Sealing Plug With Centering Lugs For Oil Dipstick
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for sealing the oil dipstick hole in internal combustion engines are voluminous, expensive, and difficult to dismantle or reuse without damaging the O-ring sealing surface, particularly when considering the need for additional threads or tool adjustments.
Innovation Solution
A sealing plug with centering lugs that spread open during installation and lock in place, allowing for force-adjustable assembly and ensuring non-destructive removal without damaging the O-ring, using an O-ring for sealing and avoiding additional machining costs on the crankcase.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a screw plug is used to close the oil dipstick hole, then the closure is secure, but additional threads must be created in the crankcase requiring tool changes and increasing machining costs
Solution Approach 1:
The closure system is divided into two parts: the plug body and the fixing lugs. The fixing lugs are separate elements that engage with corresponding features in the crankcase without requiring threaded holes, thereby avoiding additional machining operations while maintaining secure closure.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixing lugs act as intermediary elements between the plug and the crankcase. Instead of directly threading into the crankcase, the lugs engage with recesses or features in the crankcase wall, providing secure fastening without requiring costly thread creation operations.
2Reliability
If a pressed-in lid or plug is used, then the closure is secure, but the plug is difficult to remove and may be destroyed
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing lugs are designed with elastic or flexible properties that allow them to deform during installation to engage with the crankcase features, and then maintain a secure locked position during operation. This dynamic behavior enables both secure closure and controlled removal without destruction.
3Reliability
If additional fastening threads are added to the crankcase, then the closure becomes more secure, but the device complexity and machining costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening function is segmented from the main plug body and implemented through separate fixing lugs that engage with simple recesses in the crankcase. This segmentation avoids the need for complex threaded structures while maintaining secure fastening.
4Reliability
If the O-ring sealing surface is damaged during plug removal, then the sealing effectiveness is compromised, but reuse of the plug becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing lugs serve as intermediary fastening elements that bear the mechanical stress of installation and removal, protecting the O-ring sealing surface from damage. By concentrating forces on the lugs rather than the sealing surface, the system enables repeated assembly and disassembly without compromising seal integrity or plug reusability.
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
The solution provides a reliable, reusable seal without increasing the crankcase's cost or damaging the O-ring, enabling efficient and cost-effective closure of the oil dipstick hole.
Implementation Method 1
An O-ring 6 arranged on the sealing plug 1 serves to seal the sealing plug channel 9
Implementation Method 2
The force required for assembly can be adjusted by the design-influenced rigidity of the lugs 2 and the geometry of the thickening 3
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to an internal combustion engine, in particular a diesel internal combustion engine with a crankcase (5), in which a crankshaft is rotatably mounted, to which at least one connecting rod supporting a piston is linked, wherein the piston can be moved in a cylinder covered by a cylinder head forming a combustion chamber, and gas exchange valves which can be actuated by a camshaft are arranged in the cylinder head, wherein, in addition, fuel conveyed by an injection pump element can be injected into the combustion chamber, and which has a closing plug (1).