Wear's issues on high-pressure common rail pumps

Abstract

High-pressure pumps are the most important components of modern fuel injection systems. A modern system is the common rail one, equipping vehicles with a diesel or a gasoline engine. Depending on the fuel type, the design of the pumps is completely different, and it is more complex for diesel engines that are more prone to wear. The components subjected to wear are those in contact and continuous motion like drive shaft with roller and shoe, plunger and hydraulic head assembly with valves. Wear is initiated as a result of a process and product deviations or inadequate exploitation of the high-pressure pump. The factors influencing the wear can be improper material hardness, improper coating, incomplete or wrong machining, wrong clearance or misalignment between components, inadequate surface finish, dimensions out of tolerances, wrong assembly process, poor lubrication, contamination or running at high loads and temperatures. Our paper aims to identify, describe and discuss the types of wear encountered at common rail high-pressure pumps, highlighting the effects on their functionality. The wear occurrence can be prevented by paying more attention to the design details, manufacturing processes and correct exploitation of the high-pressure pumps.