Water Pump Fitting Structure for Compact Engine Layout
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle combustion engines with water pumps driven by the crankshaft tend to increase in size in the vehicle widthwise direction due to the placement of the water pump housing, which complicates mounting and reduces component arrangement flexibility.
Innovation Solution
The water pump is positioned laterally inward of the crankcase, with a covering member such as a clutch cover, and accommodated in a recess, allowing the pump casing to be fitted within a mounting hole that overlaps the abutting surface, thereby preventing projection and reducing engine size in both widthwise and vertical directions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the water pump housing is provided on the outer side surface of the crankcase, then the water pump can be easily mounted, but the size of the combustion engine increases in the vehicle widthwise direction
Solution Approach 1:
The water pump is repositioned from a lateral mounting configuration to a longitudinal mounting configuration within the crankcase. The pump shaft is arranged parallel to the crankshaft, and the impeller is positioned inside the crankcase rather than protruding laterally. This dimensional reorganization maintains mounting accessibility while eliminating the increase in engine width.
2Ease of operation
If the water pump is disposed laterally outward of the abutting surface, then the water pump can be easily accessed for maintenance, but the engine size increases in the vehicle widthwise direction
Solution Approach 1:
The water pump assembly is nested within the crankcase structure. The pump casing is positioned inside the crankcase, and the pump shaft is driven through the crankshaft within the same housing space. This nesting arrangement allows the water pump to be integrated into the existing engine structure without increasing the overall engine width, while maintenance can still be performed by accessing components through the engine's existing service ports.
3Reliability
If the pump casing is fitted in a mounting hole at the outer surface of the crankcase, then the water pump can be securely mounted, but the engine size increases in the radial direction perpendicular to the crankshaft
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting hole for the pump casing is positioned to overlap with the abutting surface area in a side view, merging the mounting function with the existing crankcase structure. The pump casing is secured within the crankcase using fastening members that engage with the overlapping mounting hole and abutting surface, providing reliable mounting without requiring additional protrusion in the radial direction. This merged configuration utilizes the existing structural interface between the crankcase and covering member.
Data Source
AI summary
A water pump is mounted to a combustion engine having a crank shaft extending in a vehicle widthwise direction, a crankcase supporting the crank shaft and a covering member fastened to an abutting surface at one side surface of the crankcase. The water pump includes: a water pump shaft that is disposed in parallel to the crankshaft and is drivingly coupled with the crankshaft; an impeller fixed to a distal end portion of the water pump shaft; and a pump casing rotatably supporting the water pump shaft. The water pump is disposed laterally inward of the abutting surface in the vehicle widthwise direction. The water pump shaft is inserted through an insertion hole provided in the crankcase. The pump casing is fitted in a mounting hole provided at an outer surface of the crankcase.