One-Piece Oil Control Ring With Uniform Cylinder Wall Pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multi-piece oil control rings in four-stroke engines are complex to manufacture, install, and prone to damage and wear, requiring a simpler design that maintains uniform pressing force against the cylinder wall for effective oil control and seal without compromising hydrodynamic lubrication.
Innovation Solution
A one-piece oil control ring with a constant radial thickness and varying internal and external grooves, where the depth of the grooves decreases from the joint ends towards the back of the ring, generating a uniform tangential force without the need for a spring, ensuring efficient oil control and reduced wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a multi-piece oil control ring design is used, then the oil control function can be achieved, but the manufacturing complexity increases and the susceptibility to damage and wear increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate components (ring carrier, spring, and oil control ring) into a single integrated one-piece structure. The spring elements are incorporated directly into the ring body as elastic arches, eliminating the need for separate assembly. This integration reduces the number of parts, simplifies manufacturing, and eliminates assembly steps while maintaining the oil control function.
Solution Approach 2:
The one-piece ring is segmented into functional zones through internal grooves and openings. The ring body contains multiple openings for oil passage and internal grooves for oil distribution, creating distinct functional regions within the unified structure. This segmentation allows complex functionality to be achieved within a single component without requiring multiple separate parts.
2Ease of operation
If a multi-piece oil control ring with internal spring is used, then pressing force can be generated, but the installation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring elements are merged with the ring body to form an integrated one-piece structure. The elastic arches are formed as integral parts of the ring body through machining or forming operations, eliminating the need for separate spring assembly during installation. This reduces installation complexity while maintaining the pressing force generation capability.
3Reliability
If symmetric ridges are arranged on the friction surface, then oil control function is achieved, but the pressing force uniformity is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The ring body incorporates internal grooves with varying cross-sectional areas at different locations to create non-uniform elastic deformation characteristics. The grooves have different depths and widths in different circumferential positions, allowing localized adjustment of the pressing force distribution. This enables uniform overall pressing force while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through a unified ring body structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The cross-sectional parameters of the internal grooves are varied circumferentially to control the elastic deformation of the ring body. By changing the groove depth, width, and shape at different locations, the pressing force distribution is optimized to achieve uniform contact pressure on the cylinder wall while keeping the ring as a single manufacturable component.
4Productivity
If openings are arranged to extend radially from the external groove, then oil conveyance is achieved, but the structural integrity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The openings are strategically positioned and sized at specific locations within the ring body to optimize oil conveyance while maintaining structural integrity. The openings are located in regions where they provide maximum oil flow capability without creating weak points that would compromise the ring's mechanical strength. The varying cross-sectional area of internal grooves compensates for the structural reduction caused by openings.
Solution Approach 2:
The ring body combines solid material with strategically placed voids (openings and grooves) to create a composite structure that optimizes both oil conveyance and mechanical strength. The solid portions provide structural integrity while the voids enable efficient oil flow paths from the external groove to the internal grooves.
Data Source
AI summary
A one-piece control ring with two stripping ridges and openings that extend from the outside of the ring to the inside is provided wherein the cross section of the ring body varies in the circumferential direction. This variation is achieved with internal grooves, the cross-sectional area of which decreases in the direction of the back of the ring, and with a variation of the depth of the groove lying between the ridges.