Comparative evaluation of diagnostics of electronic control systems of gasoline and diesel engines by acoustic parameters

Introduction. An internal combustion engine is a complex unit, the performance of which is closely related to the functionality of various control systems, in particular electronic ones. Failures in electronic control systems cause disruption of the normal engine operation, rendering it into a limited function mode. Acoustic noises emitted by the engine during various operating conditions can be used as a parameter for engine diagnostics and malfunction identification. The article presents the results of theoretical and experimental studies comparing acoustic diagnostic methods for electronic control systems of gasoline and diesel internal combustion engines.

Materials and methods. Improving the powertrains of modern transport and technological vehicles has been and remains an urgent task. One of the vectors to achieve this goal is the use of automated control and monitoring systems for internal combustion engine operation based on the application of electronic and microprocessor technologies. Thanks to the use of such systems, the efficiency of the internal combustion engine is increased significantly. However, the complexity and design features of these systems increase the possibility of potential engine malfunctions connected with their failures. As a result, there is a need to develop and implement various diagnostic methods. The proposed assessment of the functionality of such electronic systems based on acoustic signals emitted by the engine is one of the ways of operational technical control. The recording of noise characteristics is carried out by a portable sound recorder, which is further processed and analyzed with the use of specialized software. The simplicity and application speed of the method are the advantage in comparison with other traditional diagnostic methods, especially in the field conditions, directly in the places where vehicles are used. The authors of the article previously conducted the experimental assessment of the application possibility of acoustic diagnostics to the functionality of gasoline engine electronic systems. This article presents the results of the same method use on diesel engine and provides a comparative evaluation of the results. The object of the study is a diesel engine, which is part of the GNFA training stand. The stand is designed to study electronic control systems for diesel engines. The capabilities of the stand make it possible to set various malfunctions of electronic systems by opening the electrical circuit in the fuse box, thereby causing a complete engine failure or switching its operation to a limited mode. The authors of the article measured and analyzed the acoustic parameters of the engine in various modes of limited operation and compared them with the noise parameters of the internal combustion engine in normal operation.

Results. Various kinds of malfunctions of electronic control systems of the diesel internal combustion engine have been analyzed. Three engine operating states have been identified: normal operation mode of the engine; inoperative (engine does not start); limited operation mode of the engine.

The analysis and comparison of acoustic parameters of the diesel engine operation under these conditions were carried out, with the subsequent substantiation of the rules for identifying electronic system malfunctions by spectral decomposition of the noise background. A comparative assessment was made based on the results of studies on gasoline and diesel engines.

Discussion and conclusion. The results of the study can become the scientific basis for the method of fast technical monitoring of the internal combustion engine operational condition of modern transport and technological vehicles by acoustic assessment of the performance of electronic control systems.

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