Corrugated Insert Piston and Laminated Connecting Rod
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional piston and connecting rod assemblies in reciprocating engines face challenges in reducing weight and material volume while maintaining structural integrity, leading to premature wear and engine failure due to mechanical stress and heat.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a piston assembly with an inner and outer piston layer and a corrugated insert between them, along with a connecting rod composed of multiple rigidly attached layers, which reduces material volume and weight while maintaining strength through a corrugated insert that supports the outer piston layer and a connecting rod with diverging sections and holes for reduced weight and improved structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If solid metal materials are used to increase structural integrity, then strength and reliability are improved, but weight increases resulting in reduced efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The piston and connecting rod are divided into multiple thin layers instead of using solid metal. The piston includes a piston head layer, piston skirt layer, and intermediate layer, while the connecting rod includes big end layer, small end layer, and intermediate layer. This segmentation reduces weight while maintaining structural integrity through the distributed layer structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite construction with multiple layers of material stacked together. Each layer can be optimized for specific properties, and the combined structure provides both strength and weight reduction. The layers are bonded together to form a composite structure that outperforms solid metal in the strength-to-weight ratio.
2Weight of moving object
If the thickness of connecting rod and piston skirt is reduced to decrease weight, then weight and material volume are reduced, but structural integrity deteriorates resulting in premature wear
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single thick component, the design segments the piston and connecting rod into multiple thin layers. This allows each layer to be optimized for specific functions while the combined structure maintains overall strength. The segmentation enables weight reduction without sacrificing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single-dimensional thick structure to a multi-layered three-dimensional structure. By stacking multiple thin layers, the design achieves strength through the cumulative effect of multiple interfaces and distributed material, rather than relying on single-dimensional thickness.
3Volume of stationary object
If the thickness of piston face and piston skirt is reduced to reduce material volume, then material volume is reduced improving heat transfer, but structural integrity is reduced leading to engine failure
Solution Approach 1:
The piston is segmented into a piston head layer and piston skirt layer with an intermediate layer, allowing each segment to be optimized for its specific function. The reduced thickness of each individual layer is compensated by the combined structure, maintaining integrity while reducing total material volume for improved heat transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-layer composite structure allows for reduced material volume in each layer while maintaining overall structural integrity. The composite construction provides both thermal management benefits through reduced volume and structural strength through the layered architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
A reinforced piston assembly provides a piston having a corrugated insert supporting an outer piston layer. The corrugated insert can include lateral, concentric or radial corrugations and can include regular or irregular corrugation spacing. The corrugated insert in some embodiments forms a circular disk and can include a plurality of insert holes defined in the disk. A laminated connecting rod having at least two rod layers is pivotally attached to the piston in some embodiments. The laminated connecting rod provides a first end having a diverging section with first and second rod prongs each forming a wrist pin socket. A wrist pin can extend through each socket, and a sleeve is disposed about the wrist pin between the wrist pin sockets. Additionally, one or more flanges can extend from the opposite end of the connecting rod, and a base cap including one or more flange recesses is positioned on the connecting rod for securing the connecting rod to a crankshaft.