Optimal Stroke Path for Reciprocating Heat Engines

Figure 10

Sensitivity of reduction in frictional losses to maximum piston acceleration. Ordinate is dynamic frictional losses for conventional piston motion relative to that for optimal piston motion, for internally dissipative friction. Abscissa is maximum piston acceleration relative to its maximum value for the conventional trajectory. The two curves are for different frictional exponents m and show the marked dependence on m.