Double Acting Piston Engine Separation Plate Joint Seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Double acting internal combustion engines face challenges in providing an effective seal for the lower combustion chamber and ensuring adequate lubrication of the piston.
Innovation Solution
A linear reciprocating piston engine design featuring a separation plate with a joint that accommodates the connecting rod's movement, including a curved outer surface for contact with an outer seal and multiple inner seals between the bore and the connecting rod, selected from various seal types such as split ring compression seals, labyrinth seals, or brush seals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separation plate with a joint and multiple seals is used to seal the lower combustion chamber, then sealing efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing system is divided into multiple independent seal components (outer seal, inner seals, separation plate seal) that work together to seal different aspects of the lower combustion chamber. This segmentation allows each seal to address specific sealing challenges independently, improving overall sealing efficiency while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing structure employs a nested arrangement where the outer seal surrounds the joint, inner seals are positioned within the joint bore, and the separation plate seal is located at the interface between the separation plate and cylinder. This nested configuration maximizes sealing coverage within the constrained space of the lower combustion chamber
2Adaptability or versatility
If the separation plate is configured to slide to accommodate transverse movement, then adaptability to connecting rod movement is improved, but friction and wear increase
Solution Approach 1:
The outer seal acts as an intermediary element between the sliding separation plate and the stationary joint. This seal facilitates the relative transverse movement while maintaining the sealing barrier, reducing direct friction and wear between the plate and joint structures
Solution Approach 2:
The use of flexible seal elements (such as lip seals or radial seals) allows the sealing interface to accommodate transverse movement of the separation plate. These flexible seals can deform elastically to maintain contact and sealing effectiveness during the sliding motion, reducing wear compared to rigid sealing approaches
Data Source
Figure 1~2A
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A linear reciprocating piston engine comprising: A cylinder; a piston located within the cylinder, the piston separating upper and lower combustion chambers of the cylinder; a separation plate disposed across a lower end of the cylinder to seal the lower combustion chamber; and a joint disposed in the separation plate, the joint comprising a bore through which a connecting rod extends to connect the piston to a crankshaft. Movement of the piston along a longitudinal axis of the cylinder causes the connecting rod to rotate the crankshaft, said rotation of the crankshaft causing both transverse and angular movement of the connecting rod relative to the longitudinal axis of the cylinder. The angular movement of the connecting rod causes a corresponding angular movement of the joint. The joint comprises a curved outer surface configured to ensure contact with an outer seal disposed between the separation plate and the joint during said angular movement of the joint. The joint further comprises an inner seal disposed between the bore and the connecting rod; wherein the outer and inner seals are selected from any one of: a split ring compression seal; a split ring expansion seal; and a split ring labyrinth seal.