Internal Combustion Engine Shaft Mounting Device with Calibrated Lubrication Supply Passage
A shaft mounting device for an internal combustion engine includes a bearing body having a mounting base for engaging an engine structure, and a semi-circular bore which is serviced by a lubricant distribution channel. An integral flow regulator, which is formed in place as a partial hydraulic obstruction, is located within the lubricant distribution channel. Because the flow restriction is integral, a separately machined flow restrictor is eliminated.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shaft mounting device for use in an internal combustion engine. The inventive device provides both lubrication and retention to a rotating shaft within an engine, with the flow of lubrication being controlled by an integral flow restrictor contained within a bearing body portion of the shaft mounting device.
2. Disclosure Information
Modern pressure-lubricated, multicylinder internal combustion engines have literally dozens of bearings which must be supplied with lubricant by means of a centrally located oil pump. As part of the engine development process, the amount of lubricant reaching each bearing must be carefully metered so as to assure that all bearings are adequately lubricated, but without scheduling too much lubricant.
Oversupplying lubricant to engine bearings is disadvantageous for at least two reasons. First, an oversized oil pump will consume excessive energy, which degrades fuel economy. And, excessive churning of the oil by an oversize pump needlessly increases the amount of heat put into the oil. Thus, engine developers go through a tuning process in which the amount of oil going through various passages is carefully controlled. One method for controlling the amount of oil flowing through a passage is by placing a restrictor in the passage.
A problem with the prior art restrictor shown in
It is known to manufacture a bearing cap with a restrictor by starting with a part having an unmachined lubricant passage. A milling process removes material to define the channel, including the restrictor. Unfortunately, such machining is expensive and time consuming.
A shaft mounting device according to the present invention provides oil flow regulation which is easily tunable, but which is available at a lower cost than prior art lubricant regulation devices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA shaft mounting device for an internal combustion engine includes a bearing body having a mounting base for engaging an engine structure. A semi-circular bore is formed in the bearing body. The semi-circular bore extends upwardly from the mounting base. A lubricant inlet port extends upwardly from the mounting base and communicates with a lubricant distribution channel extending about the circumference of the semi-circular bore. An integral flow regulator is located in the lubricant distribution channel downstream from the lubricant inlet port. The flow regulator preferably comprises a formed-in-place hydraulic obstruction extending partially into the lubricant distribution channel from a base portion of the channel. The hydraulic obstruction is integral with the bearing body.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the present inventive bearing body may advantageously be formed from a sintered metal powder. Alternatively, the bearing body may be formed from die cast metal, or other types of metallic or non-metallic composite materials known to those skilled in the art and suggested by its disclosure.
The present shaft mounting device may be employed to secure a crankshaft within an engine, or a camshaft, or other type of rotating or sliding shafts requiring lubrication furnished through a cap-type of mounting device.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a cylinder head for an internal combustion engine includes a cylinder head casting with at least one camshaft retained upon the cylinder head casting. The camshaft has a lubricant supply passage. At least one camshaft retainer having a cap-shaped bearing body, with a mounting base for engaging the cylinder head casting, is mounted on the casting so as to secure the camshaft. The cap-shaped bearing body has a semi-circular bore formed in the bearing body which cooperates with the mating semi-circular bore formed in the cylinder head casting to define a bearing surface for encircling a portion of the camshaft. A lubricant inlet port extends upwardly from the mounting base and receives lubricant from a mating passage within the cylinder head.
It is an advantage of a shaft mounting device according to the present invention that lubricant flow may be carefully controlled, with minimal risk of losing flow due to plugging of a flow restrictor.
It is a further advantage of a shaft mounting device according to the present invention that the flow restriction incorporated integrally in the bearing body of the shaft mounting device may be easily adjusted to change the amount of flow reaching bearings downstream from the restrictor.
It is a further advantage of the present shaft mounting device that the integral restrictor is less costly than prior art restrictors, because the hydraulic obstruction may be formed during the casting portion of a manufacturing process for the shaft mounting device, which is particularly facilitated in the case in which the bearing body is formed from either cast metal or sintered powder metal.
Other advantages, as well as features and objects of the present invention, will become apparent to the reader of this specification.
As shown in
The elegance and simplicity of the present invention are fully displayed in
In essence, hydraulic obstruction 66 functions as a weir, or flow regulator, extending partially into the upstream end of lubricant distribution channel 62. Hydraulic obstruction 66 is also shown in
The problems encountered in manufacturing the prior art restrictor of
Those skilled in the art will appreciate in view of this disclosure that the present shaft mounting device could be constructed from diecast metals, or sintered metal powders. Alternatively, various other materials, such as composite metallic and non-metallic materials could be employed.
While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, numerous variations and alternate embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention be limited only in terms of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A shaft mounting device for an internal combustion engine, comprising:
- a bearing body having a mounting base for engaging an engine structure;
- a semi-circular bore formed in said bearing body, with said semi-circular bore extending upwardly from said mounting base;
- a lubricant inlet port extending upwardly from said mounting base, and communicating with a lubricant distribution channel extending about the circumference of said semi-circular bore; and
- an integral, formed-in-place flow regulator located in said lubricant distribution channel downstream from said lubricant inlet port.
2. A shaft mounting device according to claim 1, wherein said flow regulator comprises a hydraulic obstruction extending partially into said lubricant distribution channel from a base portion of said channel.
3. A shaft mounting device according to claim 2, wherein said hydraulic obstruction is integral with said bearing body.
4. A shaft mounting device according to claim 1, wherein said bearing body is formed from sintered metal powder.
5. A shaft mounting device according to claim 1, wherein said bearing body is adapted to secure a camshaft within an engine.
6. A shaft mounting device according to claim 1, wherein said bearing body is adapted to secure a crankshaft within an engine.
7. A cylinder head for an internal combustion engine, comprising:
- a cylinder head casting;
- at least one camshaft retained upon said cylinder head casting, with said at least one camshaft having a lubricant supply passage; and
- at least one camshaft retainer, comprising: a cap-shaped bearing body having a mounting base for engaging said cylinder head casting; a semi-circular bore formed in said bearing body, with said semi-circular bore cooperating with a mating semi-circular bore formed in said cylinder head casting to define a bearing surface for encircling a portion of said camshaft; a lubricant inlet port extending upwardly from said mounting base, and receiving lubricant from a mating passage within said cylinder head; a lubricant distribution channel extending about the circumference of the semi-circular bore formed in the bearing body, with said lubricant distribution channel communicating with said lubricant inlet port and also with said lubricant supply passage of said camshaft; and a formed-in-place flow regulator located in the lubricant distribution channel downstream from the lubricant inlet port.
8. A cylinder head according to claim 7, wherein said flow regulator comprises a hydraulic obstruction formed integrally with said cap-shaped bearing body, and with said hydraulic obstruction extending partially across a portion of said lubricant distribution channel.
9. A shaft mounting device according to claim 7, wherein said bearing body is formed from sintered metal powder.
10. A camshaft mounting device for an internal combustion engine, comprising:
- a bearing cap body having a mounting base for engaging an engine cylinder head;
- a semi-circular bore formed in said bearing cap body, with said semi-circular bore extending upwardly from said mounting base;
- a lubricant inlet port extending upwardly from said mounting base and communicating with a lubricant distribution channel extending about the circumference of said semi-circular bore; and
- a formed-in-place flow regulator located in said lubricant distribution channel downstream from said lubricant inlet port, with said flow regulator comprising a hydraulic obstruction extending partially across a portion of said distribution channel.
11. A camshaft mounting device according to claim 10, wherein said bearing cap body and said flow regulator are formed integrally from sintered metal.
12. A camshaft mounting device according to claim 10, wherein said bearing cap body and said flow regulator are formed integrally from metal.
13. A camshaft mounting device according to claim 10, wherein said bearing cap body and said flow regulator are formed integrally from cast metal.
14. A camshaft mounting device according to claim 10, wherein said bearing cap body and said flow regulator are formed integrally from composite material.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 7, 2006
Publication Date: Dec 13, 2007
Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC (Dearborn, MI)
Inventors: Paul Reinhart (Livonia, MI), George L. Reno (Farmington Hills, MI), Judy Jin (West Bloomfield, MI)
Application Number: 11/422,644