The present application claims priority under 35 USC 119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-001079 filed on Jan. 6, 2011 the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a crankshaft support structure.
2. Description of Background Art
Light alloy crankcases use bushings in order to increase the strength of a holding portion of bearings supporting a crankshaft in the crankcases.
A cast-iron outer bushing is known that is integrated by enveloped casting with an aluminum-alloy crankcase having a thick bushing holding portion and a steel inner bushing press-fitted in the outer bushing. Moreover, a ball bearing is press-fitted in the inner bushing. The bushings with this construction are held firmly, and the thermal expansion of the crankcase is prevented from affecting the ball bearing. See, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-184648.
In addition, in another conventional example, a bushing provided with protruding portions, each having a flange portion, in multiple locations on its circumference is integrated by enveloped casting with an aluminum-alloy crankcase to thereby increase the coupling strength between the crankcase and the bushing. See, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-203581.
The bushing holding portion of the crankcase in a conventional crankcase must have a large thickness in order for the bushing to be held firmly on the crankcase. Thus, the crankcase tends to have a large weight. Moreover, in a case where the thickness of the bushing holding portion is large and the bushing holding strength of the crankcase is large, the thermal expansion of the crankcase affects the ball bearing.
According to the present invention, the holding strength of a crankcase for a bushing is increased; the crankcase has a smaller weight; and the thermal expansion of the crankcase is prevented from affecting a bearing.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a crankshaft support structure including a bushing (53) for reinforcing a holding portion where a bearing member (35) is held on a crankcase (20), the bearing member (35) supporting a crankshaft (28) rotatably on the crankcase (20), the crankshaft support structure includes an outer circumferential surface (53a) of the bushing (53) which is insert-cast in the crankcase (20) with a cylindrical shape, and many small protrusions (54) each having a constricted portion (55) are formed on the outer circumferential surface (53a).
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the shape of the bushing (53) before the insert-casting of the crankcase (20) is a bilaterally-symmetrical cylindrical shape.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a thickness (Tc) of a bushing holding portion (62) of the crankcase (20) is made smaller than a radial thickness (Tb) of the bushing (53).
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a thickness (Tc) of a bushing holding portion (62) of the crankcase (20) is made not larger than ½ of a radial thickness (Tb) of the bushing (53).
According to an embodiment of the present invention, an outer circumferential portion of a lateral surface of the bushing (53) is formed by insert-casting in advance, and after the casting is complete, a step portion (64) for managing a gap to an oil supply plate (63) is formed in the outer circumferential portion of the lateral surface by a machining process.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the number of cylinders or a crank stroke is appropriately set such that an outside diameter of the bushing (53) is equal to an outside diameter of a cylinder liner (68) of an internal combustion engine.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a height of each of the protrusions (54) is made to be 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm, and a diameter of a top of the protrusion (54) is made to be 0.5 to 1.0 mm.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the coupling strength of the casting to the crankcase (20) can be improved.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, no limitation is imposed on the orientation in which the bushing (53) is mounted in a mold at the time of casting. Accordingly, the productivity of the crankcase (20) is improved.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the coupling strength can be secured even when the radial thickness (Tc) of the bushing holding portion (62) is small. Accordingly, the crankcase (20) can have a smaller weight.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the bushing holding portion (62) is reduced to ½, thereby reducing the force which the thermal expansion of the crankcase (20) exerts on the bushing (53) in the direction of the expansion. This prevents a change in interference (66) between the bushing (53) and the ball bearing (35), and thus maintains a stable bearing gap (67). Accordingly, the durability and quietness of the bearing (35) can be improved.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, after the casting of the lateral portion of the bushing (53) is complete, the step portion (64) for managing the gap to the oil supply plate (63) is formed in the lateral portion by the machining process. Accordingly, the lateral portion can be accurately formed by the machining process.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a raw material of the cylinder liner (68) on which the many small protrusions (54) having the constricted portions (55) are formed may be created. This raw material can be cut into a circular slice and used as a raw material of the bushing (53). Thus, an apparatus for exclusively casting bushings is no longer needed, improving the productivity. Accordingly, a cost reduction is possible.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, each protrusion (54) is formed into a shape with a limited height and width. Thus, many protrusions (54) can be arranged densely even in a case of a relatively small bushing (53). Accordingly, variations in attachment strength can be prevented, and thereby the coupling strength of the casting can be made stable.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
a) to 6(h) are diagrams showing a process of manufacturing of the bushing having small protrusions and a process of enveloped casting with a crankcase;
A power unit 5 of this motorcycle 1 is hung across power-unit hanging brackets (unillustrated) provided to the rear frames, through a hanger 6 (
The shell of the internal combustion engine 15 is formed of a crankcase 20, as well as a cylinder block 21, a cylinder head 22, and a cylinder-head cover 23 which are coupled to a front portion of the crankcase 20 from the front in this order. The internal combustion engine 15 is a rocker-arm type, overhead-valve, four-stroke-cycle, single-cylinder, water-cooled internal combustion engine. A throttle body 26 is attached to an inlet pipe 25 attached to an intake port in an upper side of the cylinder head 22. Further, a rear side of the throttle body 26 is connected to the air cleaner 12 (
The left half of the power unit 5 in
The gear reducer 18 is provided in a rear part of the V-belt type continuously variable transmission 17. The input shaft of the gear reducer 18 is the same as the driven shaft 30. The rear axle 10 having the rear wheel 11 (
The crankshaft 28 is rotatably supported by a left ball bearing 35L and a right ball bearing 35R which are supported on the crankcase 20L and the crankcase 20R, respectively. A piston 36 is slidably fitted in a cylinder bore 37 formed in a cylinder liner 24 provided inside the cylinder block 21. The piston 36 is connected to a crankpin 39 of the crankshaft 28 by a connecting rod 38. Reciprocating the piston 36 will rotationally drive the crankshaft 28. A combustion chamber 40 facing the upper surface of the piston 36 is formed at the bottom of the cylinder head 22A. A spark plug 41 is mounted to the cylinder head 22 at such a posture as to tilt leftward from the center axis of the cylinder bore 37.
The drive pulley 29 of the V-belt type continuously variable transmission 17 is provided at the left extended portion of the crankshaft 28. A cam-chain drive sprocket 42 is formed adjacent to the right ball bearing 35R of the crankshaft 28, and has a cam chain 43 wound therearound.
An AC generator 44 is provided at a right extended portion of the crankshaft 28. An AC-generator stator 45 is attached and fixed to an AC-generator attachment 46 attached to the right crankcase 20R. An AC-generator rotor 47 is fixed to the right end of the crankshaft 28 and rotates together with the crankshaft 28. A centrifugal-radiator cooling fan 48 is provided on a right side of the AC-generator rotor 47. A radiator 50 is attached to a right side of the centrifugal-radiator cooling fan 48 with a radiator holding member 49 therebetween. A right side of the radiator 50 is covered with a radiator cover 51 having cooling air passages therein.
In
a) to 6(h) are diagrams showing a process of manufacturing of the bushing 53 having the protrusions 54 and a process of insert-casting with the crankcase 20. Manufacturing steps will be sequentially described using this diagram.
a) A mold 56 (die) constituting a centrifugal casting machine and having a cylindrical inner circumferential surface is supported rotatable about the axis of a cylindrical shaft inside the cylindrical space. This mold 56 includes a rotationally drive part. A facing 57 is applied on the inner circumferential surface of the mold 56 while rotating the mold 56 at a centrifugal acceleration of 25 G to 35 G by using the drive part. This facing 57 is a suspension in which diatomite, bentonite, a release agent, a surfactant, and water are mixed in a predetermined ratio, for example, and is applied into a thickness of 1.0 to 1.5 mm.
b) Bubbles 58 are generated inside the coating of the facing 57.
c) The bubbles 58 grow gradually. The far side of each bubble 58 comes into contact with the mold by the pressure of the bubble 58. The facing 57 is pushed at the inner surface by the pressures of the bubbles 58 and therefore swollen.
d) As the bubbles 58 grow further, the portions of the facing 57 pushed and swollen by the bubbles 58 break, and air 58a jets therefrom.
e) Once the jetting ends, the facing 57 pushed and stretched by the bubbles tries to contract and return to its original shape. However, since the solidification of the facing 57 has already started, the portions having had the bubbles 58 remain inside the facing 57 as small cavities, and the jetting holes remain unclosed against the effect of the contraction of the facing 57. As a result, the cavities become small recessed holes 59.
f) After the facing 57 is solidified, the atmosphere inside the mold 56 is replaced with an atmosphere of an inert gas such as argon gas. Then, a cast-iron melt 60 which will become a bushing is introduced into the mold 56 while rotating the mold 56 at a centrifugal acceleration of 100 G to 135 G The cast-iron melt 60 enters and fills the recessed holes 59 in the facing.
g) After the cast-iron melt 60 is solidified, the mold 56 is removed, and blasting is performed to remove the facing 57, whereby a bushing 53 is taken out as a raw material. On the outer circumferential surface of the bushing 53, the shapes of the recessed holes 59 in the facing 57 are transferred, forming many protrusions 54. A height H of each protrusion 54 is made to be 0.5 to 1.5 mm. A diameter D of the top of the protrusion 54 is made to be 0.5 to 1.0 mm. Each individual protrusion 54 has a shape including a constricted portion 55. With this bushing 53 held by a clamp mechanism, the inner circumferential surface and both side surfaces thereof are subjected to machine finishing and both corners of the outer circumferential surface are subjected to chamfering.
h) The bushing 53 subjected to the above processes is placed inside a crankcase-casting mold, and an aluminum-alloy melt 61 is introduced into this mold. Once the aluminum-alloy melt 61 is solidified, there is obtained a crankcase 20 enveloping the bushing therein. The aluminum-alloy melt 61 enters between the protrusions 54 having the constricted portions 55 and solidifies there. Accordingly, the bushing 53 is held firmly on the formed crankcase 20.
In addition, the thickness of the bushing holding portion 62 is reduced to ½ in a case where the radial thickness Tc of the bushing holding portion 62 of the crankcase 20 is made not larger than ½ of the radial thickness Tb of the bushing 53. Such reduction can reduce the force which the thermal expansion of the crankcase 20 exerts on the bushing in the direction of the expansion.
In the bushing of each embodiment described above, each protrusion 54 is formed into a shape with a limited height and width by setting the height of the protrusion 54 is made to be 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm and the diameter of the top of the protrusion 54 is made to be 0.5 to 1.0 mm. Thus, many protrusions 54 can be arranged densely even in a case of a relatively small bushing 53. Accordingly, variations in attachment can be prevented, and thereby the coupling strength of casting can be made stable.
As described above in detail, the embodiments provide the following advantageous effects.
(1) The bushing 53 includes the many small protrusions 54 each having the constricted portion 55. Thus, the coupling strength of the casting to the crankcase 20 can be improved.
(2) The bushing 53 before the insert-casting of the crankcase 20 has a bilaterally symmetrical cylindrical shape. Thus, no limitation is imposed on the orientation in which the bushing 53 is mounted in a mold at the time of casting. Accordingly, the productivity of the crankcase 20 is improved.
(3) The coupling strength between the crankcase 20 and the bushing 53 can be secured. Thus, the crankcase 20 can have a smaller weight with a small radial thickness Tc of the bushing holding portion 62.
(4) The bushing holding portion 62 is capable of elastic deformation in a case where the thickness of the bushing holding portion 62 of the crankcase 20 is made not larger than ½ of the radial thickness Tb of the bushing 53. This can reduce the force which the thermal expansion of the crankcase 20 exerts on the bushing 53 in the direction of the expansion. This prevents a change in interference 66 between the bushing 53 and the ball bearing 35, and thus maintains a stable bearing gap 67. Accordingly, the durability of the ball bearing 35 can be improved.
(5) After the casting is complete, the step portion 64 for managing the gap to the oil supply plate 63 is formed by the machining process. Accordingly, the lateral portion can be accurately formed by the machining process.
(6) When the outside diameter of the bushing 53 and the outside diameter of the cylinder liner 68 is made equal, a raw material of the cylinder liner (68) on which the many small protrusions (54) having the constricted portions (55) are formed may be created, and this raw material can be cut into a circular slice and used as a raw material of the bushing (53). Thus, an apparatus for exclusively casting bushings is no longer needed, improving the productivity. Accordingly, cost reduction is possible.
(7) The height of each protrusion 54 is made to be 0.5 to 1.5 mm. The diameter of the top of the protrusion 54 is made to be 0.5 to 1.0 mm. Thus, the coupling strength of the casting can be made stable with a relatively small bushing 53.
The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2011-001079 | Jan 2011 | JP | national |