Laser welded piston assembly
First Claim
1. A method, comprising:
- providing a steel piston body defining a piston axis, the piston body forming a lower surface of a cooling gallery, the body including radially inner and outer body mating surfaces;
assembling a steel cooling gallery ring with the piston body such that the piston body and cooling gallery ring cooperate to form a continuous upper combustion bowl surface having a radially inner portion defined by the piston body and a radially outer portion defined by the cooling gallery ring, the cooling gallery ring including a radially inner ring mating surface and a radially outer ring mating surface, wherein all mating surfaces between the piston body and the cooling gallery ring are aligned non-perpendicular to the piston axis;
joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along a radially inner interface region, the radially inner interface region including the corresponding radially inner mating surfaces of the body and the cooling gallery ring;
joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along a radially outer interface region, the radially outer interface region including the radially outer mating surfaces of the body and cooling gallery ring, wherein the radially outer interface region is elongated in a direction parallel to the piston axis; and
establishing at least one of joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along a radially inner interface region and joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along the radially outer interface region as including laser welding, wherein the laser welding includes directing a laser along a path, the path extending along one of the body mating surfaces and one of the ring mating surfaces, the path oriented in a direction extending through an interior of the cooling gallery,wherein the laser welding includes;
running the laser at a first laser power, and thenrunning the laser at a second laser power less than the first power;
wherein the ring is interference fit to the body along the radially outer interface region including the radially outer mating surfaces of the body and cooling gallery ring.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An exemplary piston may include a piston body having radially inner and outer body mating surfaces. The piston may further include a cooling gallery ring cooperating with the piston body to form a continuous upper combustion bowl surface and a cooling gallery. The cooling gallery ring may have radially inner and outer ring mating surfaces abutted along their corresponding radially inner and outer body mating surfaces, such that the cooling gallery is substantially enclosed. The piston body and cooling gallery ring may be joined together along the radially inner and radially outer interface regions to form a generally one-piece piston assembly. The radially outer interface region may be elongated in a direction parallel to the piston axis, e.g., facilitating a laser welding joining process.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A method, comprising:
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providing a steel piston body defining a piston axis, the piston body forming a lower surface of a cooling gallery, the body including radially inner and outer body mating surfaces; assembling a steel cooling gallery ring with the piston body such that the piston body and cooling gallery ring cooperate to form a continuous upper combustion bowl surface having a radially inner portion defined by the piston body and a radially outer portion defined by the cooling gallery ring, the cooling gallery ring including a radially inner ring mating surface and a radially outer ring mating surface, wherein all mating surfaces between the piston body and the cooling gallery ring are aligned non-perpendicular to the piston axis; joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along a radially inner interface region, the radially inner interface region including the corresponding radially inner mating surfaces of the body and the cooling gallery ring; joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along a radially outer interface region, the radially outer interface region including the radially outer mating surfaces of the body and cooling gallery ring, wherein the radially outer interface region is elongated in a direction parallel to the piston axis; and establishing at least one of joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along a radially inner interface region and joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along the radially outer interface region as including laser welding, wherein the laser welding includes directing a laser along a path, the path extending along one of the body mating surfaces and one of the ring mating surfaces, the path oriented in a direction extending through an interior of the cooling gallery, wherein the laser welding includes; running the laser at a first laser power, and then running the laser at a second laser power less than the first power;
wherein the ring is interference fit to the body along the radially outer interface region including the radially outer mating surfaces of the body and cooling gallery ring. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 17, 18, 23, 24, 33)
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10. A method comprising:
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providing a piston body defining a piston axis, the piston body forming a lower surface of a cooling gallery, the body including radially inner and outer body mating surface; assembling a cooling gallery ring with the piston body such that the piston body and cooling gallery ring cooperate to form a continuous upper combustion bowl surface having a radially inner portion defined by the piston body and a radially outer portion defined by the cooling gallery ring, the cooling gallery ring including a radially inner ring mating surface and a radially outer ring mating surface, wherein all of the mating surfaces are aligned non-perpendicular to the piston axis; joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along a radially inner interface region, the radially inner interface region including the corresponding radially inner mating surface of the body and the cooling gallery ring; joining the body to the gallery ring along a radially outer interface region, the radially outer interface region including the radially outer mating surfaces of the body and cooling gallery ring, wherein the radially outer interface region is elongated in a direction parallel to the piston axis; establishing at least one of joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along a radially inner interface region and joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along the radially outer interface region as including laser welding, wherein the laser welding includes directing a laser along a path, the path extending along one of the body mating surfaces and one of the ring mating surfaces, the path oriented in a direction extending through an interior of the cooling gallery; and removing a weld spatter from the cooling gallery after the laser welding.
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13. A piston assembly, comprising:
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a piston body defining a piston axis, the piston body having a skirt and forming a lower surface of a cooling gallery, the body including radially inner and outer body mating surfaces; and a cooling gallery ring cooperating with the piston body to form a continuous upper combustion bowl surface wherein the cooling gallery ring defines a radially outer portion of the combustion bowl surface and the piston body defines a radially inner portion of the combustion bowl surface, the cooling gallery ring including a radially inner ring mating surface abutted along a radially inner interface region in the combustion bowl with the radially inner body mating surface, the cooling gallery ring including a radially outer ring mating surface abutted along a radially outer interface region with the radially outer body mating surface such that the cooling gallery is substantially enclosed, wherein all of the mating surfaces are aligned non-perpendicular to the piston axis; wherein the piston body and cooling gallery ring are welded together along the radially inner and radially outer interface regions, and at least one of the radially inner and outer mating surfaces is aligned parallel to the piston axis, thereby defining a weld that is elongated in a direction parallel to the piston axis; and wherein the at least one of the radially inner and outer mating surfaces are oriented along a path, the path oriented in a direction extending through an interior of the cooling gallery, wherein the ring and the body are composed of steel and consist of two parts, with the body including a skirt surface and an entire ring belt portion of the piston;
wherein the ring is interference fit to the body along the radially outer interface region including the radially outer mating surfaces of the body and cooling gallery ring. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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19. A method, comprising:
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providing a piston body defining a piston axis, the piston body forming a lower surface of a cooling gallery, the body including radially inner and outer body mating surface; assembling a cooling gallery ring with the piston body such that the piston body and cooling gallery ring cooperate to form a continuous upper combustion bowl surface having a radially inner portion defined by the piston body and a radially outer portion defined by the cooling gallery ring, the cooling gallery ring including a radially inner ring mating surface and a radially outer ring mating surface, wherein all mating surfaces are aligned non-perpendicular to the piston axis; joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along a radially inner interface region, the radially inner interface region including the corresponding radially inner mating surface of the body and the cooling gallery ring, joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along a radially outer interface region, the radially outer interface region including the radially outer mating surfaces of the body and cooling gallery ring, wherein the radially outer interface region is elongated in a direction parallel to the piston axis; and establishing at least one of joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along a radially inner interface region and joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along the radially outer interface region as including laser welding, wherein the laser welding includes directing a laser along a path, the path extending along one of the body mating surfaces and one of the ring mating surfaces, the path oriented in a direction extending through an interior of the cooling gallery, wherein the ring is shrink fit to the body. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 34)
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31. A method comprising:
- providing a steel piston body defining a piston axis, the piston body forming a lower surface of a cooling gallery, the body including radially inner and outer body mating surfaces;
assembling a steel cooling gallery ring with the piston body such that the piston body and cooling gallery ring cooperate to form a continuous upper combustion bowl surface having a radially inner portion defined by the piston body and a radially outer portion defined by the cooling gallery ring, the cooling gallery ring including a radially inner ring mating surface and a radially outer ring mating surface, wherein all mating surfaces between the piston body and the cooling gallery ring are aligned non-perpendicular to the piston axis;
joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along a radially inner interface region, the radially inner interface region including the corresponding radially inner mating surfaces of the body and the cooling gallery ring;
joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along a radially outer interface region, the radially outer interface region including the radially outer mating surfaces of the body and cooling gallery ring, wherein the radially outer interface region is elongated in a direction parallel to the piston axis; and
establishing at least one of joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along a radially inner interface region and joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along the radially outer interface region as including laser welding, wherein the laser welding includes directing a laser along a path, the path extending along one of the body mating surfaces and one of the ring mating surfaces, the path oriented in a direction extending through an interior of the cooling gallery, wherein the laser welding includes;
running the laser at a first laser power, and then running the laser at a second laser power less than the first laser power wherein a nickel-based material is added as a filler material during the welding process to promote a higher quality weld.
- providing a steel piston body defining a piston axis, the piston body forming a lower surface of a cooling gallery, the body including radially inner and outer body mating surfaces;
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32. A method comprising:
- providing a steel piston body defining a piston axis, the piston body forming a lower surface of a cooling gallery, the body including radially inner and outer body mating surfaces;
assembling a steel cooling gallery ring with the piston body such that the piston body and cooling gallery ring cooperate to form a continuous upper combustion bowl surface having a radially inner portion defined by the piston body and a radially outer portion defined by the cooling gallery ring, the cooling gallery ring including a radially inner ring mating surface and a radially outer ring mating surface, wherein all mating surfaces between the piston body and the cooling gallery ring are aligned non-perpendicular to the piston axis;
joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along a radially inner interface region, the radially inner interface region including the corresponding radially inner mating surfaces of the body and the cooling gallery ring;
joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along a radially outer interface region, the radially outer interface region including the radially outer mating surfaces of the body and cooling gallery ring, wherein the radially outer interface region is elongated in a direction parallel to the piston axis; and
establishing at least one of joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along a radially inner interface region and joining the body to the cooling gallery ring along the radially outer interface region as including laser welding, wherein the laser welding includes directing a laser along a path, the path extending along one of the body mating surfaces and one of the ring mating surfaces, the path oriented in a direction extending through an interior of the cooling gallery, wherein the laser welding includes;
running the laser at a first laser power, and then running the laser at a second laser power less than the first laser power wherein an inert gas is circulated within the cooling gallery to reduce weld spatter.
- providing a steel piston body defining a piston axis, the piston body forming a lower surface of a cooling gallery, the body including radially inner and outer body mating surfaces;
Specification