Cylinder Block Integrated Oil Jacket Casting
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Solution Overview
Problem
The production of engine blocks with integrated oil jackets is complex and costly, requiring additional machining processes that increase manufacturing time and complexity, and create variances in engine blocks.
Innovation Solution
An engine block design featuring integrally cast oil jacket channels that extend around cylinder barrels, eliminating the need for drilling or machining, with curved sections forming a continuous fluid pathway between adjacent barrels, and a method of manufacturing using a mold with curved protrusions to create these channels during casting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If oil passages are drilled or machined through the engine block after casting, then the oil passages can be formed in the heavy casted mass, but the manufacturing time, complexity, and expense increase
Solution Approach 1:
The oil passages are pre-formed as channels within the mold cavity before the casting process. The mold includes built-in channels that create the oil passage geometry during casting, eliminating the need for subsequent drilling or machining operations. This preliminary action integrates the oil passage formation into the primary manufacturing step.
Solution Approach 2:
The oil passage formation process is merged with the engine block casting process. The mold channels and engine block are formed simultaneously in a single casting operation, combining two previously separate processes (mold making and oil passage drilling) into one integrated manufacturing step.
2Manufacturing precision
If oil passages are drilled or machined through the engine block, then the oil passages can be created, but the manufacturing complexity and expense increase
Solution Approach 1:
The oil passage formation process is merged with the engine block casting process. The mold channels and engine block are formed simultaneously in a single casting operation, combining two previously separate processes (mold making and oil passage drilling) into one integrated manufacturing step.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex drilling and machining operations are extracted from the manufacturing process. Instead of performing separate drilling and machining steps after casting, the oil passages are formed directly during casting through integrated mold channels, removing the problematic post-casting operations entirely.
3Manufacturing precision
If traditional machining processes are used to create oil passages, then the passages can be formed, but additional variances between engine blocks are created
Solution Approach 1:
The oil passages are pre-formed as channels within the mold cavity before the casting process. The mold includes built-in channels that create the oil passage geometry during casting, eliminating the need for subsequent drilling or machining operations. This preliminary action integrates the oil passage formation into the primary manufacturing step.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing method changes from mechanical removal (drilling/machining) to chemical/thermal formation (casting). By changing the fundamental manufacturing parameter from subtractive to formative processing, the oil passages are created with consistent geometry directly in the casting process, reducing variability.
4Strength
If the engine block is designed as a heavy casted mass, then structural strength is maintained, but additional machining processes are required
Solution Approach 1:
The oil passages are pre-formed as channels within the mold cavity before the casting process. The mold includes built-in channels that create the oil passage geometry during casting, eliminating the need for subsequent drilling or machining operations. This preliminary action integrates the oil passage formation into the primary manufacturing step.
Solution Approach 2:
The oil passage formation process is merged with the engine block casting process. The mold channels and engine block are formed simultaneously in a single casting operation, combining two previously separate processes (mold making and oil passage drilling) into one integrated manufacturing step.
Data Source
AI summary
An engine block, an engine subassembly, and method for providing and manufacturing an engine block. The engine block includes a plurality of cylinder barrels positioned in the engine block, at least one oil jacket channel formed in the engine block, and an oil inlet port positioned in a peripheral wall of the engine block and connected to the at least one oil jacket channel. The at least one oil jacket channel includes a plurality of curved channel sections. Each curved channel section in the plurality of curved channel sections extends about at least a portion of a circumferential portion of a respective cylinder barrel in the plurality of cylinder barrels. The at least one oil jacket channel extends between adjacent cylinder barrels of the plurality of cylinder barrels in the engine block.