Claims
- 1. A swash-plate type compressor, comprising:
- a housing;
- a drive shaft rotatably supported by said housing;
- at least one piston slidably fitted in a cylinder bore within said housing, said bore extending parallel to said drive shaft, said piston having at least one concave recess formed therein, the inner surface of said recess having the configuration of part of a sphere;
- a swash-plate disposed in said housing and secured to said drive shaft at a predetermined angle of slant thereto for rotation thereby, with a portion of a major surface of said swash-plate extending across at least a portion of said bore;
- at least one major surface of said swash-plate comprising an aluminum-silicon alloy having a silicon content in the range of 10% to 25% and a hardness of up to 42 on the Rockwell B scale;
- means for introducing a lubricating fluid to said major surface of said swash-plate; and
- at least one shoe made of hardened steel containing chromium and of a substantially semi-spherical shape having a convex substantially semispherical surface with at least a portion of said convex surface disposed within and in sliding contact with the concave recess of said piston,
- said shoe having a swash-plate engaging surface with a rounded chamfered annular generally frustoconical peripheral portion and a flat or slightly convex central portion in sliding contact with said major surface of said swash-plate,
- said central portion having a diameter in the range of 60% to 90% of the diameter of said swash-plate engaging surface,
- the angle of said frustoconical peripheral portion with respect to the plane of said central portion being no greater than 15 degrees, to positively provide lubricant over said entire swash-plate engaging surface and to maintain the swash-plate engaging surface substantially parallel to said major surface of said swash-plate;
- said central portion of said swash-plate engaging surface having a hardness of at least 50 on the Rockwell C scale;
- whereby rotation of the shaft causes the swash-plate to rotate so that the central portion of the swash-plate engaging surface of the shoe slides on said major surface of the swash-plate to cause said piston to reciprocate in said bore.
- 2. A swash-plate type compressor, comprising:
- a housing;
- a drive shaft rotatably supported by said housing;
- at least one piston slidably fitted in a cylinder bore within said housing, said bore extending parallel to said drive shaft, said piston having at least one concave recess formed therein, the inner surface of said recess having the configuration of part of a sphere;
- a swash-plate disposed in said housing and secured to said drive shaft at a predetermined angle of slant thereto for rotation thereby, with a portion of a major surface of said swash-plate extending across at least a portion of said bore;
- at least one major surface of said swash-plate comprising an aluminum-silicon alloy having a silicon content in the range of 10% to 25%;
- means for introducing a lubricating fluid to said major surface of said swash-plate; and
- at least one shoe made of hardened steel containing chromium and of a substantially semi-spherical shape having a convex substantially semispherical surface with at least a portion of said convex surface disposed within and in sliding contact with the concave recess of said piston,
- said shoe having a swash-plate engaging surface with a rounded chamfered annular generally frustoconical peripheral portion and a flat or slightly convex central portion in sliding contact with said major surface of said swash-plate,
- said central portion having a diameter in the range of 60% to 90% of the diameter of said swash-plate engaging surface,
- the angle of said frustoconical peripheral portion with respect to the plane of said central portion being no greater than 15 degrees, to positively provide lubricant over said entire swash-plate engaging surface and to maintain the swash-plate engaging surface substantially parallel to said major surface of said swash-plate;
- said central portion of said swash-plate engaging surface having a hardness of at least 50 on the Rockwell C scale;
- whereby rotation of the shaft causes the swash-plate to rotate so that the central portion of the swash-plate engaging surface of the shoe slides on said major surface of the swash-plate to cause said piston to reciprocate in said bore.
- 3. A compressor in accordance with claim 2, wherein the angle of said chamfered annular generally frustoconical peripheral portion is within the range of 0.5.degree.-10.degree..
- 4. A compressor in accordance with claim 2, wherein said swash-plate engaging surface includes a slightly convex central portion having a height within the range of 2-5 .mu.m.
- 5. A compressor in accordance with claim 2, wherein said chamfered portion includes a first portion formed at an outermost portion thereof at an angle of chamfer within the range of 1.degree.-45.degree. and a second portion formed inside the first portion at an angle of chamfer smaller than that of the first portion.
- 6. A compressor in accordance with claim 2 used for compressing refrigerant gas in a car air conditioning system, wherein said shoe is lubricated by a mist of a lubrication oil mixed in the circulating refrigerant gas.
- 7. A compressor in accordance with claim 2, wherein at least the convex semispherical surface of said shoe is coated with a film containing solid lubricant having a thickness not exceeding 10 .mu.m.
- 8. A compressor in accordance with claim 2, wherein said shoe is a cold-forged, substantially semi-spherical article which includes a film containing solid lubricant and having a thickness not exceeding 10 .mu.m.
- 9. A compressor in accordance with claim 2, wherein said central portion is a flat surface.
- 10. A compressor in accordance with claim 2, wherein said central portion is a smooth and slightly convex surface having a large radius of curvature with a height less than 15 .mu.m at its peak located in substantially the center of said swash-plate engaging surface.
- 11. A compressor in accordance with claim 2, wherein said chamfered portion has at its radially inner end a rounded portion terminating in said central portion.
- 12. A compressor in accordance with claim 2 wherein the hardness of said central portion is not less than 60 in Rockwell C scale.
Priority Claims (4)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
55-29667 |
Mar 1980 |
JPX |
|
55-125032 |
Sep 1980 |
JPX |
|
55-125737 |
Sep 1980 |
JPX |
|
55-126432 |
Sep 1980 |
JPX |
|
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 238,084, filed Feb. 25, 1981, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (9)
Foreign Referenced Citations (5)
Number |
Date |
Country |
47901 |
Jan 1979 |
JPX |
47902 |
Feb 1979 |
JPX |
47903 |
Mar 1979 |
JPX |
47912 |
Dec 1979 |
JPX |
638758 |
Jun 1950 |
GBX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
The Review of Scientific Instruments vol. 43, No. 9, pp. 1331-1333, Sep. 1972. |
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
238084 |
Feb 1981 |
|