Outboard Engine Lubrication Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing outboard engine units face challenges in maintaining lubricant oil circulation and pressure within the gear chamber as the size of the gear mechanism increases, leading to potential oil leakage and reduced sliding travel capability due to increased seawater resistance.
Innovation Solution
An improved outboard engine unit design incorporates a circulation section and oil storage chamber to efficiently direct and return lubricant oil, maintaining suitable pressure within the gear chamber without enlarging the gear case, and utilizes a guide protrusion and auxiliary passages for efficient lubrication and circulation, allowing for increased gear mechanism size without increasing the gear case size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the size of the gear mechanism is increased to enhance durability, then the durability and rigidity of the power transmission system is improved, but the inner space of the gear chamber decreases making it difficult to retain lubricant oil
Solution Approach 1:
The gear chamber is segmented into a main gear chamber and a sub-chamber. The sub-chamber is formed by a partition wall that extends from the bottom surface of the gear case, creating a separate space for storing lubricant oil. This segmentation allows the gear mechanism to be larger while maintaining adequate lubricant oil storage capacity in the dedicated sub-chamber.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition wall is configured to extend in the vertical direction from the bottom surface of the gear case, utilizing the vertical dimension to create the sub-chamber. This dimensional approach allows efficient use of space within the gear chamber without increasing the overall footprint or compromising the gear mechanism size.
2Reliability
If the size of the gear case is increased to accommodate a larger gear mechanism, then the durability of the power transmission system is improved, but the resistance of seawater during sliding travel increases lowering sliding travel capability
Solution Approach 1:
The gear chamber is divided into a main gear chamber and a sub-chamber using a partition wall. This segmentation allows the gear mechanism to be optimized for durability while the sub-chamber efficiently stores lubricant oil, eliminating the need to increase the overall gear case size and thereby reducing seawater resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The sub-chamber is created by extending the partition wall in the vertical direction, utilizing unused vertical space within the existing gear case dimensions. This allows adequate lubricant oil storage capacity without increasing the horizontal dimensions of the gear case, thus maintaining low seawater resistance.
3Reliability
If the lubricant oil is circulated to lubricate the taper roller bearing, then the bearing is properly lubricated, but inner pressure of the gear chamber increases making it difficult to retain lubricant oil
Solution Approach 1:
The gear chamber is segmented into a main gear chamber where gear mechanism rotation circulates lubricant oil, and a sub-chamber that stores the circulated lubricant oil. The partition wall separates these functions, allowing the main gear chamber to maintain lower pressure while the sub-chamber accommodates the lubricant oil that would otherwise increase pressure in the main chamber.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition wall acts as an intermediary structure that separates the lubrication circulation zone (main gear chamber) from the lubricant oil storage zone (sub-chamber). This intermediary partition allows the system to maintain pressure balance while ensuring proper lubrication and retention of lubricant oil.
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 design enhances the durability and rigidity of the power transmission system by maintaining lubricant oil circulation and pressure, preventing oil leakage, and minimizing seawater resistance during sliding travel, thus improving the engine's sliding travel capability.
Implementation Method 1
the oil slinger rotates together with the drive shaft, and by such rotation of the oil slinger, the lubricant oil directed to the oil slinger is then directed, via the helical guide groove, to the taper roller bearing
Data Source
AI summary
An outboard engine unit, where a drive shaft is connected to an engine and rotatably supported in a drive shaft chamber via a bearing and where a gear mechanism for transmitting rotation of the drive shaft to a propeller shaft is accommodated in a gear chamber, includes: a lubricant circulation section for returning lubricant oil, having lubricated the bearing, back to the gear chamber; an oil storage chamber for receiving the lubricant oil having lubricated the bearing; and a return passage communicating the oil storage chamber with the gear chamber. The lubricant oil guided to the oil storage chamber is returned back to the gear chamber via the return passage.