Abstract: A powder metal composition for high wear and temperature applications is made by atomizing a melted iron based alloy including 3.0 to 7.0 wt. % carbon; 10.0 to 25.0 wt. % chromium; 1.0 to 5.0 wt. % tungsten; 3.5 to 7.0 wt. % vanadium; 1.0 to 5.0 wt. % molybdenum; not greater than 0.5 wt. % oxygen; and at least 40.0 wt. % iron. The high carbon content reduces the solubility of oxygen in the melt and thus lowers the oxygen content to a level below which would cause the carbide-forming elements to oxidize during atomization. The powder metal composition includes metal carbides in an amount of at least 15 vol. %. The microhardness of the powder metal composition increases with increasing amounts of carbon and is typically about 800 to 1,500 Hv50.

Abstract: A piston assembly comprises a piston body, a connecting rod, and a wrist pin. The piston body includes a pair of first cross bores presenting a piston sliding surface. The connecting rod includes a second cross bore presenting a rod sliding surface which is axially aligned with the first cross bores of the piston body. A wrist pin is disposed in the aligned cross bores and couples the piston body to the connecting rod. The wrist pin also presents a pin sliding surface facing the rod sliding surface and the piston sliding surfaces. A coating is applied to at least one of the sliding surfaces, such as by dipping, brushing, atomizing, spraying, printing, or screen printing. The coating includes a polymer matrix, such as polyamide imide (PAI), and hard particles, such as Fe2O3, disposed throughout the polymer matrix. The hard particles have a hardness of at least 600 HV/0.5.

Abstract: A piston assembly including a piston body and a piston ring is provided. The piston body has a skirt, a portion of which extends circumferentially continuously and has a skirt diameter. The piston ring has a ring body which extends through at least one revolution in a generally helical shape when in a relaxed condition. The ring body also has an inner face, and when in the relaxed condition, the inner face presents a ring diameter which is less than the skirt diameter. The ring body circumferentially surrounds the skirt of the piston body, thereby causing the inner face to be biased into engagement with the outer surface of the circumferentially continuous portion of the skirt of the piston body to establish a dynamic seal between the ring body and the piston body.

Abstract: A piston assembly includes a piston having a crown with an upper combustion surface with a cylindrical outer surface extending downwardly from the upper combustion surface. A pair of pin bosses depends from the crown to a pair of pin bores having generally cylindrical bearing surfaces aligned along a pin bore axis with a top wall portion extending between the pin bosses. The top wall portion has a concave bearing surface forming a continuous concave bearing surface with the pin bores. A separate skirt is fixed to the piston against relative movement. At least one rib extends upwardly from the top wall portion of the piston on opposite sides of the pin bore axis to a lower wall surface of the crown. The at least one rib joins the crown to the top wall portion to provide structural support to the top wall portion against unwanted deflection.

Abstract: A piston ring for sealing a cylinder wall to a piston body is provided. The piston ring includes a ring body that extends about an axis and has inner and outer faces. The inner face presents a pair of ridges that extend in a radially inward direction, and the outer face presents a groove. A spring of an elastomeric material substantially circumferentially surrounds the ring body and is seated in the groove on the inner face. The spring biases the ring body in the radially inward direction to seal the ridges against the piston body. The ring body also has at least one oil drainage port which extends at an angle relative to the radially inward direction from the inner face to a location on the outer face on one axial side of the spring for conveying oil out of a space between the ridges.

Abstract: A diagnostic tool for monitoring a component in a load electrical circuit is provided. The diagnostic tool includes a housing containing a relay, at least one electrical sensor, a computer readable memory and a processor. The relay is configured for selectively open and close the load electrical circuit according to a control electrical circuit. The at least one sensor is configured to measure current and/or voltage in the load electrical circuit and to generate signals corresponding to the electrical load drawn through the load electrical circuit. The processor is in electrical with the sensor or sensors and the computer readable memory for storing data in the computer readable memory corresponding to the signals generated by the sensor.

Abstract: A power cylinder assembly for an internal combustion engine is provided. The power cylinder assembly includes a cylinder wall having a channel formed therein and a piston body with a skirt. A piston ring is seated within the channel of the cylinder wall and is sealed against the skirt of the piston body. Specifically, the piston ring has a ring body with an inner face that presents two radially inwardly extending ridges spaced axially from one another by a valley region, and the outer face presents a groove which receives a spring to bias the ridges into sliding engagement with the outer surface of the skirt of the piston body. The ring body also has at least one oil drainage port which extends radially between the valley region of the inner surface and the groove of the outer face for conveying oil from between the ridges into the groove.

Abstract: A piston ring for sealing a cylinder wall to a piston body is provided. The piston ring includes a ring body of an elastically deformable material which extends substantially circumferentially around an axis and has an inner face that faces the axis. The inner face includes a plurality of axially spaced and radially inwardly extending contact features. The ring body configured to bias the contact features into engagement with the piston body to establish a seal therebetween. At least one of the contact features extends substantially continuously around a circumference for establishing a substantially continuous seal around the piston body, and at least one of the contact features is non-continuous and has at least one recessed area for allowing the passage of oil and gas therethrough.

Abstract: A piston ring assembly for sealing a cylinder wall to a piston body is provided. The piston ring assembly includes a plurality of rings stacked in an axial direction one in abutment with another. Each ring has an inner face and an outer face. The piston ring assembly also includes a spring which substantially circumferentially surrounds the stacked rings and abuts the outer faces of the rings. The spring biases the stacked rings in a radially inward direction for sealing the inner faces of the rings against the piston body. The spring may be of a strip of material bent into a serpentine pattern when in an at rest condition to apply the biasing force against the piston body.

Abstract: A thermal spray powder 20 is provided for use in a thermal spray technique, such as flame spraying, plasma spraying, cold spraying, and high velocity oxygen fuel spraying (HVOF). The thermal spray powder 20 is formed by water or gas atomization and comprises 3.0 to 7.0 wt. % carbon, 10.0 to 25.0 wt. % chromium, 1.0 to 5.0 wt. % tungsten, 3.5 to 7.0 wt. % vanadium, 1.0 to 5.0 wt. % molybdenum, not greater than 0.5 wt. % oxygen, and at least 40.0 wt. % iron, based on the total weight of the thermal spray powder 20. The thermal spray powder 20 can be applied to a metal body, such as a piston or piston ring, to form a coating. The thermal spray powder 20 can also provide a spray-formed part.

Abstract: A piston and method of construction are provided. The piston includes a piston body having an upper combustion surface configured for direct exposure to combustion gases within a cylinder bore with an undercrown surface located beneath the upper combustion surface. The piston body also includes a ring belt region configured for receipt of at least one piston ring adjacent the upper combustion surface with a cooling gallery configured radially inwardly and in substantial radial alignment with the ring belt region. The piston further includes a non-stick material contained in or bonded to at least one of the undercrown surface and at least a portion of the cooling gallery, wherein the non-stick material inhibits the build-up of carbon deposits thereon.

Abstract: A windscreen wiper device, or a wiper blade assembly, for cleaning a windshield of a vehicle is provided. The wiper blade assembly includes a wiper strip that extends in a longitudinal direction and at least one carrier element in engagement with the wiper strip for supporting and biasing the wiper strip into a predetermined configuration. An at least two piece connecting device is coupled to the at least one carrier element. One piece of the connecting device is a main piece that has a bearing surface shaped, and the other piece is a door piece that is pivotable between an open position for allowing attachment and detachment between the connecting device and the wiper arm and a closed position for securing the wiper arm into engagement with the wiper blade assembly. The door piece is pivotably coupled to the main piece about an axis that extends in a longitudinal direction.

Abstract: A windscreen wiper device for cleaning a windshield of a vehicle is provided. The windscreen wiper device includes a wiper strip for sealing against the windshield and at least one carrier element engaged with the wiper strip to bias the wiper strip into a predetermined configuration. A frame structure is coupled to the at least one carrier element and includes at least two components. One of the components presents an elongated member with a resilient tab, and another component includes a longitudinally extending opening. One of the walls of the opening has a recess shaped similarly to the resilient tab. The elongated member is inserted into the opening until the resilient tab snaps into the opening to interconnect the components.

Abstract: A windscreen wiper device for cleaning a windshield of a vehicle is provided. The windscreen wiper device includes a wiper strip extending in a longitudinal direction between opposite wiper strip ends, and the wiper strip is of a flexible material such as rubber for sealing against the windshield. At least one carrier element is disposed in the grooves and extends in a longitudinal direction between opposite carrier element ends. The windscreen wiper device further includes a frame structure including a plurality of claws in sliding engagement with the carrier element or elements and wherein the frame structure extends longitudinally past the ends of the wiper strip and the carrier element or elements. The frame structure includes a pair of flange portions that restrict the movement of the carrier element and the wiper strip relative to the frame structure.

Abstract: A windscreen wiper device for cleaning a windshield of a vehicle is provided. The windscreen wiper device includes a wiper strip of a flexible material for sealing against the windshield to drive rain, snow, ice and other elements away therefrom. The windscreen wiper device also includes at least one carrier element extending between opposite and, at a minimum, downwardly curved end portions and in engagement with the wiper strip to bias it into a predetermined configuration. A frame structure includes a plurality of claws in engagement with the carrier elements between the end portions. The frame structure also includes a pair of end caps that are pivotably coupled to at least an adjacent portion of the frame structure and engage the end portions of the carrier elements.

Abstract: A method of making a windscreen wiper device is provided. The method includes the step of preparing a wiper strip and at least one carrier element in engagement with the wiper strip. The at least one carrier element extends in a longitudinal direction between opposite ends to bias the wiper strip into a predetermined configuration. The method proceeds with sliding a first component of a frame structure onto one of the ends of the at least one carrier element and sliding a second component of the frame structure onto one of the ends of the carrier element. The method continues with the step of coupling the first and second components of the frame structure with one another only after the first and second components are both slid into engagement with the at least one carrier element.

Abstract: A windscreen wiper device is provided. The windscreen wiper device includes an elongated wiper strip of a flexible material for sealing against the windshield and at least one elongated groove. At least one flexible and elongated carrier element is disposed in the at least one groove of the wiper strip for biasing the wiper strip into a predetermined configuration when in a relaxed state. The at least one carrier element presents at least one upwardly facing curve and at least one downwardly facing curve when in a relaxed state.

Abstract: A windscreen wiper device for cleaning a windshield of a vehicle is provided. The windscreen wiper device includes a longitudinally extending wiper strip and at least one carrier element in engagement with the wiper strip for operatively supporting and biasing the wiper strip into a predetermined configuration. A base is non-removably coupled to the at least one carrier element and has an opening that extends therethrough to provide access to the at least one carrier element through the base. A connection device is removably secured directly to the at least one carrier element through the opening of the base for attachment with a wiper arm.

Abstract: A piston for an internal combustion engine and method of construction thereof is provided. The piston includes a piston body having an upper combustion surface with a combustion bowl depending from the upper combustion surface. The piston body has a ring belt region configured for receipt of at least one piston ring adjacent the upper combustion surface. A cooling gallery is configured in radial alignment with the ring belt region. An annular combustion bowl rim region extends between the upper combustion surface and the combustion bowl, and a bonded seam extends from the combustion bowl rim region radially outwardly to the cooling gallery. The bonded seam has material properties exhibiting an enhanced ability to withstand the extreme temperature, pressure, stress and highly corrosive and erosive effects of the combustion gases relative to the surrounding material of the piston body.

Abstract: A windscreen wiper device is provided including a longitudinally extending wiper strip of a flexible material. At least one carrier of a spring-like material operatively supports and biases the wiper strip into a predetermined configuration. The windscreen wiper device further includes a connecting device for connection with a wiper arm. At least a portion of the wiper strip has a microtextured surface formed directly into the flexible material. The microtextured surface may be on, for example, any one of or any combination of a wiping portion, a channel, a hinge portion and a spoiler portion of the wiper strip.