Nylon Piston Cooling Nozzle Legs for Cylinder Liner Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Piston cooling nozzles (PCNs) face issues with precise mounting on cast engine blocks, leading to wear and potential failure due to contact with moving components, as existing methods like machined or cast features have limitations in accuracy and consistency.
Innovation Solution
A piston cooling nozzle with a nylon body and legs that engage the machined outer diameter of the cylinder liner for precise positioning, along with an installation feature for guiding during assembly, ensures accurate alignment and prevents contact with the connecting rod and piston.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a cast feature on the engine block is used for PCN mounting, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the mounting precision and consistency deteriorate due to surface inconsistencies and loose tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a metal tab or bracket as an intermediary component that is brazed to the PCN tube portion. This intermediary serves as a precision mounting interface that references off the cylinder liner, thereby decoupling the PCN positioning from the imprecise cast features on the engine block while maintaining ease of manufacture through the brazing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting system is segmented into separate functional components: the PCN tube portion, the metal tab/bracket intermediary, and the engine block. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the cast block provides structural support while the brazed tab provides precise positioning, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and mounting precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If a machined locating feature on the engine block is used for PCN mounting, then the mounting precision is improved, but the manufacturing complexity and difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The metal tab or bracket acts as an intermediary that carries the precision positioning function away from the engine block. This allows the block to be manufactured with simpler cast features while the tab provides the precise locating surfaces needed for accurate PCN mounting, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining high precision.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring the entire engine block to have precision machined surfaces, the patent applies precision machining only to the localized mounting surfaces on the metal tab or bracket. This localized approach to quality achieves high mounting precision without the complexity of machining large portions of the engine block.
3Reliability
If the PCN tube portion contacts the connecting rod during engine operation, then the PCN may be worn or damaged, but avoiding such contact requires precise mounting which increases manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The metal tab or bracket intermediary provides precise positioning that ensures the PCN tube portion is correctly oriented and spaced relative to the piston and connecting rod. This precise positioning through the intermediary mounting system prevents contact between the tube and moving components, thereby ensuring reliability without requiring complex integrated mounting solutions.
Solution Approach 2:
The PCN is pre-positioned and secured to the engine block through the metal tab or bracket before the connecting rod begins its cyclical motion. This preliminary mounting action establishes the correct spatial relationship and prevents future contact, ensuring durability without requiring complex real-time adjustment mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A piston cooling nozzle including a nylon body having a hub and a pair of integral legs extending from the hub and a tube for delivering coolant to a piston. The pair of legs are formed relative to the hub and the tube to ensure that when the body is mounted to an engine block, the legs engage a cylinder liner to thereby position the tube between a skirt of the piston and a connecting rod coupled to the piston.