This invention relates to sand casting for the manufacture of metal engine parts, and more particularly to methods of using a hybrid ceramic/sand core for making parts having small passages or holes.
Sand casting, also known as sand molded casting, is a process for casting parts, normally metal parts, characterized by using sand as the mold material. A suitable bonding agent is mixed with the sand to develop coherency for molding and strength and stiffness of the cured mold.
For manufacturing metal objects, the basic steps of the sand casting process are quite simple. A pattern is made for the object to be produced, typically using wood, metal, or a plastic. The pattern is placed in a suitable sand mixture, contained and cured in a casting box, to create a sand mold. The pattern is removed, to form the mold cavity, and the mold cavity is filled with molten metal. After the metal cools, the sand mold is broken away leaving the desired casting.
To produce internal holes and passages within the casting, “cores” are used. A core is formed independently of the sand mold, usually also from sand, then positioned in the mold cavity, with some means for supporting the core in position. The positioning means may be one or more recesses in the pattern called “core prints” or small supporting pieces between the core and cavity surface called “chaplets”. Then, the molten metal is introduced as described above.
Although sand cores are useful, the cross section size of the internal passages made using sand cores is limited. This is because as sand core cross section dimensions are reduced, the core's ability to resist premature breakdown in the presence of molten metal is also reduced. Thus, there are limiting dimensions below which a sand core will disintegrate during casting by effects that include thermal shock, evaporation of binder and penetration of the sand core.
Internal combustion engines contain numerous flow passages for delivery of fluids (such as fuel, lubricant, coolant and air) to various locations throughout the engine. It is desirable that as many of these passages as possible be contained within the cast material of components such as the cylinder block and cylinder head, to avoid external plumbing and additional parts count.
However, many of these engine passages are too small to cast using conventional sand core casting methods, and therefore they must be machined separately after the components are cast. This normally requires a sequence of machined features, typically drillings, which intersect to create flow networks. Because machining requires straight “line-of-sight” access to locate the features, the flexibility of their placement, orientation and shape is very limited. Additionally, in some engines the passages are long and consequently difficult to machine. Also, many of these drillings must be plugged to seal one end, which requires further machining and creates potential fluid leak paths.
A more complete understanding of the present embodiments and advantages thereof may be acquired by referring to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers indicate like features, and wherein:
The following description is directed to casting methods of manufacturing internal combustion engine parts, using hybrid ceramic and sand cores. It is assumed that the part to be manufactured is to be made from cast metal, and that it has at least one internal passage or hole.
A common feature of the various embodiments described herein is a hybrid core for a part having passages or holes with a cross section too small to be made with sand casting. As indicated in the Background, a “core” is a device used in casting to produce internal cavities, passages and holes. After casting, the core is destroyed to remove it from the part.
The core is “hybrid” in the sense that it has both sand and ceramic sections joined together to form a single core structure. A ceramic section is used in a region that forms the small passage or hole. The ceramic section allows much smaller passages and holes to be formed than those achievable using a traditional core made entirely of sand.
For purposes of example, the embodiments herein are described in terms of manufacturing parts of an internal combustion engine. The methods are consistent with the methods described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,267,148, entitled “Hybrid Ceramic/Sand Core for Casting Metal Parts Having Small Passages”, to Megel, at al, assigned to Southwest Research Institute, and incorporated by reference herein.
The ability to cast the engine parts described below decreases engine production cost by reducing machining requirements. The casting methods allow more flexibility in engine design, such as for additional structural strength, reduced pressure losses, and better cooling.
Overview of Casting Method
In the example of
The ceramic section 12 of core 10 may be manufactured by various means, with one example being an injection molding process. Because only a small portion of the casting core pack is made of ceramic, the economic impact is acceptable, both from a raw materials standpoint and level of effort required for core extraction after casting. Although conventional methods for removing sand cores may not be suitable, alternative methods are known and used in foundries today. For example, to remove the ceramic section 12, a caustic solution cleaning process may be used to leach the core out of the finished casting.
In
The lug attachment means of
Except for the attachment of the ceramic section 12, the sand section 11 of core 10 may be made by conventional means. It may be made by mixing sand with a binder in a wooden or metal core box, which contains a cavity in the shape of the desired core.
Embodiments
The various embodiments described below are directed to manufacturing engine parts for a reciprocating piston internal combustion engine. These parts may be the engine cylinder block or cylinder head, which are made from cast metal.
These parts have a least one small feature, such as a passage or hole for passage of fluids, such as coolant, lubricant, fuel, or air. For purpose of this description, these passages and holes are collectively referred to as “passages” because of their common function of conveying engine fluids. Each of these passages has a diameter, cross section or radius of curvature too small for casting with a sand core. For purposes of this description, that constraint is assumed to be less than 10 millimeters in diameter (or other cross sectional dimension} or 5 millimeters in radius of curvature.
As explained below, at least one hybrid sand/ceramic core or ceramic core is used to manufacture the cylinder block or cylinder head. These cores are part of a “core pack”, which may also include conventional sand cores. The core pack is a collection of these cores (hybrid, ceramic, and sand), which are assembled in a particular manner for casting of the cylinder block or cylinder head. The core pack represents and will determine the internal cavities of the engine.
The outside structure of the casting is determined by an outer mold. Molten metal is poured into the mold, filling the spaces not filled by the core pack. The cores are subsequently removed, leaving the metal casting. Thus, the cavities, passages and holes formed by the core pack are “internally cast” in the sense that they are not machined into the engine block.
In practice, for a particular part to be cast, the size of small features such as passages will be measured. It is expected that as alternatives to a sand core, a hybrid core or an all ceramic core will be used in a part having an internal passage or hole of less than 10 mm in cross section. For purposes of this description, by “internal passage” is meant any linear passage or circular opening or hole in the engine part that occurs by being made with a core inside the mold cavity. The passage will have a measurable cross sectional dimension (including but not limited to width or diameter).
A hybrid core will be part sand and part ceramic in accordance with the method described above in connection with
The core pack is “hybrid” in the sense that it is an assembly of cores, some of which are sand, some sand-ceramic, and/or some ceramic. A feature of the hybrid core casting method described herein is that only a very small portion of the overall core of a large part (such as a cylinder block or cylinder head) need be made from ceramic. Most of the core can be removed by traditional mechanical extraction techniques.
Interbore Coolant Jacket within Cylinder Block
A “coolant jacket” is actually a network of hollow passages in the metal engine block. Coolant jackets allow liquid coolant to flow around the cylinders through the hollow passages in the metal engine block. The coolant absorbs heat from combustion, then flows to other cooling system components where it transfers heat to the atmosphere. A coolant jacket is also sometimes referred to as a “water jacket”, but it should be understood that it is designed to contain and allow flow of any suitable coolant.
In
Other than the interbore bridges 32 between the cylinders, the specific geometry of the coolant jacket 31 is not important to the invention. The coolant jacket 31 depicted in
The depiction of
The interbore bridge 32 is narrow, and the core for this region is formed with ceramic sections 42. These bridge passages can be as narrow as 1 mm, which cannot be accomplished with conventional casting techniques. In some conventional engines, the jackets are “partial” in the sense that the jacket does not create a passage in the interbore region and that region is not cooled. In other conventional engines, the interbore region is cooled with machined drillings in the interbore region of a partial jacket.
Thus, core 40 has three ceramic sections 42, each of which will form an interbore bridge coolant passage. This coolant passage section between cylinders can be between 1 mm and 5 mm based on available space. As described above, the ceramic sections 42 are of a size and shape when a sand core would not be feasible due to insufficient space and/or size constraints of the desired interbore passage.
Fluid Flow Lines within Cylinder Block
Oil flow network 51 is shaped for optimized fluid flow characteristics as well as structural strength of the cylinder block. Smooth radii replace sharp edges and therefore reduce pressure losses in the oil network. This will allow a lower upstream supply pressure to achieve the same downstream pressure requirement. The supply pump size and the parasitic power requirements for pumping can be reduced, resulting in reduced fuel consumption of the engine.
Oil flow network 51 has sections with cross sections of less than 5 mm, and as small as 1 mm, where ceramic cores are used for the casting. The network 51 may also include sections with tapered forms, bend radii and length dimensions not achievable with sand cores. To form each small tapered section, small bend radii or short length section of less than 5 millimeters in diameter or length, core 60 is made from a ceramic material. The core is then used during the casting process for the engine cylinder block.
The use of ceramic for core 60 allows the oil passages to be no longer limited to fixed circular cross sectional shape; they may be tapered or contoured as best suits the engine. For example, tapered cross sections or progressively increasing diameters as the circuit progresses could be used to provide identical pressure supply to components at different points in the circuit. The ability to make arcing, non-linear passages will also allow them to be more judiciously located with respect to highly stressed structural sections of the engine, thereby providing a structural strength benefit.
Air Intake Port in Cylinder Head
Air intake ports of internal combustion engines may incorporate geometric features that impart specific motion characteristics to the air charge during the induction phase of the engine's operation. One common arrangement is associated with the production of a helical swirl of the incoming air to set up rotation of the flow field about the longitudinal axis of the intake port.
Coolant jacket 71 provides a coolant path within the cylinder head 70. The coolant jacket 71 provides a coolant path around spark plug bores 72, intake valve holes 73 and exhaust valve holes 74. Intake ports 75, exhaust ports 76 and cylinder bolt holes 77 are also shown in cross section.
Cylinder Head Coolant Jacket Flow Tubes
Combustion chambers of reciprocating piston internal combustion engines are typically bounded, in part, by the cylinder head. During engine operation, the cylinder head metal temperature must be limited to values well below combustion temperatures in order to prevent material failure. This is typically accomplished by forced convection heat transfer to a flowing liquid coolant. The coolant flows through the cylinder head in an internally cast passage known as a cylinder head coolant jacket.
Referring again to
As illustrated, the bores for the intake and exhaust valves generally define a rectangular area above the cylinder that they serve. The spark plug bore is in the center of this rectangular area. In the example of
The flow channels 101 of
Cylinder Head Coolant Jacket Surface
Referring again to
For cooling purposes, a critical surface of the cylinder head is the surface of the coolant jacket located immediately above the combustion chamber of any given cylinder. In the view of
Core Packs
As indicated above, the above-described cores can be incorporated into core packs.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20150027658 A1 | Jan 2015 | US |