Ostwald ripening: a decisive cause of cylinder corrosive wear

Acids formed from fuel combustion and lubricating oil breakdown can promote corrosive engine wear. Using capillary video-microcopy to investigate the neutralization of sulfuric acid droplets by overbased additives in lubricating oil, we have found that the Ostwald ripening of acid droplets may be a decisive factor of corrosive wear because it prolongs the lifetime of larger acid droplets. This finding provides a new understanding of how acids corrode engine parts, and in particular, why the most corrosive engine wear often occurs at piston top dead center, and may lead to new strategies for engine designs and lubricating oil additives.