Internal-Combustion Engine Lateral Force Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Internal-combustion engines experience power losses and increased wear due to the lateral component of the reacting force vector affecting the piston, leading to additional friction and accelerated cylinder-piston pair wear, especially under high working loads.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an auxiliary connecting rod (AC-rod) connected to a slider with needle bearings that rolls within square guides, which takes up the lateral component of the force, reducing friction and wear by minimizing lateral loads on the piston.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a conventional connecting rod with cylindrical hinges is used to connect the piston and crankshaft, then the engine structure is simple, but the lateral component of the reacting force causes additional friction and power losses
Solution Approach 1:
The conventional single connecting rod system is segmented into two separate systems: a main connecting rod for power transmission and an auxiliary connecting rod (AC-rod) with a slider for lateral force compensation. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in its specific function, reducing overall energy losses while distributing structural complexity across multiple dedicated elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The slider acts as an intermediary element between the AC-rod and the guide. It receives the lateral component of the reacting force from the AC-rod and transfers it to the guide through rolling contact via needle bearings. This intermediary mechanism effectively isolates the piston from lateral forces while maintaining structural integrity.
2Reliability
If a conventional connecting rod is used, then the engine has fewer parts, but the lateral force accelerates wear of the cylinder-piston pair
Solution Approach 1:
The force transmission path is segmented into two independent chains: the main connecting rod handles axial power transmission, while the auxiliary connecting rod with slider handles lateral force compensation. This segmentation protects the cylinder-piston pair from wear-causing lateral forces, extending service life without significantly increasing overall part count.
Solution Approach 2:
The sliding friction mechanism between piston and cylinder wall is replaced by a rolling friction mechanism between the slider's needle bearings and the guide. This substitution dramatically reduces friction and wear, improving reliability while adding only one major moving component (the slider assembly).
3Loss of energy
If the piston is designed with a skirt to withstand lateral forces, then the piston is more durable, but friction and power losses increase
Solution Approach 1:
The slider serves as an intermediary that absorbs and redirects lateral forces away from the piston. By introducing this intermediate element, the piston can be designed without a heavy skirt, reducing friction losses, while the slider-g guide assembly provides the necessary lateral force management to maintain piston durability.
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 configuration reduces power losses and extends the service life of the engine by minimizing friction and wear, allowing for a relieved piston design without a skirt and with improved compression efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
needle bearings on its both ends easily roll in the square shoots of guides which are fastened rigidly under the lower edge of the cylinder
Data Source
AI summary
The Internal-Combustion Engine is set forth, in which when in use there is no lateral component of the force on the piston which is taken up by the slider rolling by the bearings. As a result of this the cylinder compression is improved, power losses on friction are reduced and wear out of the cylinder is decreased. Also due to the absence of the lateral component of the force on the piston, the latter can be made in a relieved version, e.g. without a skirt and with two compressing rings in one groove.