Piston cooling nozzle

Abstract: A piston cooling assembly for cooling each of the pistons in an internal combustion engine is provided. The piston cooling assembly of the present invention, which directs a spray of cooling fluid, typically oil, to a selected targeted area of the piston with which it is associated, is installed, adjusted and removed entirely from the exterior of the engine block. The piston cooling assembly [30] is received in a specially configured bore [40] in the engine block [10] and includes a flange [38] located exteriorly of the engine block [10] to position and secure the assembly [30] in its desired location. A nozzle tube support [34] attached to the flange [38] is sealingly engaged within the engine block bore [40] and is fluidically connected with the engine cooling fluid supply to provide a supply of cooling fluid to a nozzle tube [36]. The nozzle tube [36], one end of which is supported by the nozzle tube support [34], sprays cooling fluid toward the targeted piston area. In an alternate embodiment, a second nozzle tube is provided to direct coolant and/or lubricant to the joint between the piston and the connecting rod.

Description: The present invention relates generally to devices for cooling the pistons of internal combustion engines and specifically to a targeted piston cooling nozzle. In detail the invention has as a starting point a piston cooling assembly with the features of the pre-characterizing part of claim 1. The cooling of the reciprocating pistons of an internal combustion engine with cooling fluids, including oil is well known. The use of oil can be quite effective in reducing piston temperature and may also lubricate the piston as well. However, the various devices currently available for directing oil or other cooling fluids toward the piston do not reliably achieve optimum cooling. Unless the device used to direct oil to the piston can be precisely positioned so that the cooling oil is sprayed or otherwise applied substantially uniformly to all of the piston surfaces to be cooled, localized "hot spots" may be created, and cracking of the piston could result from the temperature differentials thus produced. This problem may be particularly pronounced when the piston to be cooled is a gallery type or articulated piston with a central cavity that is open at the end toward the connecting rod. The various internal piston structures and the connecting rod are likely to interfere with the application of cooling oil to the interior of the piston, particularly while the piston is reciprocating in the cylinder during engine operation. In the piston cooling assembly forming the starting point of the invention (US-A-3,709,109), a selectively rotatable piston nozzle can be mounted to selectively direct a spray of cooling oil against a desired portion of the piston. This piston cooling nozzle can be mounted from the outside of the engine block and thus avoids costly and time consuming maintenance problems. As can be seen from figure 5 and figure 6 of the drawings in the prior-art-document the nozzle tube support means is formed by the bolt-like multiple-part nozzle body which is inserted into the engine block bore from the outside. There is a thread-connection between the thread on the interior section of the body of the nozzle tube support means and the bore in the engine block so that the bore in the engine block forms a screw-in socket for the body. In the exterior section of the body there is provided an O-ring as an exterior sealing element. A slitted head formed integrally with the body of the nozzle tube support means allows for screwing the body of the nozzle tube support means. The slitted head is a little bit inserted into the engine block. Locator means are provided in the form of a locking screw which engages in a groove which runs axially on the circumference of the slitted head. By means of a second groove offset from the first groove by 90° the position of the discharge bore and the spray direction can be changed for 90° to be ineffective. In this construction there is exactly one fixed position in which the nozzle tube support means is positioned so that the spray of cooling fluid is directed to the selected portion of the piston. This is defined by the position of the nozzle tube means which is press-fitted into the open end of the body of the nozzle tube support means. The position of the nozzle tube means relative to the nozzle tube support means is fixed. Likewise the position of the slitted head on the engine block is fixed by means of the locking screw together with the groove. Nevertheless, due to wear of the thread-connection the lengthwise position of the nozzle tube support means in the bore of the engine block may change with a detrimental effect on the sealing efficiency of the sealing means between the slitted head and the engine block. In view of above described prior art there is the object of this invention to provide an assembly precisely locating and positioning the nozzle within the engine block completely from the outside without any problems with sealing the assembly in the engine block. This object is achieved with a piston cooling assembly with the features of the pre-charactzerizing part of claim 1 and in addition the features of the characterizing part of claim 1. This construction describes a plug-in-socket for the body with the sealing means independent of the lengthwise - axial - position of the body of the nozzle tube support means, and the flange means being completely independent on the outside of the engine block with the locator pin to position the nozzle correctly with regard to the engine block and further being the only means to attach the assembly to the engine block completely independent of any part of the nozzle tube support means lying within the engine block. This independence of sealing in the bore against the engine block on the one hand from the orientation of the nozzle and attachment to the engine block on the other hand achieves above mentioned object. Further improvement and advantages may be obtained from the dependent claims. Reference is further made to the following description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the drawings. Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a cross-sectional diagrammatic view of a portion of an internal combustion engine showing the present invention mounted in place; Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the circled portion of Figure 1 showing the present piston cooling assembly; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the piston cooling assembly of the present invention; Figure 4 is a top view of the present piston cooling assembly; and Figure 5 is a side view of the present piston cooling assembly. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention The cooling of articulated or gallery type pistons in high horsepower engines has been found to be optimally accomplished by spraying a cooling fluid, preferably oil, so that it contacts an area of the piston where it will achieve uniform cooling of the piston. If the piston is not cooled uniformly, some areas will stay at undesirably high temperatures while others will be cooled. These temperature differentials will produce uneven cooling likely to lead to cracks and structural defects in the piston which, at best, can weaken it and, at worst, can render it inoperable. The present invention provides a piston cooling assembly including a targeted piston nozzle capable of providing a spray of oil or other cooling fluid to a desired area of the piston which can be installed in a precisely aligned position relative to the piston, maintained and removed from the exterior of the engine block. Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates diagrammatically in cross-sectional view a portion of an internal combustion engine. Figure 1 shows the present piston cooling assembly installed in place in the block of an engine. Only one cooling assembly and piston are shown. One complete piston cooling assembly including a targeted nozzle would be provided for cooling each piston. The portion of the engine block 10 shown in Figure 1 includes a piston 12 reciprocably received within a cylinder 14. A connecting rod 16 is journalled to the piston in a suitable manner, such as, for example, with a wrist pin or ball joint 25, at one end and attached to the crank shaft 18 at the other end. The type of piston with which the present invention is most effective has a central cavity 20, a crown portion 22 which receives piston rings 24 and a depending skirt portion 26. The piston is cooled as it reciprocates by the application of a spray of cooling oil from the piston cooling assembly 30 of the present invention. The piston cooling assembly 30 is shown within the circled area in Figure 1 and in greater detail in Figures 2 and 5. A bore 32, formed in the engine block 10, is configured to receive a nozzle body or support 34. The nozzle support 34 includes a bore 40 which intersects an oil gallery (not shown) in the engine block to provide cooling oil to a nozzle tube 36. A flange 38 secured to the nozzle support 34 at the end opposite the nozzle tube 36 attaches the assembly 30 to the engine block. The flange 38 also assists in aligning the assembly within the block so that the oil directed from the terminal end 42 of the nozzle tube will be directed to a desired targeted location on the piston. Such a nozzle is generally referred to as a targeted piston cooling nozzle because the cooling spray is directed to a particular location to achieve optimal piston cooling. Targeted piston cooling nozzles, however, must be precisely positioned and installed in a manner that maintains the proper nozzle position required to spray the "target". As discussed above, until the present invention it was necessary to open the engine block to install a targeted piston cooling nozzle so that it would be properly aligned to spray cooling oil to the desired piston location. Figure 2 illustrates an enlarged view of the circled portion of Figure 1 and shows the present piston cooling assembly in greater detail. The bore 32 in the engine block 10 preferably has a diameter sufficient to allow the insertion of the nozzle support 34 and nozzle tube 36 without undue difficulty, yet provides a tight enough fit for the nozzle body so that extraordinary measures do not have to be taken to seal the assembly to prevent oil leakage. One way in which this can be accomplished is to form an integral circumferential ridge 44 at the end of the bore 32 adjacent to the interior of the engine block, thus giving the bore a stepped configuration. The diameter of the ridge 44 is smaller than the diameter of the remainder of the bore. A pair of sealing elements 46,48 is provided to seal the nozzle body 34 in the engine block bore 32. The sealing elements prevent the leakage of oil intended to cool the piston from around the nozzle body 34. Since this oil is supplied under pressure, an effective seals are required to insure that oil does not leak, but is available for cooling purposes. The sealing element 46 is the interior sealing element and is located adjacent to the lip portion 44 at the interior end of the engine block bore 32. The sealing element 48 is the exterior sealing element and is located near the exterior end of the engine block bore 32. As will be explained in greater detail in connection with Figure 3, the nozzle support 34 is specially configured to receive the sealing elements 46 and 48 and hold them in place. Circumferential recesses or seal-receiving grooves 68,70 (Figure 3) are integrally formed in the nozzle support 34 to receive these sealing elements. The sealing elements 46 and 48 may be formed from conventional O-rings or any other similar structure or material useful for sealing oil under pressure in an internal combustion engine environment. Good sealing results have been achieved by forming the interior or exterior seal entirely of plastic, for example. The nozzle support 34 receives and holds the nozzle tube 36 in place while, at the same time, providing a fluid connection between the nozzle tube and the engine cooling oil supply. Bore 40 in nozzle support 34 fluidically connects the piston cooling assembly 30 with this supply of cooling oil. Typically, an oil gallery (not shown) is provided in the engine block to supply cooling oil to each piston. A nozzle tube receiving bore 50 is formed in the nozzle support 34 to receive one end 52 of the nozzle tube. The bore 50 extends into the body of the nozzle support 34 to intersect the oil supply bore 40. Cooling oil is thus conveyed along the path shown by the arrows in Figure 2 from the nozzle support bore 40 into nozzle tube receiving bore 50 and from there through the nozzle tube 36 and out through the nozzle tube tip 42. The shape of the nozzle tube 36 is selected to direct a spray of cooling oil to a location which will produce optimal cooling. The gently curved configuration shown in the drawings has been found to produce effective cooling. Because optimum cooling of a gallery type piston is produced when the cooling spray is directed upwardly, the preferred nozzle tube configuration for this application is that shown in the drawings. The tube configuration should also be selected to produce a spray from the tip 42 that will have the desired effect. However, other configurations that will direct a spray of cooling oil to a desired piston location could also be employed. The nozzle tube 36 and nozzle support 34 are shown in the drawings as two separate structures. It is preferred to form these structures of a metal capable of withstanding the temperatures, pressures and potentially corrosive chemicals typically encountered in the environment of an internal combustion engine. However, other materials, such as, for example, some of the strong inert plastics currently available, could also be used to form the nozzle tube and nozzle support. In addition, the integral formation of the nozzle tube 36 and nozzle support 34 as a one-piece rather than a two-piece element is contemplated to be within the scope of the present invention. Whatever the configuration or material chosen, the assembly must be capable of being mounted in place from the outside of the engine block to position the nozzle tube 36 relative to the piston so that cooling oil is directed by the nozzle tube spray tip 42 to a targeted piston location. The flange 38 of the present piston cooling assembly 30 remains completely outside the engine block after the assembly is installed to facilitate alignment and to secure the assembly in place. Three bores are provided to insure the proper installation, alignment and removal of the assembly from the engine block 10. A capscrew receiving bore 54 receives a capscrew 56 which is threaded into a suitable recess 57 in the engine block. A threaded pullout bore 58 receives a threaded tool (not shown) to facilitate the removal of the assembly from the engine block. A locating pin bore 60 receives a positioning dowel pin (not shown) formed on the engine block to orient the nozzle support 34 within the engine block bore 34 and, thus, the nozzle tube 36 with respect to its desired target. Figures 3 and 4 illustrate preferred configurations of the nozzle support 34. The nozzle support preferably includes a central body section 62, an interior section 64 and an exterior section 66. The central body section 62 includes the bore 40 which intersects the engine cooling oil supply (not shown) to provide oil to the nozzle tube. The central body section may have the concaved curved configuration shown in Figure 4, the substantially block-like shape shown in Figure 3 or any other shape which effectively accommodates the bore 40 and supports the nozzle tube 36 in a manner which provides a fluid connection between the bore 40 and the nozzle tube 36. The interior section 64 of the nozzle support 34 includes a circumferential seal receiving recess or groove 68 to receive and secure in place the interior sealing element 46. The exterior section 66 includes a second circumferential seal receiving recess or groove 70, which provides a seal for the exterior sealing element 48. Figure 4 illustrates the present piston cooling assembly as viewed from above the piston looking downward toward the crankshaft. The location and shape of the oil-receiving bore 72 which provides a fluid connection between bore 40 and the nozzle tube 36 can be seen clearly in Figure 4. Figure 4 also shows an alternate embodiment of the piston cooling assembly of the present invention. In this embodiment, a second nozzle tube 80 is provided in the nozzle support 34, adjacent to and substantially parallel to the nozzle tube 36. This second nozzle tube 80, includes an oil-receiving bore 82 which provides a fluid connection between the oil supply bore 40 and the tube 80. Oil is directed from the tip 84 of tube 80 to cool and/or lubricate the wrist pin or ball joint 25 (Figure 1). Figure 5 illustrates an uninstalled piston cooling assembly according to the present invention as it would appear when viewed from outside the engine block toward the exterior surface of the flange 38. The shape of the flange 38 has been selected to conform to the exterior of the engine block. The locating hole 60, as previously mentioned, receives a corresponding positioning dowel pin (not shown) located on the engine block to fix the piston cooling assembly in a position where the nozzle tube will direct a spray of cooling oil to the desired target when the assembly is installed from the exterior of the engine block. The direction of the spray of cooling oil can be adjusted, if required, by changing the location of the dowel pin, by adjusting the position of the tip 42 of the nozzle tube 36 relative to the nozzle support 34 or by both. The present piston cooling assembly is easily installed from outside the engine block with a minimum of effort. To install the present piston cooling assembly, sealing elements are seated in place in the grooves 68 and 70 of the nozzle support 34. The tip end 42 of the nozzle tube 36 is then inserted through the engine block bore 32 to the interior of the block, and the nozzle support 34 is pressed into the bore 32 so that the interior seal element 46 engages the ridge 44. The assembly is rotated within the bore until the locating hole 60 in the flange 38 receives the engine block positioning dowel pin (not shown). The entire assembly is then secured in place with the capscrew 56. The assembly may be removed simply by reversing the procedure. This facilitates adjustment of the nozzle tube, replacement of the sealing elements, cleaning of the assembly and any other maintenance required to be performed. As a result, the cost of installing, maintaining and replacing the present assembly is substantially lower than previously available piston cooling devices. Industrial Applicability The present invention will find its primary application in a high horsepower, oil cooled internal combustion engine with gallery or articulated type pistons.

Claims: An assembly (30) for cooling a piston (12) in an internal combustion engine with an engine block (10), by directing a spray of cooling fluid from the engine cooling fluid supply to a portion of the piston (12) selected to achieve the optimum cooling of the entire piston (12), wherein this assembly includes nozzle tube means (52, 36, 42) for directing the spray of cooling fluid to the selected portion of the piston (12), wherein this nozzle tube means (52, 36, 42) comprises a tube including a base (52) and a tip (42), and an arm (36) connecting the base (52) with the tip (42) and directing the cooling fluid to the tip (42), the base (52) being received and supported in a nozzle tube support means (34) to fluidically connect with the engine cooling fluid supply, and the tip (42) spraying cooling fluid upwardly toward the selected portion of the piston (12), wherein the nozzle tube support means (34) is mountable in a bore (32) within the engine block (10) from the exterior of the engine block (10) proximate to the piston (12) for receiving and supporting the nozzle tube means (52, 36, 42) and for providing a fluid connection (40) between the engine cooling fluid supply and the nozzle tube means (52, 36, 42), wherein locator means (54, 58, 60) are provided for accurately positioning the assembly (30) by means of the nozzle tube support means (34) from the exterior of the engine block (10), and wherein the nozzle tube support means (34) comprises a body (62, 64, 66) with a central body section (62), an interior section (64) adjacent to the engine block (10) interior, and an exterior section (66) adjacent to the engine block (10) exterior, the attachment and removal of the assembly (30) being possible entirely from the engine block (10) exterior, the body (62, 64, 66) being sealed in the bore (32) against the engine block (10) by means of an exterior sealing element (48) positioned in the exterior section (66), characterized in that the arm (36) between base (52) and tip (42) is curved upwardly from the base (52) towards the tip (42) to precisely direct the spray of cooling fluid to the selected portion of the piston (12), the nozzle tube support means (34) includes flange means (38) formed integrally therewith and including said locator means (54, 58, 60), the bore (32) in the engine block (10) forms a plug-in-socket for the body (62, 64, 66) and the body (62, 64, 66) is sealed in the bore (32) against the engine block (10) additionally by means of an interior sealing element (46) positioned in the interior section (64), the flange means (38) is an integral extension of the exterior section (66) of the body (62, 64, 66) located completely outside the engine block (10), the attachment of the assembly (30) to the engine block (10) being made solely by the flange means (38), and the locator means (54, 58, 60) comprises a bore (60) in the flange means (38) configured to receive a locator pin formed on the exterior of the engine block (10) so as to orient the nozzle tube support means (34) within the bore (32). The piston cooling assembly described in claim 1 wherein the nozzle tube support means (34) includes central passage means (40) for providing a fluid connection between the engine cooling fluid supply and the nozzle tube means (52, 36, 42). The piston cooling assembly described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the interior sealing element (46) and the exterior sealing element (48) each comprises an O-ring, or one or both of the sealing elements (46, 48) comprises a plastic sealing member. The piston cooling assembly described in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the nozzle tube support means (34) includes a pair of integrally formed sealing element receiving recesses (68, 70) to hold the sealing means (46, 48) securely in place when the nozzle tube support means (34) is correctly positioned within the bore (32) in the engine block (10). The piston cooling assembly described in any of the preceding claims, wherein the bore (32) is a stepped bore (32) including a circumferential ridge (44) located adjacent to the engine block (10) interior. The piston cooling assembly described in any of the preceding claims, further including a second nozzle tube means (82, 80, 84) supported by the nozzle tube support means (34) for cooling and/or lubricating a second selected portion of the piston (12).

Inventors: LEE THOMAS R, LEE, THOMAS R.
Applicants: CUMMINS ENGINE CO INC, CUMMINS ENGINE COMPANY, INC.
Application year: 1990
Main classification: F01P3
IPC codes: F01P3, F01M1, F02F1