Cylinder Block Protrusion for Coating Adhesion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional methods for minimizing cylinder block weight to improve fuel consumption face challenges in ensuring a sufficient margin for edge portion removal to prevent detachment of sprayed coatings on the crankcase side.

Innovation Solution

A protrusion is formed at the crankcase-side edge of the cylinder bore, extending towards the crankcase, with a thinner tip portion that is removable along with the sprayed coating, enhancing adhesion and allowing for miniaturization while maintaining a sufficient removal margin.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Weight of moving object

If the cylinder block is minimized to reduce weight, then fuel consumption is improved, but the margin of the inner surface of the cylinder bore to be removed becomes insufficient to prevent detachment of the sprayed coating

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecylinder block weightVSAvoidsprayed coating adhesion
Core Design Contradiction:
Weight of moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

A protrusion is formed at the crankcase-side edge of the cylinder bore before thermal spraying. This protrusion extends toward the crankcase and provides an additional surface area for the sprayed coating to adhere to. By preparing this protrusion in advance, the coating gain (the portion of coating that would otherwise detach) is extended into the protrusion region, ensuring sufficient adhesion margin even when the overall cylinder bore diameter is reduced for weight reduction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the edge portion of the cylinder bore is removed to prevent detachment of the sprayed coating, then coating stability is improved, but the cylinder block size increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesprayed coating adhesionVSAvoidcylinder block size
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of removing material from the cylinder bore edge to prevent coating detachment, the invention inverts the approach by adding a protrusion that extends toward the crankcase. This protrusion is then removed together with the coating gain portion after spraying. The inversion allows the removal margin to be sufficient while the protrusion itself compensates for the space, enabling miniaturization of the overall cylinder block.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Manufacturing precision

If a protrusion is formed and then removed together with the sprayed coating, then sufficient removal margin is ensured, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveremoval margin precisionVSAvoidmanufacturing process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The formation of the protrusion is merged with the existing cylinder bore machining process. The protrusion is formed by machining the crankcase-side edge of the cylinder bore to extend toward the crankcase, which can be integrated into the standard bore preparation steps. After thermal spraying, the protrusion together with the coating gain portion is removed in a single machining operation, combining multiple functions into streamlined process steps.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach ensures stable adhesion of the sprayed coating, reduces the risk of detachment, and allows for downsizing of the cylinder block without increasing its size, while also improving production efficiency and reducing maintenance costs.

Implementation Method 1

thermal spraying to form sprayed coatings on inner surfaces of cylinder bores is being considered

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal spraying: Plasma Spray

Data Source

PatentEP2546503B1Method for machining cylinder block, cylinder block, and cylinder block for thermal spraying
Publication Date: 2016.10.19 NISSAN MOTOR CO LTD
  • EP2546503B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2546503B1 patent drawingFigure 2(a)~2(d)
  • EP2546503B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

A method for processing a cylinder block is disclosed, wherein a protrusion protruding toward a crankcase is provided at a crankcase-side edge of a cylinder bore and a sprayed coating is formed on an inner surface of the cylinder bore and an inner surface of the protrusion continuous with the inner surface of the cylinder bore. After forming the sprayed coating, at least part of the protrusion is removed together with the sprayed coating formed on the inner surface of the protrusion. Accordingly, even in the case of removing the edge portion of the cylinder bore on the crankcase side, a sufficient margin to be removed can be ensured while a reduction in size of the cylinder block is achieved.