Piston Compression Ring Tapered Surface Oil Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing piston devices for internal combustion engines continue to experience unsatisfactory oil consumption during high-speed and high-load conditions, despite previous designs featuring compression rings with reduced gaps and notches, as oil tends to rise due to axial parallel surfaces and arc-shaped notches.

Innovation Solution

The piston device incorporates a second compression ring with a tapered outer surface and notches on the lower surface, where the gap at the notch is larger than the first compression ring, and the radial thickness decreases towards the upper or lower side, preventing oil rise by allowing blow-by gas to escape and reducing the oil scraping effect.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If the outer circumferential surface is formed as an axial parallel surface, then the manufacturing is simplified, but oil consumption increases during high-speed and high-load driving

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidoil consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The outer circumferential surface is divided into two regions with different properties: an upper tapered surface (with taper angle 5-15 degrees) and a lower axial parallel surface. The tapered surface is located in the oil rise prevention region while the parallel surface is in the oil scraping region, allowing each region to perform its specific function optimally

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The compression ring structure is segmented into functional zones: the outer circumferential surface is divided into tapered and parallel sections, and the lower surface is divided into regions with different gap sizes (larger gap at notch, smaller gap elsewhere), enabling differentiated performance in different areas

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Device complexity

If arc-shaped notches are formed on the lower surface of ring ends, then the ring structure is modified, but oil rises upward along the arc-shaped surface increasing oil consumption

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvering structure modificationVSAvoidoil consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of using arc-shaped notches that cause oil to rise upward, the invention uses rectangular notches with horizontal bottom surfaces. This inverted approach prevents oil from rising along the notch surface, and the rectangular shape with larger gap at the notch provides a pathway for blow-by gas to escape, counteracting the oil rise tendency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Reliability

If the gap between ring ends is reduced to minimum, then compression effectiveness is improved, but blow-by gas cannot escape causing pressure rise and oil upward movement

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompression effectivenessVSAvoidpressure rise and oil rise
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The gap distribution is made non-uniform: the gap at the rectangular notch is intentionally made larger than the gap at other sections. This localized larger gap provides an escape path for blow-by gas, while the overall small gaps maintain compression effectiveness. The different gap sizes are positioned at specific locations to address different functional requirements

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

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 effectively reduces oil consumption by preventing pressure rise and upward oil movement during high-speed and high-load conditions, while maintaining effective oil scraping and blow-by gas entry.

Implementation Method 1

The second compression ring has a tapered surface on the upper section of the ring outer circumference which serves to suppress the oil scraping effect when the ring is rising so that oil consumption can be reduced further

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFluid dynamics:

Implementation Method 2

When the second compression ring makes contact with the lower surface of the ring groove of the piston during driving at high-speeds and high-loads, the blow-by gas flowing into the ring groove escapes from the inner circumferential side of the ring by way of the notch on the lower surface of the ring end to the outer side, so that a rise in pressure at the piston land above the second compression ring can be prevented and therefore the oil can be prevented from rising upwards

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGas flow through notches:

Data Source

PatentEP2206909B1Piston device for internal combustion engines
Publication Date: 2015.05.27 TEIKOKU PISTON RING CO LTD
  • EP2206909B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2206909B1 patent drawingFigure 3~6
  • EP2206909B1 patent drawingFigure 7~12

AI summary

A piston device for internal combustion engines includes a first compression ring (6) and a second compression ring (7) in an outer circumference of a piston (2), wherein the second compression ring (7) includes a notch extending from the inner circumference to the outer circumference on a lower surface (7a) of at least one of a pair of ends of the ring, and a gap between the ring ends at the notch on the second compression ring (7) is larger than a gap between the ring ends of the first compression ring (6), and a gap between the ring ends at the section other than the notch on the second compression ring (7) is the same or smaller than the gap between the ring ends of the first compression ring (6), and the second compression ring (7) contains an outer circumferential surface (12) comprised of a tapered surface (10) decreasing the ring radial thickness towards the upper side, and an axial parallel surface (11) formed below the tapered surface (10). Instead of the axial parallel surface (11), the second compression ring (7) may utilize a tapered surface with a taper angle smaller than the taper angle of the above tapered surface (10); or may utilize a tapered surface decreasing the ring radial thickness towards the lower side.