What did the creators of the motor, laureates of the German Future Prize, offer? Starting their research, Horst Linder and Robert Quitsch least of all thought about eternity: they set out to increase the efficiency of engines. To do this, they were looking for new ways to reduce friction between the piston rings and the cylinder walls. After honing, microscopic grooves remain in them, in which the oil is retained. Thanks to this, it does not drain into the crankcase and does its job. But honing has flaws. The shift of the surface layer of the metal during the processing “lubricates” the inclusion of carbon and does not allow it to absorb the lubricant: the cylinder loses additional “oil reservoirs”.
Linder and Quitsh suggested finishing the cylinder mirror with powerful pulses of an ultraviolet laser. In this case, the thinnest layer of metal instantly evaporates and the very carbon cells open. But at the same time, as it turned out, cast iron melts to a depth of about 1 μm and 16–18% nitrogen is introduced into the surface layer from the resulting metal plasma. The result is a nanocrystalline structure that is not inferior to ceramics in terms of wear resistance and corrosion resistance.
But that is not all. When the engine is running, the outermost 150-200 nm of the cylinder surface is transformed into an even finer structure with superplastic properties, which is almost impossible to detach from which. This phenomenon, essentially revolutionary in tribology (the science of friction), was called the effect of self-conditioning.
It's time to turn to test reports. An ordinary motor “eats” at a stand 20-50 g of oil per hour. Laser-treated - only 9 g. And the wear of the cylinder and piston rings decreased by … 90%!
