Abstract
In order to understand the stress distribution in the piston pin-boss under an engine operating condition, a new thin-film sensor was developed to measure the oil-film pressure in pin-bosses. The sensor has a φ0.45 mm sensing part and 7 μm in total thickness was deposited by sputtering on the piston pin surface. This kind of sensor has already succeeded in measuring the oil-film pressure distribution in engine bearings. However, the result is affected by the high temperature in the piston pin, and especially by the temperature dependence of sensor sensitivity. To obtain stable characteristics, nitride films were applied as protection and insulation films. This paper presents the new sensor structure and measurement results.
