Modularized aero-engine

Abstract

A modularized aero-engine comprises a left box body, a right box body and an additional expansion box body, and the left box body, the right box body or the expansion box body are coaxially connected together through a screw rod, a nut and a positioning pin to form a casing; crank assemblies are installed in the left box body, the expansion box body and the right box body, and the crank assemblies are coaxially connected together through spline structures to form a crankshaft. According to the utility model, the casing and the crankshaft are designed to be components which can be expanded and combined, and the production of the whole series of aero-engines with the same cylinder diameter can be realized only by three box bodies and three crank components, so that the production cost of the casing and the crankshaft is greatly reduced. Besides, the reduction gearbox is designed to be a part capable of being additionally installed, the magnetor, the starting gear, the starting motor, the connecting disc and the fixing support are designed to be a universal auxiliary module, and when the magnetor and the starting gear are remodeled, the structure of a casing and the structure of a crankshaft do not need to be changed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of aviation engines, in particular to a modular aviation engine. Background Art

[0002] A piston aircraft engine is mainly composed of components such as a casing, a crankshaft, a cylinder, a magneto, and a starting mechanism. Among them, the cylinders are mostly arranged in a horizontally opposed layout.

[0003] Currently, common horizontally opposed aircraft engines include opposed four-cylinder, opposed six-cylinder, opposed eight-cylinder, and opposed twelve-cylinder engines. These three types are typically developed from the opposed four-cylinder engine by extending the casing and crankshaft. In existing technology, these aircraft engines all require dedicated casings and crankshafts, which undoubtedly increases the manufacturing cost of these aircraft engine series.

[0004] In addition, auxiliary parts such as magnetos and starting mechanisms may need to be replaced. In this case, the connection structure between the casing, crankshaft, magnetos and starting mechanisms needs to be changed, further increasing the manufacturing cost of the aircraft engine. Utility Model Content

[0005] In order to overcome the deficiencies in the background technology, the utility model discloses a modular aircraft engine, the purpose of which is to reduce the manufacturing cost of aircraft engine series products.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose of the utility model, the utility model adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A modular aircraft engine comprises a left case, a right case and an addable expansion case. The left case, the right case or the expansion case are coaxially connected together by screws, nuts and locating pins to form a casing. Crank assemblies are installed in the left case, the expansion case and the right case. The crank assemblies are coaxially connected together by a spline structure to form a crankshaft.

[0008] To further improve the technical solution, a left crank assembly is installed in the left case body, and the left crank assembly has an outwardly extending power output shaft, which is used to connect to a propeller or a reduction gearbox.

[0009] To further improve the technical solution, a stop for positioning the reduction gearbox is provided at the outer end of the left housing. The reduction gearbox is connected to the outer end of the left housing through a screw, a nut and a stop, and a propeller is installed at the output end of the reduction gearbox.

[0010] To further improve the technical solution, a right crank assembly is installed in the right box body. The right crank assembly has an outwardly extending connecting shaft, which is used to connect an auxiliary module consisting of a magnetic motor, a starting gear, a starting motor, a connecting plate, and a fixed bracket.

[0011] To further improve the technical solution, the aircraft engine also includes a spline connecting sleeve, in which an internal spline is provided; an external spline is provided at the connecting end of the crank assembly, and each crank assembly is coaxially connected together through the spline connecting sleeve.

[0012] To further improve the technical solution, a pair of needle roller bearings are installed on the spline connection sleeve, and a spacer sleeve is installed between the pair of needle roller bearings.

[0013] To further improve the technical solution, the number of keyways in the spline structure is 12.

[0014] After implementing the above technical solution, compared with the background technology, the beneficial effects produced by the present invention are:

[0015] The utility model designs the casing and crankshaft as expandable and combinable components. Only three types of casings and three types of crank assemblies are needed to realize the production of a full range of aircraft engines with the same cylinder diameter, which greatly reduces the production costs of the casing and crankshaft.

[0016] In addition, the utility model designs the reduction gearbox as a retrofittable component, and designs the magneto, starting gear, starting motor, connecting plate, and fixing bracket into a universal auxiliary module. When the magneto and starting gear are replaced, there is no need to change the original structure of the casing and crankshaft. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Attachment Figure 1 Shown is a schematic structural diagram of a horizontally opposed four-cylinder aircraft engine in Example 1.

[0018] Attachment Figure 2 Shown is an exploded view of the horizontally opposed four-cylinder aircraft engine in Example 1.

[0019] Attachment Figure 3 Shown is a left side view of the receiver.

[0020] Attachment Figure 4 Shown is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the crank assemblies.

[0021] Attachment Figure 5 Shown is the attached Figure 4 Cross-section of the middle spline connection sleeve.

[0022] Attachment Figure 6 Shown is a schematic structural diagram of a horizontally opposed six-cylinder aircraft engine in Example 2.

[0023] Attachment Figure 7 Shown is an exploded view of the horizontally opposed six-cylinder aircraft engine in Example 2.

[0024] Attachment Figure 8Shown is an exploded view of the casing and crankshaft of the horizontally opposed eight-cylinder aircraft engine in Example 3.

[0025] In the attached figure: 1. Casing; 11. Left housing; 12. Right housing; 13. Extension housing; 14. Locating pin; 15. Screw; 16. Nut; 2. Crankshaft; 21. Left crank assembly; 22. Right crank assembly; 23. Extension crank assembly; 24. Spline connecting sleeve; 25. Ball bearing; 26. Needle bearing; 27. Spacer; 3. Cylinder; 4. Auxiliary module; 5. Propeller; 6. Gearbox. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following describes preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art should understand that these embodiments are merely intended to illustrate the technical principles of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. It should be noted that, in the description of the present invention, terms such as "front," "rear," "up," "down," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inside," and "outside" indicating directions or positional relationships are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. This is merely for ease of description and does not indicate or imply that the device or component must have a specific orientation, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. It should also be noted that, in the description of the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood broadly. For example, they can mean fixed, detachable, or integral; mechanical or electrical; direct, indirect through an intermediary, or internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0027] Example 1: Refer to the attached Figure 1 Attached Figure 1 The diagram shows the structure of a horizontally opposed four-cylinder aircraft engine. The aircraft engine is a basic model having four horizontally opposed cylinders 3. The cylinder diameter of the cylinder 3 is 66 mm and the piston stroke is 40 mm.

[0028] Refer to the attached Figure 2 and attached Figure 3 In order to facilitate the expansion of the basic model into a series of products, the basic model includes a left box body 11 and a right box body 12, and the left box body 11 and the right box body 12 are coaxially connected together by a screw rod 15, a nut 16, and a positioning pin 14 to form a casing 1.

[0029] Specifically, a crank chamber and a bearing chamber are provided within the left and right casings 11, 12. To facilitate the placement of the crankshaft 2, both the left and right casings 11, 12 are split. A docking surface is provided between the left and right casings 11, 12, on which a pair of locating pins 14 are mounted. This two-pin-on-one positioning arrangement ensures the concentricity of the bearing chambers of the left and right casings 11, 12. Four through-holes are provided at the ends of the left and right casings 11, 12, into which screws 15 are inserted. These screws 15 and nuts 16 connect the left and right casings 11, 12, forming a complete casing 1.

[0030] Mounted within the left housing 11 is a left crank assembly 21 having an outwardly extending power take-off shaft for connecting to and providing rotational power for the propeller 5. Mounted within the right housing 12 is a right crank assembly 22 having an outwardly extending connecting shaft for connecting to the auxiliary module 4, which comprises a magneto, a starter gear, a starter motor, a connecting plate, and a fixing bracket.

[0031] The magneto consists of a magnetic steel rotor and a pair of magnetic electrodes. The magnetic steel rotor and starter gear are rotating components and are mounted on a connecting plate. The connecting plate is fixed to the connecting shaft via a key structure and rotates with the crankshaft 2. The magnetic electrodes and starter motor are non-rotating components and are mounted on a fixed bracket. The end of the left case 11 has a stopper, and the fixed bracket is attached to the end of the left case 11 using a screw 15, a nut 16, and a stopper. This way, if the magneto and starter gear need to be replaced, only the connection structure of the fixed bracket and the connecting plate needs to be changed, without modifying the original structure of the case 1 and crankshaft 2.

[0032] Refer to the attached Figure 4 and attached Figure 5 . The left crank assembly 21 and the right crank assembly 22 are both composed of a crank, a connecting rod, and a piston. An external spline is provided on the shaft at the other end of the crank, and the number of keyways of the external spline is 12. A spline connecting sleeve 24 is provided between the left crank assembly 21 and the right crank assembly 22. An internal spline matching the external spline is provided in the spline connecting sleeve 24. The left crank assembly 21 and the right crank assembly 22 are coaxially connected together through the spline connecting sleeve 24, and the angle between the left crank assembly 21 and the right crank assembly 22 is staggered by 180°. In order to prevent the left crank assembly 21 and the right crank assembly 22 from axial movement, the external splines on the left crank assembly 21 and the right crank assembly 22 are pressed together with the internal splines of the spline connecting sleeve 24 by interference fit. In this way, through the spline connection structure, the left crank assembly 21 and the right crank assembly 22 are combined into a complete crankshaft 2.

[0033] Refer again to the attached Figure 1 and attached Figure 4A pair of needle roller bearings 26 are mounted on the splined connection sleeve 24, with a spacer sleeve 27 installed between the pair of needle roller bearings 26. A pair of ball bearings 25 are mounted on the power output shaft of the left crank assembly 21, and a needle roller bearing 26 is also mounted on the connecting shaft of the right crank assembly 22. The outer diameters of these three sets of bearings are the same. During processing, the left and right housings 11 and 12 are connected together using screws 15, nuts 16, and locating pins 14. Then, all bearing chambers are bored out in one go to ensure the concentricity of each bearing chamber.

[0034] Example 2: This example uses the aircraft engine in Example 1 as the basic model, and expands the four-cylinder aircraft engine into a six-cylinder aircraft engine by adding an expansion box 13 and an expansion crank assembly 23.

[0035] Refer to the attached Figure 6 and attached Figure 7 The casing 1 is composed of a left box body 11, an expansion box body 13 and a right box body 12. A pair of positioning pins 14 are provided between the left box body 11 and the expansion box body 13, and a pair of positioning pins 14 are provided between the expansion box body 13 and the right box body 12. Then, four screws 15 are used to connect the left box body 11, the expansion box body 13 and the right box body 12 into one body.

[0036] Crankshaft 2 consists of a left crank assembly 21, an extended crank assembly 23, and a right crank assembly 22. These are connected by two splined connectors 24 with internal splines. Because this is a six-cylinder aircraft engine, the spline indexing ensures that the angles between the left crank assembly 21, extended crank assembly 23, and right crank assembly 22 are each 120°.

[0037] Furthermore, a stopper is provided at the outer end of the left housing 11, to which a reduction gearbox 6 is mounted via a screw 15. A power take-off shaft is connected to the input end of reduction gearbox 6, and a propeller 5 is mounted at the output end of reduction gearbox 6. The function of reduction gearbox 6 is to increase the torque of propeller 5 by reducing the rotational speed of crankshaft 2 to meet flight requirements. Because reduction gearbox 6 is a retrofittable, universal component, the existing structure of housing 1 and crankshaft 2 does not need to be modified.

[0038] Example 3: This example uses the aircraft engine in Example 1 as the basic model, and expands the four-cylinder aircraft engine into an eight-cylinder aircraft engine by adding two expansion boxes 13 and two expansion crank assemblies 23.

[0039] Refer to the attached Figure 8 The casing 1 is composed of a left box body 11 , two expansion boxes 13 and a right box body 12 , and the left box body 11 , the expansion box body 13 and the right box body 12 are connected into one body by four screws 15 .

[0040] Crankshaft 2 consists of a left crank assembly 21, two extended crank assemblies 23, and a right crank assembly 22. These are connected by three splined connectors 24 with internal splines. Because this is an eight-cylinder aircraft engine, the spline indexing ensures that the angles between the left crank assembly 21, extended crank assembly 23, and right crank assembly 22 are each 90°.

[0041] From the above, it can be seen that the present invention designs the casing 1 and the crankshaft 2 as expandable and combinable components. Only three types of casings and three types of crank assemblies are needed to realize the production of a full range of aircraft engines with the same cylinder diameter, which greatly reduces the production costs of the casing 1 and the crankshaft 2.

[0042] In addition, the present invention designs the reduction box 6 as a retrofittable component, and designs the magneto, starting gear, starting motor, connecting plate, and fixing bracket into a universal auxiliary module 4. When the magneto and starting gear are replaced, there is no need to change the structure of the engine case 1 and the crankshaft 2.

[0043] Parts not described in detail are prior art. Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and the scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A modular aircraft engine, characterized by: It includes a left case, a right case and an add-on expansion case. The left case, the right case or the expansion case are coaxially connected together by screws, nuts and locating pins to form a casing; crank assemblies are installed in the left case, the expansion case and the right case, and the crank assemblies are coaxially connected together through a spline structure to form a crankshaft.

2. A modular aircraft engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The left crank assembly is installed in the left case. The left crank assembly has an outwardly extending power output shaft, which is used to connect to a propeller or a reduction gearbox.

3. A modular aircraft engine as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The outer end of the left box body is provided with a stop for positioning the reduction box. The reduction box is connected to the outer end of the left box body through a screw, a nut and a stop. A propeller is installed at the output end of the reduction box.

4. The modular aircraft engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The right crank assembly is installed in the right case. The right crank assembly has an outwardly extending connecting shaft, which is used to connect the auxiliary module consisting of a magnetic motor, a starting gear, a starting motor, a connecting plate, and a fixing bracket.

5. The modular aircraft engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The aero-engine further comprises a spline connecting sleeve in which an internal spline is arranged; an external spline is arranged at the connecting end of the crank assembly, and the crank assemblies are coaxially connected together through the spline connecting sleeve.

6. A modular aircraft engine according to claim 5, characterized in that: A pair of needle roller bearings is installed on the spline connection sleeve, and a spacer sleeve is installed between the pair of needle roller bearings.

7. The modular aircraft engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of keyways in the spline structure is 12.

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