Engine Wear Forecasting for Accurate Maintenance Intervals

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for determining the remaining service life of service-life-limiting engine elements in internal combustion engines are unreliable, leading to inaccurate time intervals between maintenance operations, which can result in unnecessary downtime or increased failure risk.

Innovation Solution

A method that identifies wear parameters and assigns parameter values to usage conditions, using regression analysis based on test engine data to establish a functional dependency between usage conditions and wear parameters, allowing for the prediction of remaining service life and maintenance intervals without direct measurement of wear parameters.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If existing methods for determining remaining service life are used, then maintenance time intervals can be specified, but the reliability of service life estimation is poor leading to inaccurate maintenance timing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereliability of service life estimationVSAvoidaccuracy of maintenance time interval

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces direct mechanical measurement of wear parameters with a simulation-based approach. Virtual models of engine components are subjected to simulated operating conditions to predict wear and remaining service life, substituting physical measurement systems with computational methods that achieve higher reliability and accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary simulation and prediction of component wear before actual failure or maintenance is needed. By pre-establishing virtual models and running simulations under various operating conditions, the system predicts remaining service life in advance, enabling accurate maintenance scheduling without waiting for actual wear to manifest.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If direct measurement of wear parameters is performed, then accurate service life prediction is possible, but measurement complexity and cost increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccuracy of wear parameter measurementVSAvoidcomplexity of wear measurement system

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent substitutes complex physical measurement devices with computational simulation models. Instead of installing sensors and measurement equipment to directly measure wear parameters, the system uses virtual models that calculate wear based on simulated operating conditions, dramatically reducing device complexity while maintaining measurement accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates virtual copies (digital twins) of engine components that replicate the behavior and wear characteristics of physical components. These virtual models are subjected to simulated operating conditions to predict wear without needing to physically measure the actual components, simplifying the measurement system while preserving accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Reliability

If conservative maintenance intervals are specified, then failure risk is reduced, but unnecessary downtime and maintenance costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefailure risk reductionVSAvoidmaintenance downtime

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary prediction of remaining service life through simulation before maintenance is actually needed. By accurately forecasting when components will reach their wear limits, the system schedules maintenance precisely when it becomes necessary, avoiding both premature maintenance (unnecessary downtime) and delayed maintenance (failure risk).

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent establishes a feedback loop where simulation results from virtual models are continuously compared with actual operating conditions. This feedback mechanism refines the accuracy of remaining service life predictions over time, enabling increasingly precise maintenance scheduling that optimizes the balance between failure risk reduction and minimizing unnecessary downtime.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS11441480B2Method for operating an internal combustion engine, control device, and internal combustion engine

Publication Date: 2022.09.13 ROLLS ROYCE SOLUTIONS GMBH

AI summary

A method for operating an internal combustion engine with a motor, having a moving machine part and at least one machine element which retains the moving machine part and is subject to wear, such as, for example, a supporting, sealing, guiding or the like retaining machine element that is subject to wear during operation relative to the moving machine part, which machine element, because of the wear, is service-life-limiting for the operation of the internal combustion engine, wherein—for the operation of the internal combustion engine, a service-life-limiting time interval until the next maintenance of the internal combustion engine is specified, and—the internal combustion engine has a number of service-life-limiting machine elements, wherein for the at least one service-life-limiting machine element a remaining service life is forecast and the service-life-limiting time interval is determined therefrom.