Flexibly-jointed, fluid-tight cover for internal combustion engine

A flexibly-jointed, fluid-tight cover for enclosing a portion of an internal combustion engine includes generally rigid structural cover panels which are joined by fluid-tight flexible joints formed from elastomeric material which is either inserted into the rigid structural cover panels after the joint has been molded, or molded in place by inserting the cover parts within a mold and injecting material into the mold to form the flexible fluid-tight joints.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a cover for an external portion of an internal combustion engine. The cover has one or more flexible, fluid-tight joints to allow more rigid portions of the cover to be hingedly moved with respect to each other during installation of the cover upon an engine.

2. Disclosure Information

The engine compartments of automotive vehicles have grown increasingly crowded through the years, as more and more componentry is added to vehicles. Although it has always been desirable to maintain leak-free engines, this task has grown more difficult because the use of one-piece covers continues to be inhibited by the requirement that covers be readily removable to permit maintenance operations to be performed upon an engine. Unfortunately, large one-piece covers may not always be used because of the difficulty of installation and removal. On the other hand, multi-piece covers while permitting installation, also provide additional leak paths for fluids such as coolants, and lubricants. It would be desirable to provide a cover which is both fluid-tight and yet locally flexible, so as to promote ready installation upon an engine situated within a crowded engine compartment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the present invention, a flexibly-jointed, fluid-tight cover for enclosing a portion of an internal combustion engine includes a plurality of generally rigid structural cover panels and at least one fluid-tight, flexible joint extending between adjacent ones of the structural cover panels. The cover panels may be fabricated either from metal or from plastics material, it being understood that suitable structural strength is required in the context of an engine cover, which must be resistant to both physical and thermal damage.

A fluid-tight, flexible joint according to one aspect of the present invention is formed as an elastomeric member slidingly inserted between adjacent ones of structural cover panels. The elastomeric member may be dovetailed into the structural cover panels. As an alternative, the fluid-tight, flexible joint included in the present cover assembly may be molded in place between adjacent structural cover panels. A gasket may also be molded about an outer periphery of the structural cover panels. This presents the possibility of making the gasket and fluid-tight, flexible joint unitary.

A cover according to the present invention is useful for such applications as a camshaft cover for a typical dual overhead camshaft engine, in which generally channel-shaped panels are joined with a generally planar panel therebetween having spark plug apertures. A cover according to the present invention may also be used beneficially as a front cover on an engine having a generally channel-shaped lower panel for enclosing an engine adjacent one end of the engine's crankshaft, and a generally planar upper panel for enclosing a portion of the engine adjacent a cylinder head.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for fabricating a flexibly-jointed, fluid-tight cover for enclosing an engine includes forming a plurality of generally rigid structural cover panels, and placing the cover panels in adjoining cavities of a mold device. The method concludes with the steps of injecting an elastomeric material into the mold device so as to form a flexible fluid-tight joint between adjoining ones of the generally rigid structural panels, and if desired, injecting additional elastomeric material into the mold device so as to form a gasket extending about an outer periphery of the structural cover panels.

Other advantages, as well as features and objects of the present invention, will become apparent to the reader of this specification.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As shown inFIG. 1, cover assembly10has two generally channel-shaped panels14. Generally channel-shaped panels14adjoin a generally planar panel,18. Panel18has a number of spark plug ports or apertures,24, with spark plugs22being mounted therethrough. In use, channels14would extend over the top of a camshaft mechanism, sealing the camshaft mechanism from the environment and preventing oil from leaking from the engine.

FIG. 1shows cover assembly10in its installed position.FIG. 2, however, shows cover10in a flexed position for installation. InFIG. 2, generally channel-shaped panels14have been rotated upwardly with respect to generally planar panel18. This upward rotation is permitted by flexible joints32which may be either cast in place, as described below, or slidingly inserted into dovetail sockets14a, which are formed on the inboard sides of generally channel-shaped panels14.

FIG. 3shows cover10as having a peripheral gasket,28, which may be formed in place with flexible joints32. This may be accomplished by means of the molding process illustrated inFIG. 5and described below.

FIG. 4illustrates an embodiment according to the present invention in which cover assembly10has a generally channel-shaped lower panel through which crankshaft36of an engine extends. Lower panel40is hinged by means of flexible joint48, which is formed, as described in connection withFIGS. 1-3, to a generally planar upper panel,44. As with the embodiment ofFIGS. 1-3, the embodiment depicted inFIG. 4may be flexed or hinged so that panels40and44may be worked into place upon the front of an engine.

FIG. 5illustrates a molding process according to the present invention in which cover assembly parts14and18are mounted within a mold,52, having a lower mold56and an upper mold58. Then, elastomeric material may be injected into the mold so as to provide not only flexible joints32, but also gasket28. Several types of engineering elastomers are suitable for forming the flexible fluid-tight joints according to the present invention. For example, silicone rubber, nitrile rubber, and ethylene propylene rubber, and neoprene are but a few of the choices available to those skilled in the art and suggested by this disclosure.