1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to pistons for internal combustion engines and more particularly to pistons made of steel.
2. Related Art
In their continuing efforts to improve power production and fuel efficiency, many engine manufactures are incorporating advanced technologies such as direct injection, turbo-chargers and super-chargers into their gasoline-fueled engines. Often, these and other advanced technologies improve the engine's performance by increasing the pressures and temperatures of combustion within the engine's cylinder bore. However, conventional aluminum pistons may not be able to perform adequately in these increased temperatures and pressures. In order to withstand and perform at the increased combustion temperatures and pressures, some piston manufacturers have taken to using steel to make their pistons. In order to cool their steel pistons, many piston manufacturers incorporate one or more oil galleries into their piston bodies to retain a cooling oil at or near the upper crown portions of their piston bodies.
An aspect of the present invention provides for a piston for an internal combustion engine. The piston includes a one piece piston body fabricated of steel and including a crown portion, a pair of diametrically opposed skirt portions depending from the crown portion and a pair of pin boss panels. The crown portion has an upper combustion surface, a lower surface with an undercrown surface area and an outer annular ring belt with at least one ring groove. The pin boss panels depend from the crown portion and extend in spaced relationship with one another between the skirt portions. Each pin boss panel includes a pin boss with a pin bore, and the pin bores are aligned with one another for receiving and supporting a wrist pin to a connect the piston body with a connecting rod. Each pin boss panel also has at least one recess located vertically between the associated one of the pin bores and the crown portion to increase the undercrown surface area. During operation of an engine, the increased undercrown surface area allows for improved cooling of the crown portion by providing a larger surface for receiving a jet of cooling oil which extracts heat from the crown portion.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the recess between the pin boss and the crown portion is a window to further increase the undercrown surface area and provide for further improved cooling of the crown portion during operation of the engine.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, each pin boss panel includes a pair of side windows disposed adjacent to the window to still further increase the undercrown surface area and provide for even further improved cooling of the crown portion during operation of the engine.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, each of the skirt portions is generally trapezoidal in shape with the narrow dimension of the trapezoid being integrally connected with the ring belt of the crown portion. This provides for an additional increase in the undercrown surface area by exposing a greater length of a lower surface of the ring belt to the cooling oil and provides for still further improved cooling of the crown portion during operation of the engine.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, each of the skirt portions has a stiffening rib with an increased thickness which extends substantially between the pin boss panels and is located vertically at or below a pin bore axis that extends through the aligned pin bores. The stiffening ribs allow the skirt portions to have very thin walls and also have sufficient rigidity to withstand high combustion loads and to distribute the skirt loads.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, a first exemplary embodiment of a piston for an internal combustion engine is generally shown in
Referring still to
The piston body 20 also includes a pair of diametrically opposed skirt portions 34 which extend downwardly from the ring belt 28 of the crown portion 24. The skirt portions 34 of the exemplary embodiment are generally trapezoidal in shape with a narrower dimension at the upper end, which is integrally connected with the ring belt 28, and a wider dimension at the lower end. During operation of the engine, having the narrow dimension at the upper end increases the undercrown surface area of the crown portion 24 by exposing a greater length of the bottom of the ring belt 28 to the jet of cooling oil, thereby increasing the transfer of heat from the crown portion 24 to the cooling oil. In the first exemplary embodiment of the piston body 20, the narrower upper end of each skirt portion 34 blends generally smoothly with the outer wall surface of the ring belt 28 of the crown portion 24.
The piston body 20 further includes a pair of pin boss panels 36 which depend from the crown portion 24 and extend downwardly therefrom. The pin boss panels 36 are spaced from one another and extend in a generally linear fashion between adjacent ends, or edges, of the skirt portions 34. A pin boss 38 extends through each of the pin boss panels 36, and each pin boss 38 has a pin bore 40. The pin bores 40 are aligned with one another along a pin bore axis A for receiving and supporting a wrist pin (not shown) to couple the piston body 20 with a connecting rod (not shown) in an internal combustion engine. As shown in
The vertical distance between the upper combustion surface 26 on the crown portion 24 and the pin bore axis A, a measurement which is commonly known as compression height HC, is preferably in the range of 25 to 35% of the outer diameter D of the piston body 20. As such, the piston body 20 is very low profile as compared to many conventional pistons. The lack of any cooling galleries, which are found on many conventional steel pistons, contributes to the low profile of the piston body 20 of the first exemplary embodiment. Additionally, the thickness of the crown portion 24 is preferably in the range of 5 to 10% of the compression height HC, the lower length of the skirt portion 34 (the distance from the bottom of the skirt to the pin bore axis A) is preferably in the range of 50 to 60% of the compression height HC, and at least one of the lands 32 in the ring belt 28 preferably has a height in the range of 2 to 5% of the compression height HC.
Referring still to
As best shown in
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
The use of steel allows the piston bodies 20, 120, 220, 320 of the above-discussed embodiments to perform in higher combustion pressures and temperatures as compared to aluminum piston bodies and also for higher pin boss loading and smaller wrist pins. The use of steel also allows for thinner walls, and as such, the masses of the exemplary steel piston bodies 20, 120, 220, 320 are comparable to aluminum pistons. Unlike conventional steel pistons, the steel piston bodies 20, 120, 220, 320 of the exemplary embodiments do not have any oil galleries. Rather than with cooling galleries, the needed cooling is achieved by the high undercrown surface area to receive a jet of cooling oil. The lack of cooling galleries also allows the piston bodies 20, 120, 220, 320 to have a much smaller compression height HC as compared to conventional steel pistons.
The piston body 20, 120, 220, 320 may be formed through any suitable forming process or combination of forming processes including, for example, casting, forging, machining from a billet, etc. The piston body 20, 120, 220, 320 may also be put through one or more heat treating operations, if desired.
The foregoing description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed embodiments may become apparent to those skilled in the art are herein incorporated within the scope of the invention.
This application claims the benefit of application Ser. No. 61/609,594 filed on Mar. 12, 2012.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61609594 | Mar 2012 | US |