MAIN ENGINE PISTON RING/LINER INSPECTION

Through Scavenge Ports: Interval: Inspection of M/E cylinder liner / piston rings should be carried out every 1,000~1500 hrs. What to check? Piston Crown:

Leakage water in piston bowl. Traces of un-burnt FO. Signs of burning away. Carbon deposits no deposits, light, excessive, thick but worn and polished bright, due to rubbing. Discoloration of the crown due to local burning of fuel. Vertical hairline cracks around 1st & 2nd piston ring grooves, which may further aggravate.

Piston Rings:

Movement of piston rings - loose, sluggish or sticking. Percentage contact (especially for new rings). Machining marks still visible. Condition intact, position of the point of breakage, missing. If during piston ring inspection any ring is found broken please carry out overhaul of the unit. The tension in the piston rings should be checked by pressing it with a wooden batten. Surface Condition - smooth (mirror surface), scratched by hard abrasive particles, colour - black (partly/overall), exfoliation (tendency to peel of flakes) and/or if signs of micro seizures (local, overall, old, still active).

Surface Profile barrel shaped/flat. Edges curved edges, sharp burrs. Measurement of ring gap for ascertaining the extent of radial wear. This may be impractical at times if the butt is covered by the scavenge port ribs. The radius of the contour of the piston ring at the bottom can be a valuable guide to assess the wear on the piston ring. A file test can be conducted by making a horizontal scratch mark, to determine whether surface is hardened due to microseizure. At the time of inspection if any piston ring is found broken the office must be immediately notified and broken ring replaced.

Piston Skirt: Rubbing band any rubbing marks, still sticking proud? Rubbing marks on the skirt. Securing nuts/lockings in place.

Cylinder Liner:

Honing marks still visible? Surface condition of cylinder liner vertical hard contact rubbing marks, scuffing, corrosion, signs of water leakage past lubricator quills, wear ridges if any? Oil film normal, too much, too dry, very dry, black oil. (Prior to inspection lubricator should not be run) Signs of blow-past. Clover-leafing. Liner seals are holding well. Visual inspection of the liner from scavenge ports is normally limited to the bottom half of the liner only.

Piston Rod: Running surface smooth with a mirror finish, oil film, signs of wear especially visible where the stuffing box ring travel ends, scratch marks if any?
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Piston Rod Stuffing Box: Check the butt clearance of the top ring. This will give some indication of the wear on the rings. Check the garter spring of the top scraper ring. Check for any traces of brass on the piston rod.

Telescopic Pipe Stuffing Boxes: Check the butt clearance of the top ring. This will give some indication of the wear on the rings. Check the garter spring of the top scraper ring. Check for any traces of brass on the piston rod.

Scavenge Box/Receiver:

Sludge build-up normal/excessive. Stuffing box and under piston space drain lines are clear. Flaps/non-return valve condition.

Documentation: The above findings should be recorded in the engine makers form and relevant entries should also be made in the PMS.

During Piston Overhauls: At the time of each overhaul the following points to be noted: Running surface of cylinder liner to be checked carefully for wear ridge formations on upper and lower parts of the cylinder liner and ground off smoothly. Care should be taken to prevent inadvertent grinding off of the liner sealing surface also. Ensure normal flow of cylinder oil from all the lubricator quills.

Sharp edges on the scavenge ports should be rounded off as per Makers guidelines. Piston rings and cylinder liners to be calibrated as per Co. policies. Makers maximum permissible limits to be strictly adhered to. Needle guns, used for removing excessive deposits from the liner surface, should not damage the sealing gasket landing area. Piston ring butts to be staggered. Generous quantity of LO to be used on piston ring/rod surfaces. Soft iron gaskets to be smeared with anti-seize compound or as per Makers instructions. All the systems should be tried out for leaks and engine tried out thoroughly to prevent M/E stoppages.

Engine performance: Performance of the engine should be assessed, as often as necessary and at least once a month, using DPA . If any abnormality such as reduction in compression pressure is found, it is advisable to carry out an inspection of the cylinder liner and piston rings through scavenge ports at the first convenient port.