1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to internal combustion engines, and more particularly to pistons and their method of construction.
2. Related Art
Engine manufacturers are encountering increasing demands to improve engine efficiencies and performance, including, but not limited to, improving fuel economy, improving fuel combustion, reducing oil consumption, and increasing the exhaust temperature for subsequent use of the heat within the vehicle. In order to achieve these goals, the engine running temperature in the combustion chamber needs to be increased. However, while desirable to increase the temperature within the combustion chamber, it remains necessary to maintain the piston at a workable temperature. As such, it is known to incorporate outer and inner cooling galleries, both open and closed, within the piston head through which engine oil is circulated to reduce the operating temperature of the piston head. The outer cooling galleries typically circulate about an upper land of the piston including a ring groove region while the inner cooling gallery is typically beneath an upper combustion surface of the piston head, commonly referred to as undercrown, which commonly includes a recessed combustion bowl. As such, both the ring belt region and the combustion surface benefit from cooling action of the circulated oil. Wherein a closed cooling gallery is provided, it is known to cast closed cooling galleries; however, the manufacturing process tends to be costly.
A piston constructed in accordance with this invention overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages associated with pistons having a closed cooling gallery.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a piston for an internal combustion engine is provided. The piston includes a piston body including an upper part and a lower part. The upper part has an upper combustion surface configured for direct exposure to combustion gases within a cylinder bore with an undercrown surface beneath the upper combustion surface. The body has a ring belt region configured for receipt of at least one piston ring adjacent the upper combustion surface with an annular cooling gallery configured radially inwardly from the ring belt region. The cooling gallery has a floor, wherein the floor has at least one through opening. A coolant medium is disposed in the cooling gallery, and a sealing member is disposed in the at least one through opening to seal the coolant medium in the coolant gallery.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the sealing member is a non-threaded sealing member.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the sealing member is a threaded sealing member.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the sealing member can be provided having a tapered threaded shank to facilitate threading the sealing member in a tapered through opening of the cooling gallery floor.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the sealing member can be fixed to an underside of the floor via a friction weld joint.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the sealing member can be provided having a conically tapered joining surface to facilitate forming a friction weld joint.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the sealing member can be provided as a rivet.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the sealing member has a plastically expanded portion closing off the through opening in the floor.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the sealing member can be press-fit in the through opening.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a sealant material can be disposed about an outer periphery of the sealing member.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the sealant material can be provided as a high temperature anaerobic sealant material.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method of constructing a piston for an internal combustion engine is provided. The method includes forming a piston body having an upper combustion surface configured for direct exposure to combustion gases within a cylinder bore and an undercrown surface beneath the upper combustion surface; forming a ring belt region configured for receipt of at least one piston ring adjacent the upper combustion surface; forming an annular cooling gallery radially inwardly from the ring belt region; forming a through opening in a floor of the cooling gallery; disposing a coolant medium in the cooling gallery through the through opening; and disposing a sealing member in the through opening to close off the through opening and seal the coolant medium in the cooling gallery.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method can further include providing the sealing member as a non-threaded sealing member.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method can further include plastically expanding a portion of the sealing member to close off and seal the through opening in the floor.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method can further include friction welding the sealing member to an underside of a floor of the cooling gallery.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method can further include providing the sealing member as a rivet and expanding the rivet in the through opening.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method can further include providing the sealing member as a plug and pressing the plug in the through opening.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method can further include disposing a sealant material about an outer periphery of the plug prior to pressing the plug in the through opening.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method can further include providing the sealant material as a high temperature resistant, anaerobic sealant material.
These and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily appreciated when considered in connection with the following detailed description of presently preferred embodiments and best mode, appended claims and accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring in more detail to the drawings,
The piston body 12 is shown having a steel upper part 28 and a steel lower part 30 constructed from separate pieces of steel material and subsequently fixed to one another via a welding process, such as induction welding, resistance welding, charge carrier rays, electron beam welding, laser welding, stir welding, brazing, soldering, hot or cold diffusion, and shown as a friction welding process, though other joining processes are contemplated to be within the scope of the invention. In the embodiment shown, a first bond joint 32 joins a pair of annular inner ribs 34, 36 to one another, and in addition, a second bond joint 38 extends through an outer wall within the ring belt region 20 to join a pair of annular outer ribs 40, 42 to one another.
The lower part 30 depends along the central axis 14 from the upper part 28 to provide a pair of pin bosses 44 having laterally spaced pin bores 46 coaxially aligned along a pin bore axis 48 that extends generally transverse to the central longitudinal axis 14. The pin bosses 44 are joined to laterally spaced skirt portions 50 via strut portions 52. The skirt portions 50 are diametrically spaced from one another across opposite sides the pin bore axis 48 and have convex outer surfaces contoured for sliding cooperation within the cylinder bore to maintain the piston 10 in a desired orientation as it reciprocates along the axis 14 through the cylinder bore.
The upper combustion surface 16 is represented as having a recessed combustion bowl 54 to provide a desired gas flow with the cylinder bore. At least in part due to the combustion bowl 54, relatively thin regions of piston body material are formed between the upper combustion surface 16, the annular cooling gallery 22 and the undercrown surface 18. As such, in use, these regions need to be properly cooled via oil flowing through the cooling gallery 22. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the necessary cooling for this region is provided, at least in part, via coolant medium 24 contained within the cooling gallery 22.
To facilitate disposing the coolant medium 24 into the cooling gallery 22 upon joining the upper part 28 to the lower part 30, the lower part 30 has a through opening 56 formed in a floor 58 of the cooling gallery 22, such as via a drilling process, by way of example and without limitation. The through opening 56 can be formed having a suitable diameter, and in accordance with one example, the diameter was formed between about 8-10 mm, without limitation, and formed as non-threaded through opening. The through opening 56 is shown as being located radially inwardly from a central portion of one of the skirts 50, generally centrally between the pin bores 46, on a non-thrust side of the piston 10, thereby being in a region of reduced stress. To facilitate forming the through opening 56 in the precise, desired location, an identifying feature can be formed in a surface of the floor 58, such as an embossed or coined depression, by way of example and without limitation, while forging or otherwise constructing the lower part 30. Then, upon disposing the desired type and amount of coolant medium 24 through the through opening 56 and into the cooling gallery 22, the cooling gallery 22 is completely closed and sealed off via the sealing member 26 and confined within the cooling gallery 22 in accordance with a further aspect of the invention.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the sealing member 26 is provided as a non-threaded, steel plug, as best shown in
Prior to disposing the sealing member 26 in the through opening 56 to be closed and sealed off, as best shown in
In
The sealing member 26′ is provided as a non-threaded, steel plug. The plug 26′ has an annular tapered nose 60′ extending radially inwardly toward a central axis 61′ to a free end 64′, wherein the free end 64′ is shown to be slightly flattened, by way of example and without limitation. The tapered nose 60′ extends radially outwardly away from the central axis 61′ to a generally cylindrical sidewall 63, wherein the sidewall 63 extends to an opposite free end 62′. To facilitate rotatably driving the sealing member 26′ at the rotational speed needed to form a friction weld joint, the free end 62′ can be provided with a drive feature 72′, shown as a serrated face, by way of example and without limitation, for receipt of a similarly serrated drive tool 73. To facilitate locating the driving tool 73, a central recessed pocket 75 can be formed in the free end 62′ to receive a similarly shaped male protrusion 77 on the driving tool 73. The tapered nose 60′ provides a conical joining surface 66′ that extends radially outwardly beyond the through opening 56, thereby presenting the sidewall 63 and joining surface 66′ with a diameter that is larger than the diameter of the through opening 56. The joining surface 66′ is the portion of the sealing member 26′ that is responsible for abutting and directly forming a fixed friction welded bond joint 68′ with the lower part 30.
In assembly, the tapered nose 60′ of the sealing member 26′ is disposed within the through opening 56, wherein the conical or frustroconical form of the nose taper facilitates locating and centering the sealing member 26′ in the through opening 56. Then, the serrated tool 73 is brought into mating engagement with the serrated drive feature 72′, and the sealing member 26′ is rotatably driven at a sufficiently high rotational speed to form the bond joint 68′ via a friction weld, whereupon the sealing member 26′ is caused to sink into the material of the floor 58 as a result of melting material of the floor 58, wherein molten, solidified and hardened flashing 71′ is formed to extend radially outwardly from the respective steel joining and bonding surfaces 66′, 70 and axially inwardly into the through opening 56, which facilitates forming the strong, gas/liquid tight seal to hermetically seal off the through opening 56, and thus, no additional bonding agents are needed, thereby further providing manufacturing efficiencies, thus, reducing cost. It should be recognized that both the material of the floor 58 and the sealing member 26′ can be caused to melt, thereby forming an alloy of molten, solidified material that results in the strong, hardened bond joint.
In
The sealing member 126 is provided as a rivet-style member, having a rivet body 74 and a rivet actuation member, also referred to as rivet mandrel 76. The rivet-style sealing member 126 is thus actuated to move from a first pre-installed state (
In
The sealing member 226 is provided as a cup-shaped plug. During installation, a closed end of the plug 226 is pressed into the through opening 256 in an interference fit with a suitable installation tool 80 received in and pressing against an open end of the plug 226 to sealingly close off the through opening 256. Preferably, to facilitate forming a gas/fluid tight seal, a high temperature anaerobic sealant material 282 is first disposed about an outer periphery 84 of the plug 226 prior to disposing the plug 226 into the through opening 256. The plug 226 can be formed having any suitable diameter to provide the desired interference fit within the through opening 256, taking into account the material and wall thickness (t) of the plug 226.
In
The tapered sealing member 326 is provided as a tapered threaded member, having a tapered male threaded shank 360. During installation, the tapered threaded shank 360 is threaded into a matching tapered female threaded through opening 356 to sealingly close off the tapered threaded through opening 356. The matching inclination of the tapers of the threaded shank 360 and the threaded opening 356 automatically cause the sealing member 326 to be driven to a set depth, and prevent the sealing member 326 from being over driven completely through the through opening 356. Preferably, to facilitate forming a gas/fluid tight seal, a high temperature anaerobic sealant material 382 is first disposed about an outer periphery of the threaded shank 360 prior to threading the threaded shank 360 into the threaded through opening 356. To facilitate rotatably driving the sealing member 326 into the threaded through opening 356, an end 362 of the member 326 can be provided with a drive feature 372, shown as a non-circular, hexagonal recessed pocket, by way of example and without limitation, for receipt of a similarly shaped drive tool. It should be recognized, as discussed above, that the pocket 372 could take a different; non-circular shaped, as desired, and further, could be formed as a male protrusion, if desired. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the tapered threaded shank 360 is threaded into the tapered threaded through opening 356 to a torque between about 18-22 Nm, which has been found, in combination with the anaerobic sealant material 382, to optimally close off and seal the through opening 356 for the intended life of the piston 310.
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/110,191, filed Jan. 30, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20160222911 A1 | Aug 2016 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62110191 | Jan 2015 | US |