Piston with multi-arcuate cross-section and lubricant exhaust aperture

• US 9,816,459 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2015
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Parts Depot, LLC
• Original Assignee: Industrial Parts Depot, LLC
• Inventors: Wandrie, III, Henry Maurice
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Long T
• Application Number:
  US14/689,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20160305362A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 1231931, 1231936, 2988804, 29888042, 29888047
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 15/10 pistons
• CPC Class Codes: F02F 2003/0061 by welding
• CPC Class Codes: F02F 3/003 the parts being connected by casting, brazing, welding or clamping
• CPC Class Codes: F02F 3/22 the fluid being liquid

Abstract

A piston and methods for constructing a piston for use in an internal combustion engine are presented wherein the piston includes a cylindrical body extending from the crown. The cylindrical body defines a ring groove, and a portion of the cylindrical body defines a non-circular cross-section below the ring groove. The ring groove is configured to correspond with an associated sealing ring. The non-circular cross-section creates a gap between the cylindrical body and an associated cylinder wall enabling a quantity of oil to pass from an annular region between the cylindrical body and the associated cylinder wall.

Claims

1. A piston for use in an internal combustion engine, said piston comprising:

a circular crown located at an upper portion of said piston;

a combustion surface extending radially inward from the outer circumference of said crown;

a cylindrical body depending at right angles from the upper surface of said crown, said cylindrical body defines at least one circumferential compression ring groove and at least one oil control ring groove, wherein said cylindrical body comprises a ring land below said at least one oil control ring groove and a portion of said cylindrical body defines at least one multi-arcuate horizontal cross-section on said ring land below said oil control ring groove, wherein said multi-arcuate horizontal cross-section includes arcs including different radii;

a pair of opposing surfaces, each surface defining a bore formed therethrough,

wherein said oil control ring groove is configured to correspond with an associated oil control ring and beneath which said multi-arcuate horizontal cross-section is defined by an exterior circumferential surface of said cylindrical body and creates a gap between said cylindrical body and an associated cylinder wall enabling a quantity of oil to pass from an annular region beneath said oil control ring groove between said cylindrical body and the associated cylinder wall to an area adjacent one of said pair of opposing surfaces;

an upper member, wherein said upper member is precision cast to net final dimensions, and said upper member includes said crown and said combustion surface, said upper member further including a first upper connecting surface and a second upper connecting surface, wherein said first and second upper connecting surfaces are concentrically disposed; and

a lower member, wherein said lower member is precision cast to net final dimensions, said lower member including said pair of opposing surfaces, and said lower member further including a first lower connecting surface and a second lower connecting surface, wherein said first and second lower connecting surfaces are concentrically disposed;

wherein said lower member is integrally connected to said upper member by friction welding such that said first upper connecting surface and said first lower connecting surface form a first welded joint therebetween and said second upper connecting surface and said second lower connecting surface form a second welded joint therebetween.

2. The piston of claim 1 further comprising at least one integral cooling oil reservoir formed adjacent to said combustion surface when said upper and lower members are friction welded together.

3. The piston of claim 1, wherein said first upper connecting surface is non-coplanar relative to said second upper connecting surface, and said first lower connecting surface is non-coplanar relative to said second lower connecting surface.

4. The piston of claim 1, wherein said first and second upper connecting surfaces are parallel with respect to said crown.

5. A piston for use in an internal combustion engine, said piston comprising:

a cylindrical body, said cylindrical body defines at least one compression ring groove and at least one oil control ring groove, wherein said cylindrical body comprises a ring land below said at least one oil control ring groove, and a portion of said cylindrical body defines a multi-arcuate horizontal cross-section on said ring land below said ring groove;

an upper member, said upper member being precision cast to net final dimensions, said upper member having a combustion surface and at least two concentrically disposed upper connecting surfaces spaced apart from said combustion surface; and

a lower member, said lower member being precision cast to net final dimensions, said lower member having a pair of bores formed therethrough for receiving a connecting rod pin, and said lower member having at least two concentrically disposed lower connecting surfaces;

wherein said lower member is attached to said upper member by way of friction welding such that each upper connecting surface of said upper member forms a welded joint with one of said lower connecting surfaces,

wherein said multi-arcuate horizontal cross-section is defined by an exterior circumferential surface of said cylindrical body and creates a gap between said cylindrical body and an associated cylinder wall enabling a quantity of oil to pass from an annular region between said cylindrical body and the associated cylinder wall to an area adjacent one of said opposing surfaces.

6. The piston of claim 5, wherein all of said at least two upper connecting surfaces are coplanar relative to each other, and all of said at least two concentrically disposed lower connecting surfaces are coplanar relative to each other.

7. The piston of claim 5, wherein at least one of said at least two upper connecting surfaces is non-coplanar relative to the other of said at least two upper connecting surfaces, and at least one of said at least two lower connecting surfaces is non-coplanar relative to the other of said at least two lower connecting surfaces.

8. The piston of claim 5, further comprising at least one integral cooling oil reservoir formed adjacent to said combustion surface when said upper and lower members are friction welded together.

9. The piston of claim 5, further comprising at least one ring groove formed into an outer surface of said upper member and at least one ring groove formed into an outer surface of said lower member.

10. A method of manufacturing a piston comprising:

precision casting to net final dimensions an upper member, wherein said upper member includes a combustion surface and at least two upper connecting surfaces concentrically disposed and spaced apart from said combustion surface;

precision casting to net final dimensions a lower member, wherein said lower member includes at least one oil control ring groove and a ring land below said at least one oil control ring groove, a pair of opposing surfaces having a bore formed through each of said surfaces, said lower member also including at least two lower connecting surfaces concentrically disposed, said lower member also defines a multi-arcuate horizontal cross-section on said ring land, said multi-arcuate horizontal cross-section is defined by an exterior circumferential surface of said cylindrical body and creates a gap between said piston and an associated cylinder wall enabling a quantity of oil to pass from an annular region between said piston and the associated cylinder wall to an area adjacent one of said pair of opposing surfaces; and

friction welding said lower member to said upper member, wherein a welded joint is formed between each of said upper connecting surfaces of said upper member and a corresponding lower connecting surface of said lower member.