notch on cylinder head intake face for angled mounting on engine cylinder head

Abstract

A diagonal mounting arrangement of a mounting flange (19) of a housing (42) of an internal combustion engine component to a mounting wall of a cylinder head (15) of said engine, said cylinder head comprising a mounting ledge (30) against which the mounting flange (19) is supported by a fastening device (120), characterized in that said fastening device comprises a guide and fastening insert (110) mounted against the wall of a notch (100) cut into the cylinder head from the face of the mounting ledge (30). Figure for the abbreviation: Fig. 4

Description

Title of the invention: Notch on the cylinder head intake face for oblique mounting on an engine cylinder head. Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an internal combustion engine. The present invention also relates to a motor vehicle equipped with a heat engine with a water / air heat exchanger at the intake The present invention relates more particularly to a fixing of a casing at an angle on a wall of a thermal engine, in particular a wall of a cylinder head of a thermal engine. State of the art

[0002] Motor vehicles are increasingly subject to constraints regarding the reduction of their equipment size for reasons of aesthetics or passenger comfort. In particular, vehicles equipped with a heat engine, also known as an internal combustion engine, have an engine compartment housing a powertrain comprising the engine and its components or accessories, the dimensions of which are constantly being reduced, leading to research into improvements in terms of the compactness of the engine and its components or accessories. Thus, the plan is to optimize the space in the engine compartment by reducing the volume of the engine and its components or accessories, and by cleverly arranging the engine and accessories together. A heat engine typically comprises a cylinder block on which a cylinder head is mounted. Air intake ports leading to the cylinders are machined into the cylinder head. The cylinder head has an "intake" face, against which an intake manifold is fixed. This manifold directs air or intake gases to the intake ports machined into the cylinder head and connected to the cylinders. It also has an "exhaust" face, against which an exhaust manifold is fixed to collect the burnt gases produced by combustion in the engine cylinders.

[0003] The intake air and / or gases are directed to the intake manifold after being compressed by a compressor, which is, for example, the compression stage of a turbocharger. To improve engine efficiency and performance, the intake air is cooled before entering the engine cylinders. A cooling stage is therefore installed in the air intake circuit upstream of the cylinder head, following the direction of intake air flow. This cooling stage includes, for example, an air-to-water heat exchanger through which the hot compressed air transfers some of its heat to water or a coolant. The heat exchanger is housed in a casing which is extended downstream by a mounting flange along the direction of intake air flow, forming a chamber with, for example, a recess in the cylinder head. This chamber is part of an intake manifold plenum. To reduce engine weight, the crankcase is fixed to the intake face of the cylinder head using a flange. The crankcase's mounting must withstand significant mechanical stresses, requiring highly rigid components made of metallic materials such as steel or steel alloys. Furthermore, to optimize the use of space in the engine compartment, the crankcase is mounted at an angle to the cylinder head's intake face. This intake face extends approximately along a vertical plane.

[0004] Publication DE102014217314-A1 discloses a fixing of a crankcase against an intake face of a cylinder head of a thermal engine, said fixing comprises two bearing walls substantially orthogonal to each other which are fixed in support against two orthogonal surfaces of the cylinder head. One problem with this fixing is the need for two orthogonal bearing surfaces at one upper end of the cylinder head, which can lead to an overthickness of said upper end of the cylinder head.

[0005] Another problem is that the fixing is part of the heat exchanger housing, which leads to an increase in the weight of the engine.

[0006] Another problem is that this fixing requires an arrangement near the upper end of the cylinder head, a second bearing surface on the cylinder head perpendicular to a first bearing or fixing surface which is parallel to the fixing ledge or the intake face of the cylinder head. The aim of the invention is to remedy these problems and one of the objects of the invention is an angled fixing arrangement of a fixing flange of a housing of an engine element, to a cylinder head. Presentation of the invention

[0007] The present invention relates more particularly to an angled fixing arrangement of a fixing flange of a housing of a thermal engine element to a fixing wall of a cylinder head of said engine, said cylinder head comprising a fixing ledge against which the fixing flange is fixed in support by means of a fixing device to a cylinder head,

[0008] Characterized in that said fastening device comprises a guide and fastening insert mounted against the wall of a notch cut into the cylinder head from the face of the fastening curb.

[0009] Advantageously, the fastening device comprises a guide and fastening insert mounted against the wall of a notch cut into the cylinder head from the face of the mounting flange. This fastening device is capable of withstanding the clamping or fastening stresses of the flange against the cylinder head. The notch may be a counterbore cut from the face of the cylinder head mounting flange, which allows for precise positioning of the device, particularly by avoiding areas of thinness in the cylinder head wall.

[0010] According to other features of the invention:

[0011] -the insert includes a tubular conduit extending obliquely from the face of the cylinder head mounting ledge.

[0012] Advantageously, the fixing insert includes a tubular conduit extending obliquely from the face of the cylinder head fixing ledge, said tubular conduit being able to cooperate with the fixing flange to facilitate the mounting of said flange against the cylinder head and to ensure the fixing of said flange against the cylinder head fixing ledge.

[0013] -the notch includes a support section parallel to the fixing sidewalk.

[0014] Advantageously, the notch or counterbore includes a bearing section in the bottom of the counterbore parallel to the cylinder head fixing ledge for good distribution and consideration of the fixing stresses of the flange against the cylinder head.

[0015] -the notch has a lateral bearing face orthogonal to the bearing section and at the lower end of the notch.

[0016] Advantageously, the notch has a lateral support face orthogonal to the front support section and arranged at a lower end of the notch for good distribution and consideration of the constraints of fixing the flange against the cylinder head.

[0017] -the insert includes a screw base adapted to be housed in the notch.

[0018] Advantageously, the fastening device includes a screw base adapted to be housed in the notch. For this purpose, the dimensions of the base are substantially smaller than those of the notch.

[0019] -the screw base of the insert has a front support face and a lateral support face mounted to bear respectively against a support section and against a lateral support face of the notch.

[0020] Advantageously, the screw base of the insert must be in contact at least on the bearing section and the lateral bearing face of the notch for a transmission of forces.

[0021] -the screw base has a parallelepiped shape.

[0022] Advantageously, and according to one embodiment, the base of the insert has a parallelepiped shape to ensure contact and support of the front face and the lateral bearing face against respectively the bearing section and the bearing face of the notch.

[0023] -the screw base is cylindrical.

[0024] Advantageously, the base of the insert has an easily obtainable cylindrical shape.

[0025] -the cylindrical screw base includes a flat.

[0026] Advantageously, the cylindrical base includes a flat as a second support wall which is mounted against the second support face of the notch, thus ensuring a transmission of fixing forces of the flange against the cylinder head.

[0027] -the depth of the notch is less than or equal to the thickness of the screw base of the insert.

[0028] Advantageously, the depth of the notch is less than or equal to the thickness of the screw base of the insert, which may result in a slight overhang of the screw base of the insert to allow control of the crushing of a sealing gasket disposed between the flange and the cylinder head.

[0029] -the screw base includes a through hole of revolution about an axis extending obliquely with respect to the front support face.

[0030] Advantageously, a hole is drilled in the counterbore from the first bearing face. Said hole is intended to receive a fixing screw passing through the base of the fixing insert.

[0031] -the flange includes a passage channel in a fixing wall at the upper end, adapted to surround the tubular conduit.

[0032] Advantageously, the mounting flange has a passage channel cut through a mounting wall at the upper end of the flange and intended to house the tubular conduit of the mounting device to facilitate the mounting of the mounting flange and thus the engine element housing against the cylinder head.

[0033] -the length of the tubular conduit is less than the length of the flange passage channel.

[0034] Advantageously, the length of the tubular conduit of the fixing device is less than the length of the flange passage channel to ensure pressure retention of the flange against the cylinder head. Brief description of the figures

[0035] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of particular embodiments of the invention given by way of non-limiting examples and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: [Fig.1] is a schematic front view of an intake face of a cylinder head.

[0036] [Fig.2] is a schematic view of a cylinder head of an internal combustion engine.

[0037] [Fig.3] is a cross-sectional view of the cylinder head with a fixing flange mounted against the cylinder head.

[0038] [Fig.4] is a schematic view of a fixing and stiffening insert.

[0039] [Fig.5] is a front view facing the cylinder head of a fixing insert according to a method of implementation.

[0040] [Fig.6] is a cross-sectional view of the fastening arrangement according to one embodiment.

[0041] [Fig. 7] is a schematic view of a fixing and stiffening insert. Detailed description of the figures

[0042] In the description that follows, identical reference numerals designate identical parts or parts having similar functions.

[0043] The terms up / down refer to an orthonormal reference frame of the motor vehicle, with two horizontal axes in the plane of the vehicle passing for example through the axles of said vehicle, and a vertical orthogonal axis in said plane turned upwards, for example from the engine towards the engine hood of the vehicle. The invention proposes a diagonal fixing arrangement for an element of a thermal or internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, said engine.

[0044] Figures 1 and 2 show a cylinder head 15 of a heat engine and in particular an intake face 14 of said cylinder head 15.

[0045] According to [Fig. 3], an intake distributor is mounted against the cylinder head to cover the cylinder head intake port. Said intake distributor is formed by a mounting flange 19 which allows the attachment of a housing 42 of an engine component or accessory to the cylinder head, here said component is a water / air heat exchanger 11 as shown in [Fig. 4].

[0046] To facilitate understanding of the invention, the following description describes an angled mounting of the housing 42 of the heat exchanger 11, in particular of the mounting flange 19 of said housing, by means of a fastening means, against the intake face 14 of the cylinder head 15 of an internal combustion engine. That is to say, the axis of the intake air flow is oblique to the plane of the intake face 14 of the cylinder head; the axis of attachment of the fastening means, for example a screw, is also oblique to the plane of the intake face 14 of the cylinder head. The angle formed between said axis of attachment and the axis perpendicular to the plane of the intake face of the cylinder head is less than 45°, in particular between 20° and 45°. However, it may be a housing for another component or accessory of the engine. As is well known, a vehicle's internal combustion engine is connected to an air intake system. This system carries fresh air, drawn in from the front of the vehicle, to the engine. The air passes through various components of the Engine components may include an air filter, an intake valve, and a compression stage, which could be the compressor of a turbocharger. Compressing the air can raise its temperature, and it is common practice to add a heat exchanger, usually of the air-to-water type, to reduce the intake air temperature before it enters the engine. The air may also be mixed with recirculated exhaust gases taken from an exhaust system, which increases the temperature of the intake air-gas mixture. This mixing is generally carried out upstream of the heat exchanger, following the direction of airflow.

[0047] The intake air, heated to a high temperature during compression or by mixing with recirculated gases, passes through the water / air type heat exchanger 11, known in English as "WaterCAC", to reduce its temperature before being injected into the engine as shown in [Fig. 4]. The heat exchanger is housed in a casing 42 which is fixed against the intake face 14 of the cylinder head 15. To optimize the space occupied by the engine and its components or accessories installed in the engine compartment of the motor vehicle, the housing 42 of the intercooler 11 is fixed at an angle to the substantially vertical intake face 14 of the engine. The axis of the intake air flow is oblique to the intake face 14 of the cylinder head, as shown in [Fig. 4]. The intake air flows in a direction A1 from the outside towards the cylinder head. This direction A1 makes an acute angle with the axis perpendicular to the plane of the intake face 14 of the cylinder head 15, less than 45°, in particular between 20° and 45°. To facilitate understanding of the invention, the cylinder head 15 is schematically parallelepiped in shape with a flat and vertical intake face 14.

[0048] According to figures 3 and 4, the heat exchanger housing 42 is thus fixed at an angle against the inlet face 14 and here near the upper end 12 of said inlet face 14 by means of a fixing flange 19. The mounting flange 19 has a bearing face 20 opposite the intake face 14 of the cylinder head, and an opposing outer face 21 which is oblique with respect to said bearing face 20.

[0049] Said support face 20 is intended to bear against a fixing curb 30 which has a flat face substantially parallel to the intake face 14 of the cylinder head.

[0050] The housing 42 is fixed to the outer face 21 of the flange. The flange 19 thus defines a chamber 18 which is part of an intake plenum of the engine's intake manifold. Preferably, the mounting flange 19 is attached to the heat exchanger housing 42, for example, by clipping. The mounting flange 19 is fixed against the cylinder head by means of fasteners such as screws, arranged along the edge of the flange's bearing surface. The fixing pins for the said fixing means at the upper end of the flange 19 are at an angle to the bearing face 20, and orthogonal to said bearing face 20 at the lateral edges and at the lower end.

[0051] To optimize the weight of the engine and its components or accessories, the mounting flange 19 is made of a lightweight material, which may be plastic. However, plastic does not have sufficient rigidity to guarantee the angled attachment of the flange 19 to the heat exchanger housing against the cylinder head 15. The invention proposes a fixing arrangement 10 of the fixing flange 19, in the upper part of said flange, and of the cylinder head 15 as shown in figures 1 and 3. The fixing of the flange to the cylinder head is carried out by means of a fixing device which includes fixing means such as screws, the axis of which is oblique with respect to an axis orthogonal to the plane of the intake face 14 of the cylinder head 15.

[0052] It is known that an angled mounting on a vertical bearing surface, here the intake face 14, introduces a mechanical stress along the axis of the mounting. This stress consists of a stress along an axis orthogonal to the bearing surface 20 and a stress parallel to said bearing surface, which can lead to deformation of the parts. It is therefore necessary to provide a device to stiffen the mounting of the flange 19 to the cylinder head.

[0053] According to one embodiment of the invention, the cylinder head 15 comprises at least one notch 100, preferably two notches as represented in [Fig.2], which are cut from the face of the fixing ledge 30. Said notches 100 may be counterbores.

[0054] The description is made on one of the two notches which are identical.

[0055] According to one embodiment, the notch 100 has a bearing section 101 which can be rectangular in the bottom of the notch, extending along the longitudinal axis X of the cylinder head 15, and a depth of the order of 2 to 5mm.

[0056] The support section 101 of the notch is substantially parallel to the intake face 14 of the cylinder head 15.

[0057] The notch has a lateral bearing face 102 along the depth of the notch, orthogonal to the bearing section 101. The lateral bearing face 102 is located at the lower end of the notch 100 and is turned towards the top of the cylinder head.

[0058] Preferably, said support section 101 and said lateral support face 102 are obtained by machining. Obtaining the support section and the lateral support face orthogonal to said support section can be carried out during the same cycle of operations as the entire inlet face with the same tool guide reference, which facilitates the machining operation of the two surfaces and improves the accuracy of obtaining said surfaces.

[0059] At the bottom of the notch 100 is drilled a screw hole 103 opening from the support section 101 and whose axis XI is substantially oblique with respect to the plane of said support section 101 and therefore of the intake face 14 of the cylinder head.

[0060] According to an embodiment shown in Figures 4 and 5, the fastening device 120 comprises a guide and fastening insert 110 which facilitates the assembly and fastening of said flange 19 against the mounting ledge 30 of the cylinder head. The insert 110 has a substantially parallelepiped-shaped screw base 111 mounted against the bearing section 101 of the notch 100. Said screw base 111 has a bearing face 115 which may be square or rectangular in contact with the bearing section 101.

[0061] Preferably, the thickness of the screw base 111 is equal to or even slightly greater than the depth of the notch 100 in order to properly control the contact and support of the fixing flange 19 against the fixing ledge 30 of the cylinder head, in particular to control the crushing of a sealing gasket (not shown) disposed between said flange 19 and the ledge 30.

[0062] Said screw base 111 includes a through hole 116 whose axis coincides with the axis of the screw hole 103 emerging from the support section 101 of the notch 100, once the screw base of the insert 110 is mounted against the cylinder head, in the housing of the notch.

[0063] The screw base 111 includes a square or rectangular front bearing face 115 mounted against the bearing section 101. The surfaces of the front bearing face 115 of the screw base can be equal to the surface of the bearing section 101 of the notch 100.

[0064] The insert 110 includes a lateral support face 112 orthogonal to the front support face 115, which is mounted to bear against the lateral support face 102 of the notch 100 which is turned towards the top of the breech.

[0065] Preferably, the front bearing faces 115 and lateral bearing faces 112 of the screw base 111 opposite respectively with the bearing section 101 and with the lateral bearing face 102 of the notch 100 are machined.

[0066] The insert 110 also includes, as shown in [Fig. 5], a guide channel 24 for mounting and retaining the fixing flange 19. Preferably, the guide channel 24 is formed by a tubular channel 25 extending from the screw base 111, and therefore substantially from the face of the fixing ledge 30, along an axis coinciding with the axis of the through hole 116. The tubular channel 25 is cylindrical and straight. It has an internal cylindrical cross-section 26 at least equal to the cross-section of the through hole 116.

[0067] The tubular guide conduit cooperates with the heat exchanger mounting flange 19, which has a passage channel adapted to accommodate the cylindrical tubular conduit 25. Preferably, the outside diameter of the tubular conduit 25 is substantially equal to or slightly less than the diameter of the cross-section of the passage channel within the assembly clearance.

[0068] Similarly, the length of the tubular conduit 25 is slightly less than the length of the passage channel of the fixing flange 19 of the heat exchanger housing 42.

[0069] According to a preferred embodiment shown in Figures 6 and 7, the insert 110 is cylindrical and tubular with a cylindrical screw base 111 housed in the notch 100. The cylindrical insert 110 has a flat front bearing face 115 mounted against the bearing section 101 of the notch. The axis of the cylindrical insert 110 is not orthogonal to the front bearing face 115. The axis orthogonal to the front bearing face 115 forms an acute angle with the axis of the cylindrical insert 110.

[0070] The screw base 111 has a through hole 116 whose axis coincides with the axis of the cylindrical insert 110. The length of the screw base is substantially equal to the depth of the notch 100.

[0071] The cylindrical screw base 111 is extended by the tubular conduit 25 from the face of the fixing sidewalk 30, said cylindrical screw base 110 and the tubular conduit 25 being coaxial.

[0072] Preferably, the outside diameters of the cylindrical screw base 111 and the tubular conduit 25 are equal to facilitate the making of the insert 110.

[0073] Preferably, the cylindrical screw base 111 has a flat 114 which is orthogonal to the front bearing face 115. The flat 114 is intended to bear against the lateral bearing face 102 of the notch.

[0074] The insert 110 is mounted against the cylinder head 15 in such a way that the parallelepiped or cylindrical screw base 110 is housed in the notch 100.

[0075] The front bearing face 115 is mounted to bear against the bearing section 101 of the notch 100.

[0076] Similarly, the lateral support wall 112 or the flat 114 is mounted to bear against the lateral support face 102 of the notch 100 facing upwards of the breech.

[0077] The mounting flange 19 of the heat exchanger housing is mounted surrounding the tubular conduit 25 and the assembly is then assembled against the cylinder head by screwing a bolt around a stud 51 inserted into the screw hole 103. The flange 19 is held by the tubular conduit 25 against the cylinder head 15. Preferably, the fixing device 120 is made of metallic material with sufficient rigidity of the order of 30000 to 200000N / mm. The objective has been achieved: the mounting arrangement allows for the angled attachment of a crankcase mounting flange against the cylinder head intake face, ensuring both sufficient rigidity and ease of assembly. The guide insert This helps prevent assembly errors. This arrangement can be positioned at the upper end of the cylinder head or not. As can be expected, the invention is not limited to the forms of execution of this grip described above as examples, but rather encompasses all variants thereof.

[0078] The representations show a fixing at the upper end edge of the cylinder head, but this can be arranged lower on the intake face of the cylinder head.

Claims

Demands

1. A diagonal fixing arrangement of a fixing flange (19) of a housing (42) of a heat engine element to a fixing wall of a cylinder head (15) of said engine, said cylinder head comprising a fixing ledge (30) against which the fixing flange (19) is fixed in support by means of a fixing device (120), characterized in that said fixing device comprises a guide and fixing insert (110) mounted in support against the wall of a notch (100) cut into the cylinder head from the face of the fixing ledge (30).

2. Fixing arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the insert (110) comprises a tubular conduit (25) extending obliquely from the lateral fixing face of the cylinder head.

3. Fixing arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the notch (100) has a bearing section (101) parallel to the fixing sidewalk (30).

4. Fixing arrangement according to claim 3, characterized in that the notch (100) has a lateral bearing face (102) orthogonal to the bearing section (101), at the lower end of the counterbore and turned towards the top of the cylinder head (15).

5. Fixing arrangement according to claim 4, characterized in that the insert (110) has a screw base (111) carrying the tubular conduit (25) and adapted to be housed in the notch (100).

6. Fixing arrangement according to claim 5, characterized in that the screw base (111) of the insert has a front bearing face (115) and a lateral bearing face (112) mounted to bear respectively against the bearing section (101) and the lateral bearing face (102) of the notch.

7. Fixing arrangement according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the screw base (111) has a parallelepiped shape.

8. Fixing arrangement according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the screw base (111) is cylindrical.

9. Fixing arrangement according to claim 8, characterized in that the second support wall of the cylindrical screw base (111) comprises a flat (114).

10. Fixing arrangement according to any one of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that the depth of the notch (100) is less than or equal to the thickness of the screw base (111) of the insert (110).

11. Fixing arrangement according to any one of claims 5 to 10, characterized in that the screw base (111) comprises a through hole (116) of revolution about an axis extending obliquely with respect to the front bearing face (115).

12. Fixing arrangement according to claim 11, characterized in that the passage section of the tubular conduit (25) is in the extension of the through orifice (116).

13. Fixing arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the flange (19) includes a passage channel in a fixing wall at the upper end, adapted to surround the tubular conduit (25).

14. Fixing arrangement according to claim 13, characterized in that the length of the tubular conduit is less than the length of the flange passage channel (19).