Oil pan T-shaped area dissimilar material butt joint anti-seepage oil seal structure

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of oil pan T-shaped area different material butt joint oil seepage prevention sealing structure, belong to internal combustion engine sealing technical field.For prior art, when cast iron cylinder block and aluminum alloy oil pan different material assembly, be influenced by temperature alternation thermal expansion and cold contraction difference, T-shaped sealing intersection area is prone to colloid loss, and then oil seepage occurs.The end surface of the oil pan of the application is provided with a frame-shaped sealing flange surface, the frame-shaped sealing flange surface is provided with a cross net-shaped fish scale pattern, and four corners of the frame-shaped sealing flange surface are respectively provided with a glue storage groove;the glue storage groove is connected with the adjacent two sealing edges of the cross angle part, the groove depth of the glue storage groove is greater than the processing depth of the fish scale pattern, the glue storage groove is communicated with the surrounding fish scale pattern, and the sealing glue can flow between them.The glue storage groove and the fish scale pattern are cooperated, the sealing gap caused by temperature alternation can be compensated, the oil seepage of T-shaped sealing area is inhibited, and the working reliability of the oil pan sealing structure is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of internal combustion engine sealing technology, and in particular relates to a leak-proof oil sealing structure with dissimilar materials butt joint in the T-shaped area of ​​the oil pan. Background Technology

[0002] In a car engine, the oil pan and the lower end of the cylinder block are sealed to prevent oil leakage. Currently, to achieve engine weight reduction and improve engine cooling performance, existing engines are gradually replacing traditional cast iron oil pans with die-cast aluminum alloy oil pans. However, the cylinder block still uses cast iron for structural strength and wear resistance requirements. The significant difference in thermal expansion coefficients between cast iron and aluminum alloy means that during repeated temperature changes—cold start, high-temperature operation under rated conditions, and shutdown cooling—the sealing flange surfaces of the cylinder block and oil pan will experience uneven expansion and contraction deformation.

[0003] In engine assembly, the cylinder block, oil pan, and front timing cover (or rear cover) intersect to form a T-shaped sealing junction area (referred to as the T-zone). This area contains two T-shaped sealing seams, representing a complex sealing node involving multiple components. Compared to the straight sealing seam between the cylinder block and oil pan, the T-zone is prone to assembly defects such as interrupted adhesive lines during sealant application. Furthermore, the thermal expansion difference between the cast iron cylinder block and the aluminum alloy oil pan exacerbates this, resulting in noticeable step-like discontinuities on the T-zone sealing surface during temperature fluctuations. When the sealing surface expands due to deformation, the sealant is easily stretched, leading to adhesive line cracking and overall peeling failure, ultimately causing oil leakage in the T-zone, resulting in customer complaints and negatively impacting the overall engine's market reputation.

[0004] In summary, existing oil pan sealing structures suffer from technical shortcomings such as insufficient adhesive storage capacity, poor adhesive adhesion stability, and inability to adapt to dynamic deformation of dissimilar materials. These limitations make it difficult to meet the current sealing requirements of engines for high reliability, long lifespan, and low failure rates. Therefore, there is an urgent need to design an oil pan sealing surface structure that can increase adhesive storage capacity in the T-zone, enhance sealant adhesion performance, and dynamically compensate for deformation gaps, thereby completely resolving the industry-wide pain point of oil leakage in the engine T-zone. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, the purpose of this invention is to provide an oil pan T-shaped area heterogeneous material butt joint oil leakage prevention sealing structure, so as to solve the problem that the T-shaped seal junction area is prone to colloid loss and oil leakage under heterogeneous material assembly, and improve the sealing reliability of the oil pan sealing joint surface.

[0006] To achieve the above and other related objectives, the present invention provides a T-shaped oil pan with dissimilar material butt joint oil leakage prevention and sealing structure, including an oil pan, wherein the end face of the oil pan facing the cylinder block is provided with a frame-shaped sealing flange surface, and the oil pan is sealed to the cylinder block through the frame-shaped sealing flange surface. The entire surface of the frame-shaped sealing flange is provided with a fish scale pattern, which is a cross-shaped mesh texture. The four corners of the frame-shaped sealing flange are respectively provided with glue storage grooves, and each glue storage groove corresponds to the T-shaped sealing intersection area formed after assembly. The glue storage groove is used to hold sealant to compensate for the sealing gap caused by different materials under temperature alternation conditions.

[0007] Furthermore, the two rubber reservoirs located on the front side correspond to the T-shaped sealing intersection area formed by the assembly of the cylinder block, oil pan, and front timing cover; The two rubber reservoirs located on the rear side correspond to the T-shaped sealing intersection area formed by the assembly of the cylinder block, oil pan, and rear end cover.

[0008] Furthermore, each of the aforementioned glue storage tanks is connected across two adjacent sealing edges at the corner of the frame-shaped sealing flange.

[0009] Furthermore, the fish-scale pattern around each of the glue storage tanks is connected to the corresponding glue storage tank, allowing the sealant to flow between the glue storage tank and the fish-scale pattern.

[0010] Furthermore, the depth of each of the glue storage tanks is greater than the processing depth of the fish scale pattern.

[0011] Furthermore, the width of the glue storage tank is 2±0.1mm and the depth is 1±0.1mm.

[0012] Furthermore, the intersecting angle of the fish scale pattern is 60°±1°.

[0013] Furthermore, the surface roughness Ra of the frame-shaped sealing flange surface is 1.6-6.3.

[0014] The present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: This invention addresses the assembly structure of an oil pan and cylinder block made of dissimilar materials. A fish-scale pattern is applied across the entire surface of the frame-shaped sealing flange, and sealant reservoirs are located at the four T-shaped seal intersections. The sealant reservoirs bridge the two adjacent sealing edges at the corners, ensuring the T-shaped seal intersections are located within the sealant reservoir's storage area. Furthermore, the reservoirs are connected to the surrounding fish-scale pattern, allowing sealant to flow between them. The fish-scale pattern, a shallow, mesh-like texture, enhances the adhesion between the sealant and the flange substrate, reducing the risk of sealant slippage failure. The sealant reservoirs can store sufficient sealant. During engine operation, the aluminum alloy oil pan and cast iron cylinder block experience thermal expansion and contraction differences due to temperature fluctuations, resulting in localized sealing gaps. The sealant in the reservoirs promptly compensates for these gaps, continuously filling the T-shaped sealing areas. Compared to existing planar adhesive sealing solutions, this invention adopts a glue storage tank-fish scale pattern collaborative structure, which solves the problem of easy glue loss at T-shaped corners, can suppress oil leakage in the T-shaped sealing area where dissimilar materials are combined, and improves the working reliability of the oil pan sealing structure. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the oil pan according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the glue storage tank and fish scale pattern described in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 3 This is an assembly diagram of the cylinder block, oil pan, front timing cover, and rear cover plate as described in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure after the cylinder block is hidden.

[0019] Component designation explanation 10 Oil pan 11 Frame-shaped sealing flange face 12 Fish scale pattern 13 glue storage tank 20 Cylinder block 30 Front timing cover 40 rear cover plate Detailed Implementation

[0020] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification.

[0021] Please see Figures 1 to 4It should be understood that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc., depicted in the accompanying drawings of this specification are merely for illustrative purposes to aid those skilled in the art and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Therefore, they have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in proportions, or adjustments to size, without affecting the effectiveness and purpose of the invention, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in this invention. Furthermore, the terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "middle," and "one" used in this specification are merely for clarity and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Changes or adjustments to their relative relationships, without substantially altering the technical content, should also be considered within the scope of the invention's implementation.

[0022] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, in the engine assembly structure, the cylinder block 20, oil pan 10, and front timing cover 30 (or rear cover 40) intersect to form a T-shaped sealing junction area (referred to as the T-zone). Two sealing seams intersect in a T-shape at this location, representing a complex sealing node involving multiple components. The oil pan 10 is made of aluminum alloy, while the cylinder block 20 is made of cast iron; these are dissimilar materials. The T-zone is prone to assembly defects such as interrupted adhesive lines during sealant application. This, combined with the thermal expansion difference between the cast iron cylinder block and the aluminum alloy oil pan, results in a noticeable step-like discontinuity on the sealing surface during temperature fluctuations. When the sealing surface expands due to deformation, the sealant is easily stretched, leading to adhesive line cracking and overall peeling failure, ultimately causing oil leakage in the T-zone, resulting in customer complaints and impacting the overall engine's market reputation.

[0023] In view of this, this embodiment of the invention discloses a non-material buttressing oil leakage prevention sealing structure for the T-shaped area of ​​an oil pan, which is disposed on the oil pan 10 of an internal combustion engine. A frame-shaped sealing flange 11 is provided on the end face of the oil pan 10 facing the cylinder block, and the oil pan 10 achieves a sealed assembly with the cylinder block 20 through the frame-shaped sealing flange 11. The frame-shaped sealing flange 11 is rectangular, and four T-shaped corner sealing areas are formed at its four corners. These four T-shaped corner sealing areas correspond to the T-shaped sealing junction areas formed by the intersection of the cylinder block, the oil pan, the front timing cover, and the rear cover plate during the assembly of the entire engine.

[0024] like Figure 1 , Figure 2As shown, the entire surface of the frame-shaped sealing flange 11 is machined with a fish-scale pattern 12, which is a cross-hatched mesh texture. In this embodiment, the cross angle of the fish-scale pattern is set to 60°±1°; after the fish-scale pattern is formed, the surface roughness Ra of the sealing working surface of the frame-shaped sealing flange is controlled between 1.6 and 6.3. This document does not limit the specific cross angle of the fish-scale pattern or the specific surface roughness of the frame-shaped sealing flange; those skilled in the art can adjust them according to actual conditions. The fish-scale pattern 12 is a shallow surface texture structure on the sealing surface, and its processing depth is less than the depth of the adhesive reservoir. The fish-scale pattern 12 is mainly used to increase the bonding ability between the sealant and the flange substrate and to inhibit the slippage of the sealant.

[0025] The four corners of the frame-shaped sealing flange face 11 are respectively provided with glue storage grooves 13. Each glue storage groove 13 spans two adjacent sealing edges at the corner of the frame-shaped sealing flange face. The glue storage groove 13 spans the two intersecting sealing paths at the corner, so that the T-shaped sealing intersection node formed after assembly falls within the glue storage area of ​​the glue storage groove 13.

[0026] In this embodiment, there are two glue storage tanks 13 located on the front side of the machine (i.e. Figure 1 The two rubber reservoirs on the left side correspond to the two T-shaped sealing intersection areas formed by the assembly of the cylinder block 20, oil pan 10, and front timing cover 30. Figure 1 There are no large installation structures interfering with the glue storage tank 13 on the upper left side, and the overall outline of the glue storage tank is relatively regular. Figure 1 The glue reservoir 13 on the lower left side is adjacent to the oil pan mounting bracket. To avoid the solid boundary of the oil pan mounting bracket, the glue reservoir is designed with a bent, irregular contour. There are two glue reservoirs 13 located at the rear of the machine (i.e.... Figure 1 The two glue reservoirs on the right side correspond to the two T-shaped sealing junction areas formed by the assembly of the cylinder block 20, oil pan 10, and rear end cover 40. In the description of this invention, the terms "front side" and "rear side" are used based on the overall assembly state, with the side closer to the front timing cover being the front side and the side closer to the rear end cover being the rear side. They are used only for the convenience of describing the structure and do not constitute a limitation of this invention.

[0027] In this embodiment, the width of each glue storage tank 13 can be set to 2±0.1mm, and the depth can be set to 1±0.1mm; the depth of the glue storage tank 13 is greater than the processing depth of the fish scale pattern 12. This document does not limit the specific width and depth of the glue storage tank 13; those skilled in the art can adjust them according to actual conditions. As the main glue storage structure, the glue storage tank 13 can hold more sealant. When the internal combustion engine is working, the cast iron cylinder block 20 and the aluminum alloy oil pan 10 experience thermal expansion and contraction differences due to temperature changes, resulting in a sealing gap at the sealing joint surface. The sealant stored inside the glue storage tank 13 can compensate for the sealing gap.

[0028] The fish-scale pattern 12 around each glue storage tank is connected to the corresponding glue storage tank 13, and there is no partition structure between the glue storage tank 13 and the fish-scale pattern 12. During the glue application and assembly process, the sealant can be contained inside the glue storage tank or diffused into the gaps in the surrounding fish-scale pattern. The sealant can flow between the glue storage tank and the fish-scale pattern, ensuring that there is always sufficient sealant at the intersection of the T-shaped seals, and preventing oil leakage caused by sealant loss at the T-shaped corner.

[0029] This invention addresses the assembly structure of an oil pan and cylinder block made of dissimilar materials. A fish-scale pattern 12 is applied across the entire surface of the frame-shaped sealing flange, and a sealant reservoir 13 is provided at the four T-shaped seal intersection corners. The sealant reservoir 13 bridging the two adjacent sealing edges at the corners ensures that the T-shaped seal intersections are located within the sealant reservoir 13's storage area. Simultaneously, the sealant reservoir 13 and the surrounding fish-scale pattern 12 are interconnected, allowing sealant to circulate between them. On one hand, the fish-scale pattern 12, as a shallow surface mesh texture, enhances the adhesion between the sealant and the flange substrate, reducing the risk of sealant slippage failure. On the other hand, the depth of the sealant reservoir 13 exceeds the processing depth of the fish-scale pattern, allowing for the storage of sufficient sealant. During internal combustion engine operation, the aluminum alloy oil pan 10 and the cast iron cylinder block 20 experience thermal expansion and contraction differences due to temperature fluctuations, resulting in localized sealing gaps at the sealing interface. The sealant stored in the sealant reservoir 13 can promptly compensate for these gaps, continuously filling the T-shaped sealing gaps. Compared to existing sealing solutions that rely solely on applying adhesive to the flat sealing surface, this invention improves the problem of adhesive loss at the T-shaped corner by using a glue reservoir-fish scale pattern synergistic structure. This effectively suppresses oil leakage in the T-shaped sealing area where dissimilar materials are combined, and enhances the operational reliability of the oil pan sealing structure.

[0030] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention. Any person skilled in the art can modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed in the present invention should still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A T-shaped section oil pan with dissimilar materials for oil leakage prevention and sealing structure, comprising an oil pan, wherein the end face of the oil pan facing the cylinder block is provided with a frame-shaped sealing flange, and the oil pan is sealed to the cylinder block through the frame-shaped sealing flange; Its features are, The entire surface of the frame-shaped sealing flange is provided with a fish scale pattern, which is a cross-shaped mesh texture. The four corners of the frame-shaped sealing flange are respectively provided with glue storage grooves, and each glue storage groove corresponds to the T-shaped sealing intersection area formed after assembly. The glue storage groove is used to hold sealant to compensate for the sealing gap caused by different materials under temperature alternation conditions.

2. The oil pan T-shaped area dissimilar material butt joint oil leakage prevention and sealing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The two rubber reservoirs located on the front side correspond to the T-shaped sealing intersection area formed by the assembly of the cylinder block, oil pan, and front timing cover; The two rubber reservoirs located on the rear side correspond to the T-shaped sealing intersection area formed by the assembly of the cylinder block, oil pan, and rear end cover.

3. The oil pan T-shaped area dissimilar material butt joint oil leakage prevention and sealing structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, Each of the aforementioned glue storage tanks is connected across two adjacent sealing edges at the corner of the frame-shaped sealing flange.

4. The oil pan T-shaped area dissimilar material butt joint oil leakage prevention and sealing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fish-scale pattern around each of the glue storage tanks is connected to the corresponding glue storage tank, and the sealant can flow between the glue storage tank and the fish-scale pattern.

5. The oil pan T-shaped area dissimilar material butt joint oil leakage prevention and sealing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The depth of each of the glue storage tanks is greater than the processing depth of the fish scale pattern.

6. The oil pan T-zone dissimilar material butt joint oil leakage prevention and sealing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The width of the glue storage tank is 2±0.1mm and the depth is 1±0.1mm.

7. The oil pan T-shaped area dissimilar material butt joint oil leakage prevention and sealing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The intersecting angle of the fish scale pattern is 60°±1°.

8. The oil pan T-shaped area dissimilar material butt joint oil leakage prevention and sealing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The surface roughness Ra of the frame-shaped sealing flange is 1.6-6.3.

Images