INSTANTANEOUS FRICTION INDICATOR FOR RECIPROCATING INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES AND METHOD FOR CALCULATING INSTANTANEOUS FRICTION
An apparatus and method for calculating the total instantaneous frictional torque in an operating internal combustion engine. The apparatus includes a central processing unit which receives inputs from a first sensor which measures the angular velocity of the engine and a second sensor which measures the gas pressure within a cylinder of the engine. The central processing unit executes a stored program which operates on the outputs from the first and second sensors, the known instantaneous inertia torques of the rotating and reciprocating masses of the engine and the instantaneous torque of the load on the engine and generates an output to an indicator to provide an indication of the total instantaneous frictional torque in the engine.