Internal Combustion Engine Stacked Assembly with Through-Bolts
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Modern internal combustion engines face challenges in achieving high efficiency while being lightweight, as stronger materials required for high peak cylinder pressure are often heavier, and conventional through-bolt schemes occupy significant space and affect lubrication system features.
Innovation Solution
A multiple-component stacked configuration using high-strength materials for structural overhead members and lightweight materials for cylinder blocks and heads, with through-bolts securing the components together, allowing for a high-strength cam carrier with a lightweight valve train and lubrication system, and a gap between cam shaft support and base portions to decouple the pulling effect of through-bolts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If stronger materials are used to withstand high peak cylinder pressure, then engine strength and reliability are improved, but engine weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The engine is divided into modular components (cylinder block, cylinder head, structural overhead member) that can be independently designed and assembled. This allows optimization of each component's material selection and structural design to achieve high strength where needed while minimizing weight overall.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs different materials for different components based on their specific functional requirements. The cylinder block and head use materials optimized for their operational conditions, while the structural overhead member uses high-strength materials specifically where structural support is critical, creating a composite construction that balances strength and weight.
2Stability of the object's composition
If conventional through-bolt schemes are used to maintain block compression, then structural stability is improved, but space for other engine components is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The through-bolts are extracted from conventional positioning and relocated to extend through the structural overhead member rather than through the cylinder block centerline. This extraction of the through-bolt function to a different location frees up critical space within the cylinder block for lubrication system components and other engine features.
Solution Approach 2:
The through-bolt arrangement is moved from a vertical arrangement through the block center to a horizontal arrangement through the overhead member, utilizing a different spatial dimension. This dimensional change allows the block interior space to be used more efficiently for other components.
3Strength
If through-bolts are positioned to secure components, then structural integrity is improved, but cam shaft support structure deflection increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cam shaft support structure is extracted from the load path of the through-bolts. The through-bolts secure the structural overhead member to the block, but the cam carrier is positioned and supported independently, preventing the cam shaft support from being deflected by through-bolt tension forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The structural overhead member is segmented into distinct functional zones: a bolt securing portion that handles through-bolt loads and a cam carrier portion that supports the cam shafts. This segmentation isolates the cam support structure from the through-bolt loading, allowing each portion to be optimized for its specific function.
Data Source
AI summary
An internal combustion engine and related components and methods of manufacturing and implementing an internal combustion engine and related components. The internal combustion engine includes a base, a cylinder block mounted onto the base, a cylinder head mounted onto the block, and a structural overhead member mounted onto the cylinder head, such that the cylinder head is positioned between the cylinder block and the structural overhead member. At least one through-bolt positioned in a through-bolt opening, the through-bolt opening extending from the base to the structural overhead member through the cylinder block and the cylinder head to couple the base, the cylinder block, the cylinder head and the structural overhead member together.