Chain Cover Groove Segmentation for Sealing Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing chain covers for internal combustion engines face challenges in maintaining close contact between the seal member and the groove portion due to potential steps forming at boundaries between different material members, which can reduce sealing performance.
Innovation Solution
A cover for an internal combustion engine is designed with a first member made of hard plastic and a second member made of a different material, where the groove portion is only provided on the facing surface of the first member, ensuring no boundary between members and maintaining close contact with the seal member.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the groove portion extends across two or more members made of different materials, then the dimensional accuracy can be improved, but steps are likely to form at boundaries between the members, reducing sealing performance
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is divided into a first member (hard plastic) and a second member (different material), with the groove portion located only in the first member. This segmentation allows each member to be optimized for its specific function while avoiding the formation of steps at boundaries within the groove portion, thus maintaining sealing performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The groove portion is localized only in the first member made of hard plastic, which has superior dimensional accuracy. This local quality approach ensures that the critical sealing groove is formed in the material with the best dimensional stability, while the second member can be made of a different material optimized for other properties.
2Reliability
If the groove portion is provided only in the first member, then close contact between the seal member and groove portion is maintained, but the structural complexity increases due to joining two different members
Solution Approach 1:
The first member and second member are joined together to form an integrated cover structure. The joining process combines two members with different material properties into a single functional unit, achieving both the sealing performance benefits of localized groove placement and the structural integrity of a unified cover.
Data Source
AI summary
A chain cover includes a first member, which is made of a hard plastic, and a second member, which is made of a material different from the hard plastic. The first member includes a back face, which faces an engine main body. The second member is joined to the first member. Only the back face of the first member includes a groove, which receives a seal member. The seal member provides a seal between the first member and the engine main body.