Experimental Analysis and Optimization of Timing Belt Guide Plate Material on Engine Operational Friction Loss

We focus on the friction loss measurement and reduction of the timing belt guide plates of a fourcylinder gasoline engine. To minimize the friction loss caused by the dynamic friction of the guide plates during timing belt motion and improve the efficiency of the internal combustion engine (ICE), we adopt four different plastic materials in fabricating the guide plates. With controlled engine boundary conditions and operational modes, an AVL electric dynamometer is used to measure the output of the engine. The results indicate that selecting polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as the additive in fabricating the guide plates can effectively reduce the friction loss, so that the output torque and output power of the engine can be improved, thus reducing fuel consumptions. This work also has positive impact on the efficiency optimization of similar ICEs.