An application of early fault detection for the crankshaft and piston of an internal combustion engine

Internal combustion engines are made of many moving components that are subjected to high inertia and combustion loads. Crankshaft bearing and piston-cylinder walls work under hydrodynamic lubrication conditions. Any failure at those bearing may cause severe damage on the engine. Acceleration measurement on the cylinder block and cylinder was effectively used for early detection of failure in hydrodynamic lubrication. Inspection of the crankshaft and piston components after the test clearly shows that metal-to-metal contact occurred during the test and real-time acceleration signal analysis can help to early detection of the problem.