Seal for a joint or juncture – Seal between fixed parts or static contact against... – Contact seal between parts of internal combustion engine
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-09
2004-11-30
Miller, William L. (Department: 3677)
Seal for a joint or juncture
Seal between fixed parts or static contact against...
Contact seal between parts of internal combustion engine
C277S648000, C277S649000, C277S598000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06824138
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sealing member (for example, a gasket) which seals between a cover member (for example, a cylinder head cover) in an engine mounted on a motor vehicle or the like and a corresponding member (for example, a cylinder head). Further, the present invention relates to a mounting structure between an annular groove provided on the cover member (for example, a cylinder head cover) and the sealing member (for example, the gasket).
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as a sealing member (for example, a gasket) which seals between a cover member such as a head cover, an intake manifold and the like of an engine mounted on a motor vehicle or the like, and a block member such as a cylinder head, a cylinder block and the like, there is employed an annular gasket formed by an elastic material such as a synthetic rubber, a cork, a synthetic resin and the like and having a rectangular or round cross sectional shape.
Upon mounting, when the conventional gasket as the before described is inserted from a leading end side of it into the annular groove provided on a seal surface of the cover member, a bottom surface side of the gasket opposing to the leading end side is exposed from the annular groove when said gasket is in a state in which most portions thereof are mounted within the annular groove.
Then, the corresponding member such as the cylinder head or the like is in contact with the exposed bottom portion of the gasket.
In this case, when fastening the cover member and the corresponding member by a fastening device such as a bolt or the like at a time of fastening, the gasket is compressed, and is elastically deformed so as to be closely attached strongly to each other, whereby a required sealing is achieved. This fastening is generally performed with a fastening torque about 5 to 10 Nm.
It has been difficult for the conventional gasket mentioned above to cope with requirements which are caused from a recent assembling operation using an automatic robot. In an assembling operation using an automatic robot, it is requested to prevent the gasket from coming off when it is mounted and from falling down when it is fastened. But, the conventional gasket mentioned above is difficult to cope with such requirements.
That is, corresponding to a recent requirement of weight saving, the gasket is formed in an O-ring shape having a narrow and vertically long cross section. When the gasket formed in this manner is intended to be mounted on to the annular groove provided on the seal surface of the cover member, it is difficult to mount the gasket on to the annular groove rapidly and easily, and it is difficult to mount the gasket securely in the annular groove of the cover member, because of the its narrow shape as the before described.
Further, when the gasket formed in the O-ring shape having the narrow and vertically long cross section mentioned above is mounted on the annular groove provided on the seal surface of the cover member, since it is formed in a vertically long shape, the said gasket is easily deformed in the outer portion of the annular groove, and easily falls down in a lateral direction so as to be fastened, at a time of being fastened.
In an engine assembling line, after the gasket is mounted on to the cover member, the cover member is reversed, and the fastening step between the cover member and the cylinder head or the like as mentioned above is conducted. So that, in the case that a means provided on the gasket for preventing the gasket from being dropped out is insufficient, there is a possibility that a seal defect may be caused by a dropout or displacement of the gasket. Further, a more serious damage may be caused depending on the dropout or displacement of the gasket.
Accordingly, it has been required to provide a gasket which is suitable for a work in a recent engine assembling line, so that it can be rapidly and easily mounted on the annular groove provided on the seal surface of the cover member as well as securely mounted on the said annular groove. Also, it has been required that by using the said gasket, any possibility of the before described falling down, dropout and displacement of the gasket can be eliminated.
And, it has been required to provide a mounting construction between an annular groove provided on the cover member (for example, a cylinder head cover) and the sealing member (for example, using the before described gasket).
In the recent engine assembling line, it is further required that the gasket is automatically mounted on to the annular groove provided on the cover member by using a mounting robot or the like, in further advance of the matter mentioned above.
However, since the gasket formed in the O-ring shape having the narrow and vertically long cross section as mentioned above is inferior in a shape maintaining property, the said gasket can not cope with the automatic mounting which is conducted in the recent engine assembling line mentioned above.
In Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 2-31960, an annular gasket was proposed as it is suitable for a work in an engine assembling line. In
FIG. 5
, cross section of the gasket proposed by Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 2-31960 is shown.
The gasket denoted by reference numeral
4
in
FIG. 5
is formed such that an insert plate member
5
is inserted into a non-seal portion of a gasket main body, whereby it is intended to improve the shape maintaining property as well as increase a rigidity.
However, the gasket
4
can not achieve the other effective functions other than the increase of rigidity and the improvement of shape maintaining property. That is, even if an arrangement and/or a shape of the gasket
4
at a time of mounting and fastening is devised, a crack tends to be generated from an edge portion in which the insert plate member
5
is inserted, at a time when the gasket is compressed and deformed by fastening. Accordingly, there is a problem that the crack gives an adverse effect to the sealing property.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a gasket which can be applied to an automatic mounting conducted in a recent engine assembling line mentioned above, and it can overcome the problems in the conventional gasket mentioned above. That is to say, the said gasket is required as it is suitable for a work in a recent engine assembling line. Further, it is required that, by using the said gasket, any possibility of the before described falling down, dropout and displacement of the gasket can be eliminated, and an improved sealing property is obtained.
The other object of the present invention is to provide a mounting construction between an annular groove provided on the cover member (for example, a cylinder head cover) and the before mentioned gasket.
In order to solve the problems mentioned above, the present invention proposes the following gasket.
A gasket according to the present invention is an elastic gasket which is mounted on to an annular groove provided on a seal surface of a cover member and is used for sealing between the said cover member and a block member closely attached to the seal surface of the said cover member.
In the gasket according to the present invention, a transverse width of a cross section in a leading end side portion inserted to the annular groove is made smaller than a transverse width of a cross section in a bottom surface side portion continuously extending from a bottom surface side opposing to the leading end side of the leading end side portion to a bottom surface side of the gasket.
In the gasket according to the present invention, the transverse width of the cross section in the leading end side portion has one magnitude all along the longitudinal direction of the leading end side portion, and the transverse width of the cross section in the bottom surface side portion has one magnitude all along the longitudinal direction of the bottom surface side portion.
That is, in the gasket according
Miller William L.
Uchiyama Manufacturing Corp.
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
LandOfFree
Gasket does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Gasket, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Gasket will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3359062