Just from normal friction and vibration. This may be more pronounced in worn cylinders or worn piston ring grooves. If the cylinder compression is ok, then it shouldn't be a problem.
End gaps, or ring gap
The ridges between the ring grooves of a piston are called lands. They play a crucial role in sealing combustion gases and transferring heat between the piston and cylinder wall.
Generally in grooves near the top of the piston. The compression rings, near the top and the oil rings at the bottom of the top. The ring gaps are staggered.
It is a spring metal sleeve that goes over a piston to compress the rings so that the piston can be install in the motor. It tightens down on the piston, forcing the rings into the grooves in the piston then you tap it into the cylinder.
Piston crown is the top, skirt is the side below the ring lands (ring grooves). The as you say, the skirt often has cut aways to clear the counterwieghts on the crankshaft.
As the piston moves up and down in the cylinder it also moves the piston rings up and down in the grooves. With the rings moving up and down it gradually increases the side clearence. Material is taken off from both the piston groove and the ring.
To change the piston ring on a Contact Point TMX 155, first remove the cylinder head and cylinder by loosening the bolts and carefully lifting them off. Next, take out the old piston ring by gently expanding it and sliding it off the piston. Install the new piston ring by aligning it with the piston grooves and ensuring the gap is positioned opposite the connecting rod. Finally, reassemble the cylinder and head, ensuring all components are secure before testing the engine.
Not sure what you mean by 'grooves' but if you're talking about the ring grooves circumferentially around the sides of the piston, they are intended to locate and position the rings. Rings are the devices that attempt to form a seal around the piston and cylinder to contain the pressure generated by combustion. Since the size of the piston as well as the cylinder changes with changes in temperature the seal must be of a variable circumference. It must also be able to change as it moves up and down the cylinder which will vary in circumference from top to bottom (machining is not perfect and wear changes circumference as well). The ring is elastic and expands/contracts into and out of the ring groove to accommodate these differences in circumference from one part of the cylinder to another.
Buy a small universal piston retractor from an auto supply shop (square in shape with strange different shapes coming out of it) find the correct side of the tool, the one that best fits the grooves on the piston. Attach the piston retractor tool to your ratchet Rotate the piston back into the caliper as you would with a bolt or screw.
The grooves on the tool will lock into the grooves on the piston of the wheel cylinder and turn to rewind.
On the outside of a piston near its top are two or more grooves that hold steel piston rings. The piston rings are used to form a seal between the piston and the cylinder. The material between the ring grooves is often called the ring lands.