OIL-SEALING VALVE GUIDE INSERT AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE

Abstract: A slitted tubular valve guide insert (26) is provided with a substantially spiral groove (39) along its entire length. At each point of intersection between the spiral groove (39) and the slit, the ends (40 a , 40 b ) of the groove segments (40) immediately adjacent the slit are offset by an amount sufficient to create a discontinuity in the groove. The spiral groove is, therefore, divided into a number of inclined, decoupled groove segments (40) incapable of flowing lubricating oil along their linear extent to the combustion chamber. The tubular valve guide is rolled from flat stock (27) having inclined parallel groove segments (40) preformed in the surface.

Description: This invention relates to inserts for lining valve guides of an internal combustion engine and in particular to an insert, and method of manufacture thereof, having improved means to lubricate the valve stem. Valve guides in an internal combustion engine can become worn through extended use. This is especially true when the valve guide is manufactured from cast iron or other nondurable material. Techniques have been disclosed for reaming the worn guide and inserting a tubular member into the reamed guide to refurbish it. One such technique is disclosed in our US-A-3,828,756. A slitted tubular member, rolled from a flat sheet of phosphor bronze, is press-fitted into a reamed valve guide. The tubular member is properly sized so that the slit will be substantially closed when the insert is fitted to the guide. A knurling tool is then forced down the insert to deform the metal to further seal the slit and to form spiral grooves in the surface of the guide liner containing the valve stem. The spiral grooves provide a path for supplying lubricating oil to the surface of the reciprocating valve stem. The use of such knurled phosphor bronze guide liners has been so successful that they are additionally being installed in production engines at the factory to increase the reliability and durability of the valve guides. A problem that has been associated with the use of valve guide liners is oil migration along the valve stem. Lubricating oil is provided to the valve cam, cam follower and valve stem. As previously mentioned, the spiral grooves in the guide liner ensure proper movement of this oil to the surface of the valve stem reciprocating within the guide. Even when the spiral grooves are properly sized and the fit between the valve and guide is close, however, oil can follow the path of the grooves to the combustion chamber, where it is consumed. One solution proposed to this problem is to provide two differently sized sets of spiral grooves with a small, undersized set of grooves to apply oil as a film on the valve stem and a large, oversized set of grooves to provide free flow of oil throughout the length of the valve. It is suggested that the final one or two turns of the small groove will eventually become clogged with carbon to prevent the flow of oil to the combustion chamber. This solution is, however, unsatisfactory because the amount of carbon buildup in the undersize grooves will vary over the life of the engine. Further, it is not apparent how oil would be prevented from migrating along the large set of grooves into the combustion chamber. It is an object of the present invention to provide a solution to the vexatious problem described above. This problem is overcome according to one aspect of the present invention, by providing multiple dam means spaced along the groove for preventing linear migration of engine oil along the groove. Where the valve guide comprises a thin-walled cylindrical sleeve formed from flat stock and having an outer surface adapted to be press-fitted within a valve guide and an inside surface adapted to contact the stem of said valve, the sleeve having first and second edge portions defining a longitudinal slit extending the length thereof, and a groove in the inside surface of the sleeve, the problem is overcome, according to a second aspect of the present invention, by the groove comprising multiple inclined groove segments formed in the said inside surface, the groove having a discontinuity in its linear alignment at each location it traverses the slit, each said discontinuity being defined by lateral offset of an end of a groove segment from an end of an adjacent groove segment. Thus, according to the invention, the spiral groove is divided into a number of inclined, decoupled groove segments incapable of flowing lubricating oil along their linear extent to the combustion chamber. It has been discovered that superior lubrication of the valve stem is experienced even while the wasteful loss of lubricating oil is significantly reduced. It is believed that the reason for this performance is that providing discontinuites in a spiral groove divides the groove into one revolution groove segments that are inclined with respect to the normal cross section of the valve stem. This inclination is important in assuring an adequate movement of oil across the interface between the valve stem and guide from one groove to an adjacent groove. This is because valves not only reciprocate within the guide, but rotate as well. It is believed that the rotation of the valve, in combination with the inclined groove segments, provides adequate oil movement between the disconnected groove segments to properly lubricate the valve stem. This movement is necessary, because the discontinuities in the groove would otherwise prevent oil movement between groove segments. Excessive oil migration to the combustion chamber is, however, prevented. The invention provides, according to another aspect, an improved method for making a slit tubular valve guide, the method comprising the steps of providing a substantially rectangular sheet of thin flat stock sized to form a substantially seamless cylindrical sleeve upon being rolled about a predetermined axis, said formed sleeve having an outer surface diameter equal to the diameter of said guide and an inner surface diameter no greater than the diameter of a stem of said valve; rolling said flat stock into a cylindrical sleeve about said axis with the surface having the groove segments inside; inserting said sleeve into said valve guide by confining said sleeve to a dimension no greater than the diameter of said valve guide while axially moving the sleeve into the valve guide; and finishing said sleeve inside surface to the diameter of the valve stem, and the method being characterised in that prior to the rolling of the flat stock, a series of mutually oriented groove segments are formed in a surface of the flat stock approximately perpendicular to the said axis, the groove segments being arranged so that the ends of adjacent groove segments are non aligned to form a discontinuous groove when the flat stock is rolled into a sleeve and the sleeve is inserted into the valve guide, to prevent oil migration linearly between groove segments. Because the grooves are preformed on the flat stock, no knurling tool is required in the field to form the grooves in the liner after it is installed in the guide. One advantage of the invention, therefore, is the provision of a valve guide liner that greatly reduces or eliminates the migration of oil to the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. Another advantage is that the lubricating properties of the liner are maintained even while oil waste is reduced. Yet another advantage is that the insert liner is fabricated in a manner that is simple and that additionally eliminates the need for an additional tool to install the guides in the field. The invention may be carried into practice in various ways but one valve guide insert and its method of manufacture in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation in section of a typical valve guide and valve stem in operating position; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a tubular insert used in practicing the invention; Figure 3 is a sectional rear view of the front of a tubular insert taken along the line III-III in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a front view of the flat stock before it is formed into a tubular insert; and Figure 5 is a segmented perspective view of the wall of the insert showing the grooves formed therein. Referring now to the drawings, and to Fig. 1 in particular, an overhead valve engine 10 has machined therein a valve guide 12 with an exposed shoulder portion indicated generally by the reference numeral 14 through which the valve stem 16 is passed during assembly. Ordinarily, the exposed shoulder 14 will be integrally cast with the remainder of the head and thereafter machined to proper dimensions. A valve spring 18 encircles exposed shoulder portion 14 of the valve guide assembly and the valve is conventionally retained with respect thereto by a pair of valve keepers 20. The valve stem 16 extends downwardly and terminates in a valve portion (not shown). A suitable seat is machined into the lower surface of the heat of the engine 10. The valve portion opens into an engine combustion chamber (not shown). Valve spring 18 retains the valve in closed position with respect to the seat except when the valve is forced downwardly by a rocker arm (not shown) or the like in proper operational sequence. A valve guide liner 26 is closely fitted within the opening in the valve guide 12. Referring to Figs. 2 and 4, the guide liner 26 is an elongated tubular member with a seam 30 extending the entire length thereof. Seam 30 is formed between a first edge portion 28 and a second edge portion 29 of the flat stock 27 from which the liner is formed. The dimensions of the flat stock 27 are selected such that, after the guide liner is fitted into the valve guide 12, the seam 30 will be substantially continuous. i.e., closed. A first finger member 33 is defined by the first edge portion 28. A second finger member 34 is defined by second edge portion 29. The finer members 33, 34 have overlapping transverse edge portions 36, 38 to additionally inhibit oil flow along the seam 30. For further information on the general construction of such an insert and the method of inserting it into a valve guide, reference is made to US-A-3,828,415 which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Referring to Fig. 3, the internal structure of the guide liner 26 will be disclosed in detail. It can be seen that the seam 30 becomes substantially closed when the guide liner is fitted into a valve guide. A substantially spiral groove 39 extends the entire length of guide liner 26. Groove 39, however, is not continuous but is rather divided into a series of spiral groove segments 40. Each groove segment 40 begins and ends at seam 30. The division of the spiral groove 39 into groove segments 40 occurs because the groove is discontinuous at seam 30. The discontinuity is created because a first end 40 a of groove segment 40 is offset laterally, or upwardly as viewed in Fig. 3, from a second segment end 40b. In the disclosed embodiment the amount of groove lateral offset is approximately 0.76 mm (0.03 inch). This lateral offset creates a dam to any lubricating oil that may be flowing linearly along the spiral groove. It can be seen therefore that oil will be prevented from flowing linearly from one groove segment to the other. The division of the spiral groove into a series of groove segments results in such segments being inclined with respect to the normal cross section of the guide liner. This inclination is important to assuring proper lubrication of the valve stem because, as the valve stem rotates as well as reciprocates within the guide liner, oil is transferred from one groove segment to another across the face of the stem. This action assures adequate lubrication of the valve stem while preventing excessive oil migration to the combustion chamber below. Referring to Fig. 4, the guide liner 26 is constructed from a flat stock 27. Stock 27 is substantially rectangular in shape and is appropriately sized to close the seam 30 upon insertion into a valve guide. Finger portion members 33,34 are seen as offset portions in the stock 27. It can be seen that the spiral groove segments 40 are formed into stock 27 as a series of slightly inclined, parallel straight groove segments. The spacing of the groove segments and their angle of inclination are predetermined in relationship to the width of stock 27 so that, when the stock is formed into a guide liner, the groove segment ends 40 a 40 b , are laterally offset as shown in Fig. 3. The preferred angle of inclination of the groove segments 40 to provide the desirable lubrication properties is one and one-half degrees with respect to the normal cross section of the guide liner. The preferred cross-sectional form of the groove segments is a triangular notch as seen in Fig. 5. This shape is desirable because it requires a lesser amount of force to form into the surface-hardened phosphor bronze flat stock 27. The groove segments may be formed by either a stamping or a rolling process. Because the groove segments are formed in flat stock before it is rolled into a liner, it would be possible to form the grooves in the stock prior to the surface hardening procedure. The wall thickness of the flat stock 27 is preferably between 0.25 and 0.625 mm (0.01 and 0.025 inch). Although the liner has been disclosed as con­ structed from a homogeneous material, it is equally applicable to a multiple layer guide liner such as disclosed in our US-A-4,103,662. As previously explained, the dimensions of the flat stock 27 are preselected to substantially close the seam 30 when the liner is press-fitted into a valve guide. The thickness of stock 27 is additionally preselected so that the inside diameter of the guide liner 26 will be no greater than the diameter of the valve stem. Subsequent to fitting the liner into the guide, whether as a guide rebuilding process or as a part of an engine manufacturing process, the final step in the procedure would be to finish the inside diameter of the liner to match that of the valve stem. This can be accomplished by passing a ball broach or a reamer through the liner, as is known in the art. It is thus seen that the present invention comprehends an improved valve guide liner that reduces the amount of oil migration down the valve stem into the combustion chamber of the engine. The invention further comprehends the construction of such a liner by preforming the groove segments in the flat stock prior to forming into a liner. The groove segments are oriented so that the ends are offset when in the valve guide to provide the discontinuities in the spiral groove. Finally, the invention comprehends an improved method of making such a valve guide liner that eliminates the requirement for a knurling step subsequent to installation in the valve guide.

Claims: 1. A valve guide insert (26) for lining or relining of a valve guide (12) of an internal combustion engine (10) comprising a cylindrical sleeve having an outside surface adapted to be press-fitted within a valve guide (12) and an inside surface adapted to receive a valve stem (11) therethrough, the said inside surface defining a substantially spiral groove (39) along its entire length, characterised by multiple dam means spaced along the groove for preventing linear migration of engine oil along the groove (39). 2. A valve guide insert according to claim 1 in which one dam means is located within each revolution of the groove (39). 3. A valve guide insert according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which each dam means comprises a discontinuity in the linear alignment of the groove (39) at a particular location, wherein a first portion of the groove adjacent said location is laterally offset from a second portion of the groove adjacent said location. 4. A valve guide insert according to claim 3 in which the cylindrical sleeve is rolled from flat stock (27) having segments (40) of the groove preformed on a surface thereof. 5. A valve guide according to claim 4 in which the groove segments (40) are cold formed on the surface of the flat stock (27). 6. A valve guide insert as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5 in which the cylindrical sleeve is formed from phosphor bronze. 7. A valve guide insert for lining or relining a valve guide (12) of an internal combustion engine (10) comprising: a thin-walled cylindrical sleeve formed from flat stock (27) and having an outer surface adapted to be press-fitted within a valve guide (12) and an inside surface adapted to contact the stem (16) of said valve, the sleeve having first and second edge portions (28,29) defining a longitudinal slit (30) extending the length thereof, and a groove (39) in the inside surface of the sleeve, characterised in that the groove (39) comprises multiple inclined groove segments (40) formed in the said inside surface, the groove (39) having a discontinuity in its linear alignment at each location it traverses the slit (30), each said discontinuity being defined by lateral offset of an end (40a) of a groove segment (40) from an end (40b) of an adjacent groove segment (40). 8. A valve guide insert according to claim 7 in which the lateral offset is approximately 0.76 mm (0.03 inch). 9. A valve guide insert according to claim 7 or claim 8 in which the first and second edge portions (28,29) comprise two interengaging finger portions (33,34) which abut each other defining a transverse portion (36,38) in said longitudinal slit. 10. A valve guide insert according to any of claims 7 to 9 in which the cylindrical sleeve is rolled from flat stock (27) having the groove segments (40) preformed on a surface thereof. 11. A valve guide insert according to any of claims 7 to 10 in which the groove segments (40) preformed on the flat stock (27) are substantially straight and parallel. 12. A valve guide insert according to claim 11 in which the groove segments (40) are at an angle of approximately 1.5 degrees from the plane perpendicular the axis about which the flat stock is rolled. 13. A valve guide insert according to any of claims 7 to 12 in which the groove segments (40) are triangular-shaped troughs. 14. A method of lining/relining a valve guide (12) of an internal combustion engine (10) comprising the steps of: providing a substantially rectangular sheet (27) of thin flat stock sized to form a substantially seamless cylindrical sleeve upon being rolled about a predetermined axis, said formed sleeve having an outer surface diameter equal to the diameter of said guide (12) and an inner surface diameter no greater than the diameter of a stem (16) of said valve; rolling said flat stock into a cylindrical sleeve about said axis with the surface having the groove segments (40) inside; inserting said sleeve into said valve guide by confining said sleeve to a dimension no greater than the diameter of said valve guide while axially moving the sleeve into the valve guide (12); and finishing said sleeve inside surface to the diameter of the valve stem (16); characterised in that, prior to the rolling of the flat stock, a series of mutually oriented groove segments (40) are formed in a surface of the flat stock approximately perpendicular to the said axis, the groove segments (40) being arranged so that the ends (40a,40b) of adjacent groove segments (40) are nonaligned to form a discontinuous groove when the flat stock is rolled into a sleeve and the sleeve is inserted into the valve guide, to prevent oil migration linearly between groove segments. 15. A method according to claim 14 in which the groove segments (40) are parallel and at an angle of approximately 1.5 degress from a plane perpendicular said axis. 16. A method according to claim 14 or claim 15 which includes the step of treating said flat stock to increase its surface hardness, the said formation of a series of mutually oriented groove segments (40) being performed after the said treatment of the flat stock to increase its surface hardness. 17. A method according to any of claims 14 to 16 in which the flat stock is phosphor bronze.

Inventors: KAMMERAAD, JAMES ALLAN
Applicants: K-LINE INDUSTRIES, INC.
Application year: 1987
Main classification: F01L3
IPC codes: F01L3