REASONS FOR WEAR OF PLUNGER PAIRS AND INCREASING THEIR DURABILITY DUE TO THE USE OF BIOFUEL

Increasing the resource of various equipment units and assemblies has always been a priority task that allows not only to extend the service life of the equipment but also to avoid costs associated with its repair and downtime. The relevance of this work lies in the fact that a significant part of the equipment used for agricultural production is equipped with diesel engines. The fuel system of these engines is the most complex, expensive, and responsible unit. The reliability of its operation determines the power, economic, and environmental performance of the equipment that uses diesel engines. An analysis of tractor engine failures revealed that 30-50% of all failures are due to the fuel equipment. This is due to the low reliability of diesel engine fuel equipment under operating conditions. Therefore, manufacturers of precision parts aim to increase the resource of these parts. The goal is formulated to establish the relationship between the causes of wear and the impact on the resource using biodiesel fuel and to set the main research tasks that require establishing a cause-and-effect relationship between different types of wear and the resource of plunger pairs. The object of research is the surfaces of plunger pairs in the environment of biodiesel fuel. The main research methods based on chemotology, tribology, physico-chemical, and operational properties of fuel and lubricants, elements of reliability theory are considered. Factors affecting the wear resistance of plunger pairs are examined, including fuel contamination with mechanical particles, increased water content in the fuel, and the impact of elastic deformations during the installation of new plunger pairs in the high-pressure pump. The two main factors affecting the wear of plunger pairs are highlighted, one of which cannot be influenced by operational measures, while the other can be changed by using alternative fuel. A scientific hypothesis within this topic is formulated. The results of the initiative research work 0122U002187 are presented in this scientific paper.