An appropriate moment of the fuel injection start is one of the parameters determining the characteristics of fuel flow from the injector and preparation of fuel-air mixture for combustion. However, knowledge of the characteristics of signals controlling the beginning of the injector opening does not provide enough information about the time of the actual fuel injection, which often leads to incorrect conclusions and decisions in relation to the required changes in the map of injection control.
What was undertaken in this research was an attempt to evaluate the delay times of the actual opening of the high-pressure injectors of gasoline in relation to the time of triggering the current control signals opening the solenoid and piezoelectric injectors. The conducted tests take into account the variability of fuel injection pressure and backpressure prevailing in the operational chamber of the engine. To accurately determine the time of actual start of injection, the optical tests analysing the optical image of the tip of the dispenser were used. Such high resolution images were obtained thanks to high-speed filming with a frequency of 250 kHz (Dt = 0.004 ms). Correlation of the results of these analyses with the records of parameters of the fast-varying processes (voltage and current in the injector) allowed determining the times of the electric and hydraulic delay of the injection for piezoelectric and solenoid fuel injectors. Based on a comparison of the results obtained, it was found that the delay time of fuel injection for a piezoelectric injector of gasoline is about 3.5 times shorter than for a solenoid injector. It was also found that for the injection pressure above 10 MPa the delay is constant and does not depend on the pressure of fuel and the medium.
Experimentally obtained results of the injection time delay were a basis to formulate mathematical models describing the delay of the actual fuel injection in relation to the signal controlling the opening of the injectors. These models take into account the dependence of the injector reaction on the injection pressure and the backpressure in the operational chamber of the engine. The correctness of the obtained models is confirmed by high values of the coefficient of determination (above 0.84).