubrication behaviour. The findings provide strong evidence that fullerene‐based additives improve tribological performance and engine efficiency under mixed lubrication conditions.
Tsakiridis et al. (Wed,) studied this question.